Umbria, Italy: Things to Do, Provinces & Towns — Complete Guide

Umbria is the only Italian region with neither a coastline nor a border with another country: it sits closed in the middle of the peninsula, and perhaps for that reason it has kept a sense of measure lost elsewhere. It has 92 comuni, the lowest number among the ordinary-statute regions, and takes its name from the ancient Umbri. It also owns an exclave inside the Marche — the hamlet of Monte Ruperto, which belongs to the comune of Città di Castello — and the fourth largest natural lake in Italy, the Trasimeno.

Assisi, a UNESCO site since 2000, keeps the memory of Saint Francis and the frescoes of Giotto; Perugia commands from above with its fortresses and underground passages; the Marmore falls, which the Romans created in 271 BC by diverting a river, still do their work. At Norcia and in the Valnerina black truffle and pork butchery set the calendar of the seasons. An asteroid has even been named after the region, 117093 Umbria.

Not to be missed

The best of Umbria

The places worth the trip on their own, picked by our editors.

Two hikers walking on a path in the mountains surrounding Norcia

Norcia 🍷 Perugia Cured meats and black truffle

Umbria

The provinces of Umbria

Map and list are connected: hover one to light up the other, click to enter.

1 / 2 Perugia 59 towns Open the guide →

2 provinces

PG Perugia 59 towns → TR Terni 33 towns →

The top 20 places in Umbria

Our editors' ranking: the area's most important places, drawn from the individual town guides. See the national rankings →

The Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi with its lower square, bell tower, and arched colonnade.

1 ⛪ Churches & sanctuaries Basilica di San Francesco 📍 Assisi Two churches stacked on the hill of the condemned, and the Franciscan cycle given to Giotto.

Interior nave of Orvieto Cathedral featuring striped columns and frescoes in the apse

2 ⛪ Churches & sanctuaries Orvieto Cathedral 📍 Orvieto Three centuries of building, a gold mosaic front, and Signorelli's Last Judgment inside.

View of the Cascata delle Marmore waterfall in Terni surrounded by lush vegetation.

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.

Umbria and around, on the map

What's around

Straight-line distances from the town centre. Tap a point to open its page.

✨ Umbria by theme

🏘️ Villages 6 🏛️ UNESCO heritage 2 🍷 Food & wine 2 🏔️ Mountains 1

Tours, tickets and experiences

Umbria

Bookable on GetYourGuide

Upcoming events in Umbria

Patron saint festival Today 📍 Todi

Feast of Saint Fortunatus

📅 Every year, on 14 October

On 14 October Todi celebrates its patron Saint Fortunatus, bishop of the city; Todi is also the city of the Franciscan poet Jacopone da Todi.

Patron saint festival In 16 days 📍 Massa Martana

Saint Felix and Umbria's only catacomb

📅 Every year, on 30 October

On 30 October Massa Martana celebrates Saint Felix; in its hamlet of Villa San Faustino lies the only Christian catacomb in all of Umbria.

Patron saint festival In 16 days 📍 Giano dell'Umbria

Saint Felix, patron of a Romanesque abbey in the Spoleto style

📅 Every year, on 30 October

Giano dell'Umbria celebrates Saint Felix on 30 October; the medieval abbey dedicated to him was built in the 12th century following the typical canons of Spoleto Romanesque style and enlarged in the 16th century to its current appearance.

Patron saint festival In 18 days 📍 Guardea

Saint Caesarius and Saint Peter, the ancient co-patrons with a silver reliquary

📅 Every year, on 1 November (Saint Caesarius) and 29 June (Saint Peter)

Guardea celebrates its ancient co-patrons Saint Caesarius, on 1 November, and Saint Peter, on 29 June, patrons of the parish church holding a precious silver reliquary with a bone fragment of Saint Caesarius, deacon and martyr.

All events in Umbria →