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…
Matt Munro
Umbria & Le Marche
Swaths of billowing green slopes cloaked by olive groves and sun-ripened wheat fields, castle-topped medieval towns and snow-capped Apennine peaks. No, not Tuscany but Umbria, its quieter and less-trodden neighbour, and Le Marche, one of Italy’s great unsung regions.
This lush and often sparsely populated part of central Italy is made for slow travel, for snaking along winding back roads to enchanting hill towns such as Perugia, Assisi, Gubbio and Urbino, and for revelling in fine food and wine. The cultural menu is equally rich, and Renaissance masterpieces by artists such as Giotto and local-born heroes Raphael and Perugino grace many of the regions’ churches and museums. Music lovers are also well served, with summer opera in Macerata, Pesaro and Spoleto, and jazz in Perugia.
The scenery is often stunning, especially in the wild and mysterious Monti Sibillini and the Parco del Conero, where white cliffs plunge into the glittering Adriatic.
Explore Umbria & Le Marche
- 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…
- Grotte di Frasassi
Deep in the hill country near the remote village of Genga, the Grotte di Frasassi is one of Europe’s largest cave systems. This karst wonderland, gouged…
- 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…
- Basilica della Santa Casa
This majestic hilltop sanctuary is one of Italy's most celebrated pilgrimage sites. The basilica, built between 1469 and 1587, is a stunning hybrid of…
- Funivia Colle Eletto
Although the Basilica di Sant'Ubaldo, perched high on Monte Ingino, is a perfectly lovely church, the real adventure is getting there on the funivia. The…
- Musei Civici di Palazzo Buonaccorsi
Deep in the historic centre, the 17th-century Palazzo Buonaccorsi houses three of Macerata's best museums. The Museo delle Carozza boasts an extensive…
- 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…
- Pinacoteca Comunale di Ancona
Ancona's fascinating civic art gallery houses Le Marche's most important art collection. Spread over two 16th- to 17th-century palazzi, the museum traces…
- Palazzo dei Priori
Flanking Corso Vannucci, this Gothic palace, constructed between the 13th and 14th centuries, is architecturally striking with its tripartite windows,…
Top attractions
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Umbria & Le Marche.
See
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…
See
Grotte di Frasassi
Deep in the hill country near the remote village of Genga, the Grotte di Frasassi is one of Europe’s largest cave systems. This karst wonderland, gouged…
See
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…
See
Basilica della Santa Casa
This majestic hilltop sanctuary is one of Italy's most celebrated pilgrimage sites. The basilica, built between 1469 and 1587, is a stunning hybrid of…
See
Funivia Colle Eletto
Although the Basilica di Sant'Ubaldo, perched high on Monte Ingino, is a perfectly lovely church, the real adventure is getting there on the funivia. The…
See
Musei Civici di Palazzo Buonaccorsi
Deep in the historic centre, the 17th-century Palazzo Buonaccorsi houses three of Macerata's best museums. The Museo delle Carozza boasts an extensive…
See
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…
See
Pinacoteca Comunale di Ancona
Ancona's fascinating civic art gallery houses Le Marche's most important art collection. Spread over two 16th- to 17th-century palazzi, the museum traces…
See
Palazzo dei Priori
Flanking Corso Vannucci, this Gothic palace, constructed between the 13th and 14th centuries, is architecturally striking with its tripartite windows,…
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