This Underrated Italian Region

 This Underrated Italian Region Is Home to Rolling Hills, Flower Festivals, and Iconic Frescoes—Here’s How to Plan Your Trip

Let these travel experts plan your ultimate trip to the green heart of Italy.

By Matteo Della Grazia & Daniela Mencarelli 

Published on November 27, 2025

An aerial view of Assisi, Italy.Credit: 

Fani Kurti/Getty Images

Cradled between Tuscany, Lazio, and Le Marche, Umbria is often called Italy’s green heart—not only for its rolling hills, but for the quiet beauty and authenticity it offers. With no coastline and little fanfare, it’s a region that reveals itself slowly: through sacred sites, medieval villages, and traditions that have stood the test of time. As native Italians and travel advisors, here are our best tips for planning a trip to Umbria.

Where to Go

Assisi, the birthplace of Saint Francis, an iconic Italian friar and the founder of the Franciscan Order, is a great place to start your Umbrian adventure. The Basilica of San Francesco, a UNESCO-recognized site, holds Giotto’s famous frescoes and features divine views across the Umbrian valley. Continue to Perugia, a lively university city with winding streets, Etruscan walls, and Renaissance treasures found within its Galleria Nazionale dell’Umbria.

Just south of Assisi, in the historic town of Spello, you can stroll cobblestone alleys lined with flowerpots. Perhaps the best time to visit is from May to June, when the Infiorata flower festivals arrive in Italy; Spello in particular becomes a canvas of petals. In the southwestern corner of Umbria, Orvieto rises dramatically on a volcanic rock cliff, home to a dazzling Gothic cathedral and a labyrinth of Etruscan tunnels beneath its streets.

For a deeper dive, head northeast to Gubbio, a stoic stone town full of medieval grandeur, or south to Spoleto, where Roman ruins, Lombard churches, and contemporary art intertwine. These towns preserve Umbria’s quiet, untouched elegance.

What to Do

A ceramic decorated store front in Deruta, Umbria, Italy.

Mitch Diamond/Getty Images

Umbria is best explored slowly: by foot, bike, or unhurried drives along winding country roads. Walk a stretch of the Via di Francesco, the pilgrimage route linking Franciscan sites through forests and hilltop hamlets, and discover the wild beauty of the Valnerina, a valley by Spoleto perfect for hiking and waterfall views.

In the town of Norcia, truffle hunting with a local forager offers a taste of the land’s richness. Sample aged meats, pecorino, and wild boar sausage. Or, in nearby Trevi, visit during the olive harvest to try freshly pressed olive oil. In Todi, descend into Roman cisterns beneath the piazza—an ancient, echoing world few ever see.

Creative-minded travelers can experience living traditions in Deruta, where artisans have painted ceramics for centuries. Join a workshop and shape an Umbrian creation of your own to take home.

Where to Stay

A junior suite at Park Hotel ai Cappuccini.

Park Hotel ai Cappuccini

Umbria’s accommodations echo its soul: intimate, bucolic, and charming. Here, a few of our favorites.

• Fonte Sala offers a true countryside escape, consisting of five villas set among Sagrantino vineyards near Montefalco.
• In Gubbio, the exquisite Park Hotel ai Cappuccini, housed in a beautifully restored former monastery, blends serene elegance with historic character.
• Near Perugia, in central Umbria, Il Borgo dei Conti pairs noble grandeur with local warmth, surrounded by centuries-old parkland. The rooms maintain their 1800s detailing, with modern furnishings.
• For design lovers, Castello di Reschio near the village of Lisciano Niccone is a luxurious, art-filled estate that merges historic soul with modern refinements.
• In Orvieto, perched on a cliff in the region, Palazzo Petrvs immerses guests in Etruscan ambiance and timeless style.
• For a peaceful retreat near Lake Trasimeno, Country House Montali, set on 25 acres with just nine rooms, offers sweeping views and thoughtful vegetarian cuisine amidst olive groves.

What to Eat

Vespasia's luxurious dining room.

Vespasia

Umbrian cuisine is rooted in the land—simple, hearty, and seasonal. Try hand-rolled umbricelli with truffles in Norcia or Scheggino, or savor porchetta, herb-stuffed and roasted to perfection, at festivals and roadside stands. Travelers can taste Castelluccio lentils, grown high in the Apennines; sip a bold glass of Montefalco Sagrantino, a wine nearly exclusive to this region; and dine on traditional dishes in a cozy trattoria in the historical commune of Città della Pieve.

A few of our favorite picks include:

• Trattoria La Palomba in Orvieto, beloved for truffles and pigeon.
• For elevated dining, head to Ristorante Vespasia in Norcia, where local ingredients meet Michelin-star creativity.
• In the medieval town of Bevagna, Al Monastero offers refined Umbrian classics in an atmospheric setting that reflects the soul of the region.
• Indulge in a truffle-forward experience at the well-known countryside restaurant, La Cucina di San Pietro a Pettine.

Umbria thrives in the quiet of a cloister, the scent of rain on ancient stone, the warmth of a local smile. Come not just to see Italy, but to feel it. And long after you leave, it’s that feeling that will stay with you.

Matteo Della Grazia and Daniela Mencarelli are members of Travel + Leisure's A-List and specialize in Italy trips. You can create a tailor-made itinerary with Grazia and Mencarelli by contacting them at matteo@discoveryouritaly.com.

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