©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd Umbria & Le Marche Why Go? For years Italophiles have waxed lyrical about Tuscany’s Perugia ....................... 567 natural, artistic and culinary wonders, without so much as Lago Trasimeno ......... 578 a passing nod to neighbours: Umbria and Le Marche. How Todi ..............................581 they have missed out! This phenomenally beautiful yet un- Assisi ..........................583 sung region is Italy in microcosm: olive groves, vineyards, Gubbio.........................591 sun-ripened wheat fields stippled with wildflowers and hills plumed with cypress trees roll gently west to the snow-dust- Spoleto .......................594 ed Apennines and east to the glittering Adriatic. In between, Norcia ........................598 castle-topped medieval hill towns wait, glowing like warm Orvieto .......................599 honey in the fading light of sundown. Ancona .......................605 Then there are the region’s artistic attributes, as the Parco del Conero .......609 birthplace of Renaissance masters Raphael and Perugino, and sprightly composer Rossini; while St Francis of Assisi, Urbino ........................ 610 St Benedict and St Valentine make the spiritual pilgrimage Macerata .....................615 here a profound one. So next time you glance at the map and Ascoli Piceno ..............617 your eyes alight on old-favourite Tuscany, why not press on Monti Sibillini ............. 619 south? You won’t regret it. Best Places to Eat When to Go ¨¨La Taverna (p575) Perugia °C/°F Temp Rainfall inches/mm ¨¨DivinPeccato (p580) 30/86 8/200 ¨¨Osteria dei Priori (p587) 20/68 6/150 ¨¨Tempio del Gusto (p597) 10/50 4/100 0/32 2/50 Best Places to -10/14 0 Stay J F DNOSAJJMAM ¨¨B&B San Fiorenzo (p574) Feb Celebrate all May Hit Le Jun & Jul Get ¨¨Casale della Staffa (p580) things truffle at Marche’s lost in music at ¨¨Palazzo Seneca (p599) Norcia’s Mostra beaches, as the Spoleto Festi- Mercato del wildflowers bloom val and Perugia’s ¨ ¨Acanto Country House Tartufo Nero. on the Piano Umbria Jazz. (p609) Grande. ¨¨Misia Resort (p603) 567 UMBRIA University of Perugia and the famous Uni- versità per Stranieri (University for Foreign- Italy’s green heart, Umbria is a land unto it- ers), which teaches Italian, art and culture self, the only Italian region that borders nei- to thousands of students from around the ther the sea nor another country. Removed world. from outside influences, it has kept alive many of Italy’s old-world traditions. You’ll 88 Getting¨Around see grandmothers in aprons making pasta by hand and front doors that haven’t been While having your own wheels certainly makes locked in a century. it easier to reach those off-the-radar hill towns Separated from Le Marche by the jag- and rural corners of Umbria, it is possible to get to many places by public transport with a little ged spine of the Monti Sibillini, it contrasts pre-planning. wild, in-your-face beauty with the gentle fall b uses head from Perugia to most towns in the and rise of overlapping hills and wildflower- area; check at the tourist office or the bus sta- flecked meadows. The Etruscans, Romans tion for exact details. Trenitalia (Ferrovie dello and medieval feuding families have left their Stato; % 892021; www.trenitalia.com) sparsely indelible imprint on its pretty hill towns, criss-crosses Umbria, but the regional Umbria where history seems to creep up on you on Mobilità (% 075 963 70 01; www.umbriamo- every corner – from the Gothic wonder of bilita.it) fills in the blanks. Orvieto to Assisi’s saintly calling. Foodies are in their element here, with the rich earthiness of the tartufo (truffle), Perugia fine cured meats from Norcia and full- POP 162,100 Umbria & Le bodied local wines finding their way onto Lifted by a hill above a valley patterned with menus. fields, where the Tiber River runs swift and clear, Perugia is Umbria’s petite and imme- History diately likeable capital. Its centro storico Umbria is named in honour of its first in- (historic centre) rises in a helter-skelter of habitants, the Umbri tribe who settled east cobbled alleys, arched stairways and piazzas m a of the Tiber around 1000 BC, establishing framed by magnificent palazzi (mansions). rche the towns of Spoleto, Gubbio and Assisi. History seeps through every shadowy cor- They jockeyed for regional supremacy with ner of these streets and an aimless wander U GeT G Per ri Ar the Etruscans to the west of the river – the through them can feel like time travel. M T b founders of Perugia and Orvieto – until the Back in the 21st century, Perugia is a party- U i 3rd century BC, when the Romans came loving, pleasure-seeking university city, with N A i marching through, conquering them both. students pepping up the nightlife and filling A Following the collapse of the Western cafe terraces. The hopping summer event Roman Empire, the region spent much of line-up counts one of Europe’s best jazz O UN the Middle Ages being fought over by Holy festivals. Together with its spiritual sister, Roman Empire advocates (Ghibellines) and d supporters of the Pope (Guelphs). Intrigu- ingly, it was during this turbulent period USEFUL¨WEBSITES¨¨ that peace-loving St Francis came to promi- ON ¨UMBRIA nence in Assisi. Bella¨Umbria (www.bellaumbria.net) Eventually the region became one of the Accommodation and restaurant listings Papal States, though this was not to its long- for Umbria. Search for festivals and term benefit. Indeed, historians like to say events by location or date. that time stopped in Umbria in 1540 when the pope imposed a salt tax. The resulting Regione¨Umbria (www.regioneumbria. war brought Umbrian culture to a standstill, eu) The official Umbrian tourist website. which is partly why the medieval hearts of Sistema¨Museo (www.sistemamuseo. Umbrian towns are so well preserved. it) Get the inside scoop on Umbria’s Perugia has a strong artistic tradition. In museums and upcoming events. the 15th century it was home to fresco paint- Umbria¨Online (www.umbriaonline. ers Bernardino Pinturicchio and his master com) Find information on accommo- Pietro Vannucci (known as Perugino), who dation, events and itineraries across would later teach Raphael. Its cultural tradi- Umbria. tion continues to this day in the form of the .