Le Marche
In 1792 composer Gioachino Rossini was born in this four-storey town house on what is now the main drag through Pesaro's historic centre. The small museum…
Must-see attractions in Umbria & Le Marche
Spoleto
Spoleto's archaeological museum, housed in a 15th-century monastery on the western edge of Piazza della Libertà, holds a well-curated collection of Roman…
Assisi
Looming over Assisi is the 14th-century Rocca Maggiore, an oft-expanded, pillaged and rebuilt fortress that commands inspiring 360-degree views of Perugia…
Umbria
Snaking up to the top of town, Via Federico da Montefeltro is a steep, narrow lane that leads to three of Gubbio's main historic buildings: the 12th…
Umbria
Just outside the historic centre, this cracking little museum showcases a series of floor mosaics unearthed at a Roman villa in 2005. Raised walkways…
Orvieto
This tufa-brick church at the western end of town is one of Orvieto's oldest, dating from 1004. A solemn example of Romanesque-Gothic architecture, it…
Ascoli Piceno
Ascoli's archaeological museum holds a small collection of artefacts from the Piceni and other European peoples dating back to the first centuries AD, as…
Ascoli Piceno
The 14th-century Chiesa di San Pietro Martire is dedicated to St Peter of Verona, the 13th-century saint who founded the Dominican community at Ascoli…
Orvieto
This 12th-century church, with its curious decagonal bell tower, presides over Piazza della Repubblica, once Orvieto's Roman forum and now a cafe-lined…
Ancona
Built by Luigi Vanvitelli in 1738, this portside arch takes its name from Pope Clement XII who boosted Ancona's fortunes by declaring the city a free port…
Tempio di Santa Maria della Consolazione
Todi
Todi's architectural pride and joy is this stunning landmark church, attributed to Donato Bramante. Completed in 1607 outside the town's medieval walls,…
Museo Regionale della Ceramica
Umbria
Attractively housed in a former Franciscan convent, Deruta's principal museum charts the evolution of ceramic production in the town from the 14th to the…
Perugia
Little known to visitors, Perugia's medieval gardens are entered from behind the Basilica di San Pietro. During the Middle Ages, monasteries often created…
Umbria
To the southwest of the historic centre lies a partially preserved 1st-century Roman theatre. Artefacts unearthed at the site and around Gubbio are…
Le Marche
This glorious long beach, sandwiched between crystalline cobalt waters and low white cliffs coated in Mediterranean macchia (shrubland), is a favourite…
Orvieto
Stage your own archaeological dig at this fantastic museum opposite the Duomo. It houses one of Italy's foremost collections of Etruscan finds, comprising…
Urbino
This 14th-century red-brick church features a series of brightly coloured frescoes by Lorenzo and Giacomo Salimbeni. Behind the main altar is a gripping…
Assisi
This 13th-century Romanesque church, remodelled by Galeazzo Alessi in the 16th century, contains the font where St Francis and St Clare were baptised. The…
Ascoli Piceno
The Museo dell'Arte Ceramica traces the development of ceramic production in Ascoli and displays works from Italy's famous pottery towns, including Deruta…
Perugia
At the southern end of Corso Vannucci is this tiny park, with expansive views across the city's rooftops to the countryside and cypress-cloaked hills…
Umbria
Gubbio's showpiece square, Piazza Grande, is dominated by the 14th-century Palazzo dei Consoli whose austere crenellated facade and bell tower can be seen…
Perugia
The Sala dei Notari was built from 1293 to 1297 and is where the nobility met. The arches supporting the vaults are Romanesque, covered with vibrant…
Orvieto
Housed in the medieval Palazzo Papale behind the Duomo, Orvieto's archaeological museum holds plenty of interesting artefacts, some over 2500 years old…
Umbria
On the main drag through the village, this much-modified Gothic church features some fine 16th-century artworks. Its prize feature is Pinturicchio's…
Umbria
Gubbio's fading pink 13th-century cathedral boasts an atmospheric interior, capped by unadorned ribbed arches and lit by sunlight entering through a 12th…
Perugia
Just north of Piazza IV Novembre, you can venture down an Etruscan well. Dating from the 3rd century BC, the 37m-deep cylindrical shaft was the main water…
Ancona
Head along Corso Mazzini to see the Fontana del Calamo, a 16th-century fountain featuring 13 masked spouts representing mythical fauns and satyrs…
Le Marche
A gentle arc of gravelly sand backed by steeply banked woods, the Spiaggia Urbani is the closest beach to Sirolo, accessible on foot or via a summer…
Umbria
This 25m-high tower rises above Porta Romana, the best preserved of Gubbio's medieval gateways. Dating to the 14th-century, it was the main entrance for…
Ancona
Overlooking Piazza dell Repubblica, Ancona's ornate theatre has been a city landmark since 1826. Its columned neoclassical facade is capped by Greek-style…
Umbria
Showcasing mills, presses and crafts, this, the sister museum of the Museo del Vino, is an ode to olive oil and its symbolic, medicinal and dietary uses.
Orvieto
This 47m-high tower has loomed over Orvieto's centro since the 13th century, though the clock was only added in 1866. Climb all 250 steps for sweeping 360…
Umbria
This museum presents a sparse homage to the diocese of Gubbio’s 2000-year history with its collection of medieval painting and sculpture, much of it from…
Spoleto
With its intact floor mosaics and vaulted ceilings, this small house gives visitors a peek into what a typical Roman villa would have looked like in the…
Ancona
At the southern end of the port, the baroque Porta Pia was built as a monumental entrance to the town in the late 18th century at the request of Pope Pius…
Nobile Collegio della Mercanzia
Perugia
The Nobile Collegio della Mercanzia, HQ of Perugia's medieval merchants guild, features a 14th-century audience chamber with exquisite wood panelling.
Umbria
The sight of this ruined 13th-century basilica – formerly Norcia's showpiece church – gives a chilling insight into the force of the 2016 earthquake: only…
Assisi
Lording it over Piazza del Commune is the imposing form of the Roman Tempio di Minerva. In fact, little remains of the original 1st-century BC structure…
Assisi
In among the churches and medieval streets you can still find a few traces of Assisi's Roman past. Extending beneath Piazza del Commune are the remains of…
Ascoli Piceno
This 40m-high tower is closed to the public but is the tallest of the town's medieval towers. Abutting it is the Palazzetto Longobardo, a 12th-century…
