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Umbria
Awarded Best in Travel 2023
About Best In Travel 2023Italy’s green heart, Umbria is a land unto itself, the only Italian region that borders neither the sea nor another country. This isolation has kept outside influences at bay and ensured that many of Italy's old-world traditions survive today. Travel here and you’ll still see grandmothers in aprons making pasta by hand and front doors that haven't been locked in centuries.
The region is best known for its medieval hilltop towns, many beautifully preserved and dramatically set. The Etruscans, Romans, feuding medieval families and Renaissance artists have all left an imprint, from Orvieto’s great Gothic cathedral to Assisi’s fresco-clad basilica. But nature has played its part too, contrasting the wild beauty of the Monti Sibillini with the gentle fall and rise of green hills and wildflower-flecked meadows.
Foodies are in their element here, with tartufi neri (black truffles), fine cured meats and full-bodied local wines finding their way onto regional menus.
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Top attractions
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Umbria.
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Basilica di San Francesco
Visible for miles around, the Basilica di San Francesco is the crowning glory of Assisi's Unesco-listed historic centre. The 13th-century complex is comprised of two churches: the Gothic Basilica Superiore, with its celebrated cycle of Giotto frescoes, and beneath, the older Basilica Inferiore where you'll find works by Cimabue, Pietro Lorenzetti and Simone Martini. Also here, in the Cripta di San Francesco, is St Francis' much-venerated tomb. The Basilica Superiore, which was built immediately after the lower church and consecrated in 1253, is home to one of Italy's most famous works of art – a cycle of 28 frescoes depicting the life of St Francis. Vibrant and colourful, these are generally attributed to a young Giotto, though some art historians contest this, claiming that stylistic discrepancies suggest they were created by several different artists. To view them in the correct sequence, start on the right wall near the altar and work your way around in a clockwise order. From outside the upper church, stairs lead down to the Romanesque Basilica Inferiore and yet more glorious works of art. Almost every inch of the vaulted, dimly lit church, constructed between 1228 and 1230, is adorned with frescoes by Giotto and fellow Sienese and Florentine masters Cimabue, Lorenzetti and Martini. Among the works to look out for are four vault frescoes (aka vele or 'sails') above the main altar. Attributed to Giotto and collaborators, including the mysterious Maestro delle Velle, these depict The Glory of St Francis and the Allegories of the Franciscan Virtues (poverty, chastity and obedience). The basilica has its own information office, on the piazza in front of the lower church, where you can pick up an audio guide in 10 languages (€6). Groups of 10 or more can schedule guided tours (in various languages), led by a resident Franciscan friar – check the website or call ahead for booking details.
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Duomo
Nothing can prepare you for the visual feast that is Orvieto's soul-stirring Gothic cathedral. Dating from 1290, it sports a black-and-white banded exterior fronted by what is perhaps the most astonishing facade to grace any Italian church: a mesmerising display of rainbow frescoes, jewel-like mosaics, bas-reliefs and delicate braids of flowers and vines. Head inside and the show continues, most spectacularly in the form of Luca Signorelli's mesmerising Giudizio Universale (Last Judgment) fresco in the Cappella di San Brizio. The building took 30 years to plan and three centuries to complete. It was started by Fra Bevignate and later additions were made by Sienese master Lorenzo Maitani, Andrea Pisano (of Florence Cathedral fame) and his son Nino, Andrea Orcagna and Michele Sanmicheli. Of the art on show inside, it's Luca Signorelli's Giudizio Universale that's the star turn. The artist began work on this vast fresco in 1499 and over the course of the next four years covered every inch of the Cappella di San Brizio with a swirling, and at times grotesque, depiction of the Last Judgment. Michelangelo is said to have taken inspiration from it. Indeed, to some, Michelangelo's masterpiece runs a close second to Signorelli's creation. On the other side of the transept, the Cappella del Corporale houses a 13th-century altar cloth stained with blood that is believed to have miraculously poured from the communion bread of a priest who doubted the transubstantiation.
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Galleria Nazionale dell'Umbria
Umbria's foremost art gallery is housed in Palazzo dei Priori on Perugia's main strip. Its collection, chronologically displayed over 40 rooms, is one of central Italy's finest, numbering more than 3000 works, ranging from Byzantine-inspired 13th-century paintings to Gothic works by Gentile da Fabriano and Renaissance masterpieces by home-town heroes Pinturicchio and Perugino. Important works include Gentile da Fabriano's Madonna con il Bambino e angeli (early 15th century), the Pala di Santa Maria dei Fossi altarpiece (1496–98) by Pinturicchio, and Benedetto Bonfigli's fresco cycle for the Cappella dei Priori (c 1454–80)
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Palazzo dei Priori
Flanking Corso Vannucci, this Gothic palace, constructed between the 13th and 14th centuries, is architecturally striking with its tripartite windows, ornamental portal and fortress-like crenellations. It was formerly the headquarters of the local magistracy, but now houses the city's main art gallery, the Galleria Nazionale dell'Umbria, and a series of historic rooms and suites: the Nobile Collegio del Cambio, the Nobile Collegio della Mercanzia and the Sala dei Notari.
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Piazza del Popolo
Just try to walk through Piazza del Popolo without trying to photograph it from every angle. The rectangular piazza is one of Umbria's finest medieval squares and is flanked by a series of notable buildings: the Cattedrale di Santa Maria Annunziata at the northern end; the 13th-century Palazzo del Capitano and Palazzo del Popolo, together home to the Museo Pinacoteca Comunale, in the southeastern corner; and, on the southern flank, the 14th-century Palazzo dei Priori.
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Piazza IV Novembre
In Perugia all roads seem to lead to Piazza IV Novembre. This historic square, flanked by Palazzo dei Priori and the Cattedrale, has been at the heart of civic life since it was the Roman forum and later the political and geographic centre of the medieval city. Nowadays, people from all walks of life gather here to sit on the cathedral steps, soak up the sun and watch the street entertainers work their magic.
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Duomo
A flight of steps sweeps down to Spoleto's pale-stone cathedral, photogenically set on a graceful hillside piazza. Originally constructed to a Romanesque design in the 12th century, it later underwent various modifications, including the addition of a Renaissance portico in the late 15th century. The interior, revamped in a 17th-century baroque makeover, features a Cosmati marble floor and frescoes by Pinturicchio and, in the domed apse, by Filippo Lippi and pupils. This rainbow-coloured design depicts stories from the life of the Virgin Mary. Lippi died before completing the frescoes and Lorenzo de Medici travelled to Spoleto from Florence and ordered Lippi's son, Filippino, to build a mausoleum for the artist. This now stands in the right transept.
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Nobile Collegio del Cambio
Seat of Perugia's Moneychanger's Guild between 1452 and 1457, the extravagantly adorned Nobile Collegio del Cambio has three rooms: the Sala dei Legisti (Jurists' Hall), with 17th-century wooden stalls carved by Giampiero Zuccari; the Sala dell’Udienza (Audience Chamber), with inlaid wooden furniture and outstanding Renaissance frescoes by Perugino; and the Cappella di San Giovanni Battista (Chapel of San Giovanni Battista), painted by a student of Perugino’s, Giannicola di Paolo.
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Chiesa di San Michele Arcangelo
Also known as the Chiesa or Tempio di Sant'Angelo, this 5th-century Romanesque church is one of the oldest in Italy (and the most appealing in Perugia). It was first built over an earlier Roman temple – hence the circular form and recycled columns in the interior – but it has since been modified and the main portal dates from a 14th-century Gothic makeover. Before embarking on the long walk back into town, reward yourself with time out on the lovely lawn outside.