Umbria Holidays in Italy's Green Heart
Umbria is the one region of central Italy with no coastline, and it has always been the quieter neighbour to Tuscany. The hills are greener, the towns sit higher, and the great sights — the Basilica of San Francesco, Perugia's Corso Vannucci, the Roman theatre at Spoleto — come without the crowds you meet further north.
Our Umbrian holidays fly out and use a coach on the ground, so the steep approaches to the hill towns and the switchback roads between them are somebody else's problem. Each has a driver-guide, a fixed itinerary and entrance fees included.
Frequently Asked Questions About Our Umbria Tours
More than on a flat city tour. Assisi, Gubbio, Perugia and Spoleto are all built on slopes, with cobbles, steps and streets that rise steadily; the coach can only get so close to the historic centres. Most excursions involve an hour or two on foot at an unhurried pace, with sitting-down breaks. If you are unsure whether a particular itinerary suits you, ask us and we will talk you through it honestly.
Both tours include return flights and transfers. The price on our Umbria tour is based on flying from London Heathrow, and other departure airports may be possible. Because scheduled flying arrangements change from departure to departure, please ask us for the specific airport, carrier and timings on the date you are considering before you book.
On our Umbria tour a single supplement of £250 per person applies for sole occupancy of a room. Supplements vary by tour and by departure, so ask us for the figure on the holiday and date you have in mind. Solo travellers are a normal part of these groups, and the shared coach, guided excursions and evening meals make it an easy way to travel alone without eating alone.
Assisi and the hill towns
Assisi is built in pink Subasio stone on the flank of a mountain, and the Basilica of San Francesco is stacked in two churches, one above the other, with the Giotto fresco cycle of the life of St Francis in the upper church. Our St Francis of Assisi tour bases itself in the town for six nights and adds Rivotorto, where the saint and his first companions lived in a hut now enclosed by a 19th-century church.
The other Umbrian towns are close by and each has its own character. Spoleto has a Romanesque cathedral and the Ponte delle Torri striding across a gorge. Gubbio climbs so steeply that a funicular carries people to the monastery above it. Perugia is the regional capital, with Etruscan gates, a 13th-century fountain and a long pedestrian street made for sitting outside. At Deruta, majolica pottery has been painted for some 600 years.
Umbrian food, wine and ceramics
Umbrian cooking is plain and very good: lentils from Castelluccio, black truffles shaved over pasta, pecorino, farro soups, pork from Norcia and olive oil pressed in November from trees that grow all over the lower slopes. The reds are worth knowing — Sagrantino di Montefalco is tannic and long-lived, and Orvieto Classico is the white you meet most often. Perugia is also Italy's chocolate town, home of Perugina and the Baci you find in every tabaccheria.
Our Umbria tour is built around that side of the region, with wine and regional tastings, time at Lake Trasimeno, and an arrosticini barbecue — skewers of mutton grilled over a long narrow brazier — in the mountains. It pairs four nights inland at Corciano with three on the Adriatic at Montesilvano, so you get the coast as well as the hills.
