16
OCT
Eurochocolate
📍 PerugiaThe chocolate festival that turns central Perugia into an open-air chocolaterie.
They call it Italy's green heart — the only peninsular region without a coastline — and perhaps that is why Umbria has kept a sense of proportion lost elsewhere. Assisi, UNESCO-listed since 2000, guards the memory of Saint Francis, Italy's patron saint, along with Giotto's frescoes; Perugia looks down from five centuries of fortresses and underground passages; the Marmore falls, engineered by the Romans in 271 BC, remain a spectacle that never ages.
In Norcia and the Valnerina, black truffle and the butcher's craft still set the calendar of the seasons.
The provinces of Umbria
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The best of Umbria
The places worth the trip on their own, picked by our editors.
The top 5 places in Umbria
Our editors' ranking: the area's most important places, drawn from the individual town guides. See the national rankings →
1
⛪ Churches & sanctuaries Basilica di San Francesco
📍 Assisi
Housing the tomb of Saint Francis since 1230, this two-tiered papal basilica is a masterpiece of Gothic architecture.
2
⛪ Churches & sanctuaries Orvieto Cathedral
📍 Orvieto
Begun in 1290 to house the relic of the Miracle of Bolsena, this Gothic masterpiece features a striking golden facade.
3
🌋 Nature & views Marmore Falls
📍 Terni
Plunging 165 meters, this Roman engineering marvel from 271 BC is the tallest man-made waterfall in the world.