Umbria, the Romantic Garden of Italy

Umbria is a region in the heart of Italy that touches the eyes and heart of all those that visit it.  The smooth hills are enlightened by wonderful medieval towns and the green valleys are crossed by sparkling blue rivers.  The tourist travelling through this area can enjoy beautiful castles, ancient convents, archaeological sites, famous masterpieces of art, Europe's highest waterfalls, the spectacular Trasimeno Lake, peace and fresh air and the enchanting sensations of walking through and breathing centuries of history. This is Umbria with its breathtaking views and panoramas so natural yet so harmonious; a romantic garden where behind every corner you can find beautiful surprises:  small lakes, flowered fields, and charming churches on the top of its hill. Discovering the region is an infinite pleasure whether it is by car, bike or simply by foot.

Basic Facts

Where to go

In order to really appreciate this region, the best way for a tourist  to visit it is to travel by car. Umbria offers many wonderful itineraries covering different aspects: cultural and historical interests, gourmet specialties and naturalistic jewels.  In the following sections you can find various suggestions to make the best of your holiday.

1. Perugia is the most important town of the region and offers the tourist many attractions and historical monuments form Etruscan walls to Roman ruins and medieval buildings. More

2. The Tiber Valley

3. The Roman Road: Via Flaminia

4. The Heart of Umbria

5. Natural parks and botanical gardens.  Umbria offers many natural parks with unique botanical and geological features. The tourist visiting this region have many different panoramas to choose: from mountain landscapes to lake views. More

What to eat

Umbrian Cuisine embraces a wide variety of dishes deriving from traditional recipes of ancient populations such as the Etruscans, who brought olives and vines and meat cooking techniques and the Umbrian Sabine.

Typical products of this region are the Norcia truffles, soups (mainly lentil and bean variety soups), tasty salami, local sausages, pork dishes cooked in different ways (the most famous is the "porchetta", a roast pig stuffed with spices), pigeons and lake fish. All the dishes are all dressed with the wonderful Umbrian olive oil. 

The most important red wines are Sagrantino di Montefalco and Rosso di Torgiano. Famous white wines are Orvieto and Grechetto.

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