Welcome to Umbria & Le Marche
For years Italophiles have waxed lyrical about Tuscany's natural, artistic and culinary wonders, without so much as a passing nod to its neighbours, Umbria and Le Marche. How they have missed out! This phenomenally beautiful yet unsung region is Italy in microcosm: olive groves, vineyards, sun-ripened wheat fields stippled with wildflowers and hills plumed with cypress trees rolling gently west to the snow-dusted Apennines and east to the glittering Adriatic. In between, castle-topped medieval hill towns await, glowing like honey in the fading light of sundown.
Top experiences in Umbria & Le Marche
Travel guides
Starting at $36.39
Umbria & Le Marche activities
Small Group Tour of Assisi
Meet the guide at 10:30am and visit the old Roman ruins of the local amphitheater, which was reused in the Middle Ages as a quarry for stones to build local houses. You will see how the amphitheater was turned into a private neighborhood. From there, the view toward the Rocca Maggiore medieval castle is one of the best in the city.Through narrow alleys and medieval squares you will reach Saint Rufino’s Cathedral and Saint Claire's Basilica. From there, you will get to the main city square, Piazza del Comune. At the square you will see one of the best-preserved Roman temples in Italy – Minerva's temple – which is surrounded by imposing medieval government buildings.The tour will then head down to the Basilica of Saint Francis which is world-famous for its 13th-14th century frescoes by the best painters of Italy at that time. Among those, the most famous is Giotto.Come to Assisi and explore with a guide the history, art,and local traditions of one of the most famous hill towns of Italy.
Assisi Private Walking Tour
Head for Monte Subasio on a 3-hour walking tour of Assisi and explore Italy’s famous pilgrimage site. Stroll the maze of medieval streets, and visit the Basilicas of Santa Chiara and St. Francis to see one of Italy’s largest collections of church art.Located on a gentle hill beneath the summit of Monte Subasio, the fabled Umbrian town of Assisi is the most famous pilgrimage site in Italy, a consequence of being the birthplace of Saint Francis. Born in the village of warm pink stone in 1182, Francis founded the mendicant Franciscan order to which he gave his name in 1210. Prior to his birth, Assisi had been settled by ancient Umbrian tribes, and later became a Roman town.Thanks to this rich history and blend of incredible architecture and art, it’s a multi-sided town. Discover all its facets on one emotional 3-hour walking tour, stopping to pay particular attention to the 2 churches of the Basilica of Santa Chiara, dedicated to the founder of the Order of Poor Ladies, and the papal Basilica of St. Francis, built between 1228 and 1253. Now home to the consecrated remains of the saint, the stunning monument is also said to have the best collection of art in any church of Italy, including frescoes and paintings by Cimabue, Giotto, Lorenzetti and more.
Orvieto Private Walking Tour
Orvieto is an old town located on a tufa outcrop 300 feet above the gorgeous Paglia valley below. The city is mostly known for its Duomo (Orvieto Catherdral) and is considered one of the most architecturally important in Europe, for its Etruscan roots, and for the museums where one finds collections and displays that range over 2,500 years of history. During this tour you will walk through Orvieto’s charming, narrow alleys, and small squares. Your tour will be a very memorable experience, perfect for reflecting over while you enjoy an Umbrian meal and a glass (or two) of Orvieto Classico wine (not included).
Orvieto's Underground Tour with Wine Tasting Lunch at Cantine Foresi
The aim of this activity is to make you enjoy a tour of Orvietos’ undergrounds (group tour in English). During this your you will be taken under the town exploring some of the 440 caves which have been used for centuries for various purposes such as refrigerators for wine barrels, stables, water wells and cisterns as well for getting a very local one-course meal…pigeons! After your tour, just few minute walk far away, you will find one of the local's favorite place for light lunch in town. We will reserve for you a table with view towards the Duomo’s façade (not possible on rainy days) for a light lunch wine tasting. You will enjoy local products such as Orvieto’s white wine, cold cuts, cheese and locally made biscuits. After lunch ask the owner to show you his private old grottos used as wine cellars!
Extra Virgin Olive Oil Tour with Lunch in Umbria
It is not only the italians’ favourite dressing, but it can be used also as hair tonic. Ladies, did you know that olive oil can be used to remove your make-up or to moisturize your skin? DIY lovers…you can use few drops of olive oil to polish your wood furniture.Not only for cooking then, a bottle of olive oil can be put together with the other potions in your closet. A visit to a traditional olive oil mill will definitely enrich your knowledge of this product. The producer will explain the production process from the olive picking to the bottled olive oil.Between October and November you could also join the pickers on the hillside at the bottom of the Subasio mountain and experience the traditional method and get the “green gold” on your own.A light lunch at the mill with the tasting of a variety of aromatic olive oils will be the end of your rural and bucolic day!
Winemaker for a Day: Tour an Organic Winery
Enjoy the guided tour of one of the oldest organic winery of Umbria: you will be accompanied by a member of Tili Family who owns the farm and he/she will explain all the process to create a bottle of Assisi DOC wine. The Tili family cultivate these lands from generations and founded the certification Assisi DOC for the local wine. The visit will begin in the vineyards where Organic farming will be explained and then continues inside the winery where you will see all the chain of production from the pressing machine to the steel tanks, from the barrels to the filling bottle machine and understand the difference between the organic method and the conventional method of wine making.After the visit you will enjoy a guided tasting with 5 different wines of Assisi DOC and Umbria IGT paired with warm bruschette with organic extra virgin olive oil, a selection of local cheeses and cold cuts with jams and tozzetti/biscotti with the sweet wine. At the end you will receive the certification of Apprentice Winemaker.