Why Umbria?

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Art • Architecture • Nature

Everywhere you look, Umbria is a feast for the eyes. Its sweeping, expansive landscapes and unspoiled natural beauty are complemented by the picturesque towns scattered across the hills, providing some of Italy’s finest examples of medieval and renaissance architecture. Each season has something special to offer and it is the dramatic changing of colour and light that constantly transforms every breathtaking view.

Discover

Nature • Music • Life

Music, nature, local life and traditions – these are the secrets of Umbria. From open-air concerts to the summer ice cream festival, from the renaissance horse-race to ballooning over Assisi, whatever the season, there is something wonderful and unique to discover.

Taste

Food & Wine

Every region in Italy has its culinary traditions and delicacies, and Umbria, with agriculture as its primary industry, provides a world of tasting adventure. In addition to the incredible olive oil and wines that it is so famous for, there is a delicious array of local produce to either sample during your visit or take home. Culinary tours are an amazing way to really dive into the local food experience and leave with a wealth of Umbrian know-how!

Explore

Adventure • Crafts

Umbria is about more than sightseeing and eating. There are also many other ways to spend your time that enable you to experience this part of the world from a different perspective. Hiking, walking, cycling, horseback riding, rafting, go-karting, ballooning, painting, ceramic decorating…… the list goes on.

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Spirituality • Wellness

As the home of St. Francis of Assisi, Umbria has a profound spirituality and energy that go far beyond the religious. For this reason, many spiritual leaders have chosen this particular area as the location for their international retreats. The peaceful rhythm and timeless surroundings lend themselves perfectly to meditation, yoga and personal spiritual quests. If you are on a spiritual journey or just in search of some peace and tranquillity, Umbria is the perfect place.

The Umbrian Table

Tickle your Tastebuds with Umbrian Specialties 

Olive Oil

Trevi is one of the most famous regions in Italy for its bright green nectar

Wine

The many wineries throughout the region offer a splendid variety of wines, most notably the Sagrantino di Montefalco and Torgiano Rosso, the first in the region to have been awarded DOCG status.

Tartufi

The densely wooded hills provide a rich variety of black and white truffles, according to the season.

Pecorino

This traditional cheese made of sheep milk is aged to different levels, according to taste, and is served with pears and walnuts or drizzled with strong local chestnut honey, as well as being used in many pasta dishes.

Norcineria

The term for “a place that makes pork products in the classic Norcia style”; prosciutto, various types of salami and cured ham, sausages.

Torta al Testo

A thick pizza base flat-bread served warm, usually with a plate of prosciutto and pecorino, or spinach and sausages.

Porchetta

A typical dish of the region, this highly seasoned roasted pork is traditionally served cold and on bread. On Fridays, Umbria is littered with porchetta trucks serving their fresh sandwiches.

Lentils

The famous lentils from Castelluccio, near Norcia, grow solely in the high plains of the Monti Sibillini park which, between May and August, are covered in spectacular wild flowers.

Honey

Apiculture in Umbria was started by the first settlers of the region and was perfected by the Etruscans and the Romans. Today, Umbria continues to be one of the main producers of honey, in particular sunflower, chestnut, millefiori, “erba medica” and acacia.

Sunflower Oil

The endless sunflower fields in July and August provide delicious seeds and the light oil used in cooking

Crescionda

A light, moist, chocolate cake using must as one of its ingredients, is made during the period of the wine harvest

Chocolate

Perugia is the heart of the chocolate-making tradition, most famously in the form of the Bacio Perugino

Saffron

Cultivated in the areas of Cascia and Città della Pieve since the early 16th century, this highly valued spice is harvested by hand at the end of October, and only in the early hours of the morning in order to protect the stigmas from light.

Funghi Porcini

These delicious mushrooms are found all over the region thanks to the prolific growth of oak, chestnut and beech trees under which they grow