Holidays in Umbria

♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥

Umbria is dotted with many picturesque hilltop villages, Tuscan-style;  little towns, castles, and abbeys. Savor the local cuisine and soak up the culture! There is a lively calendar, especially in summer, when there are a number of traditional festivals and musical events.

Worth to see Visit the beautiful Basilica di San Francesco in Assisi, which has frescoes by Giotto and the Monastero di Santa Chiara. Then fall under the charms of medieval Gubbio, a Gothic masterpiece perched on the steep slopes of Monte Ingino. One of Umbria's most popular attractions is picturesque  Orvieto, halfway between Florence and Rome and hosts an important jazz festival in December. The Gothic town's cathedral is stunning! Trendy Todi, another of Umbria's top hill towns, dates back to the time of the Etruscans. There are beautiful villages in the Valle di Spoleto, among them Bevagna, Trevi, and Montefalco. Spoleto itself is a quiet medieval town with a beautiful cathedral and an extraordinary 13th-century aqueduct. The town becomes lively during the arts and dance festival, the Festival dei Due Mondi, which begins at the end of June. Umbria's other great attraction is its wonderful countryside. Relax at Lake Trasimeno and take a boat trip to the Isola Polvese, a great place for bird-watching. On the border with Le Marche, the national park of Monti Sibillini is a magical place, covered in spring and summer with a riot of wildflowers. Don't miss the Marmore Falls, the tallest man-made waterfall in the world that was originally built by the Romans. This is a great spot for rafting.

Wine and Food Truffles, pasta and roast meats, especially pigeon, all figure on the menu. Norcia is the cured meat capital of Italy and famous for its pigs raised on acorns. Try the lentils from Castelluccio and take a tour of the chocolate factory in Perugia.

♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥