Things to do in Umbria and Central Italy: Hill towns, wineries and waterfalls

If you don’t know much about Umbria, it is a region of central Italy landlocked between Tuscany to the west, Marche to the east and Lazio to the south. It’s fair to say it doesn’t sit as prominently on the tourist map as some other parts of the country. The draw of neighbouring Tuscany with its beautiful landscape of rolling hills, cypress lined vineyards and olive groves overshadows Umbria a little. The thing is though, Umbria known as ‘the green heart of Italy‘ has an equally beautiful landscape of valleys, rolling hills, and one of the most dramatic national parks I have visited. Visiting hilltop towns, wineries and waterfalls are only some of the things to do in Umbria and Central Italy.

Some of the most popular destinations in Umbria are relatively well known on the tourist map. The capital city of Perugia, Assisi – the birthplace of St. Francis and home to the magnificent Basilica of San Franceso d’Assisi, or maybe Orvieto famed for its imposing Duomo and white wine may all sound familiar. We spent a week in Umbria in May, spending five nights at a centrally located hilltop retreat hotel and the final two nights in Perugia. Having hired a car, we had a number of must do’s in Umbria, but our itinerary was not set in stone.

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Things to do in Umbria and Central Italy

We decided that on this trip we wouldn’t visit the more well-known towns and cities of Umbria, but to take a more relaxed approach and experience some of the smaller hill towns and destinations. One main focus of our trip was wine tasting. The area is famed for its wine and olive oil production, so our main point of preparation was to research and visit a good variety of wineries during our stay. It would be rude not to.

Central Italy has some hidden gems that we encountered along the way. Breath taking scenery, ancient towns and villages and thundering waterfalls were all to be found in the region. We ventured across the border from Umbria into Tuscany and Lazio to some of our destinations, but all trips were within an hour or two’s drive from our accommodation at RELAIS IL CANALICCHIO. With relatively quiet roads and straightforward routes, the journeys were also enjoyable with numerous stopping points along the way.

READ UP ON OUR TIME STAYING AT RELAIS IL CANALICCHIO

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Wine Tasting and exploring in Montefalco

Montefalco is a 12th century hilltop hamlet located about 30km southeast of Perugia. Focused around a central piazza, the narrow streets wind their way around the town past numerous cafes, restaurants and shops. Exploring the outer streets on the outskirts of the town provides some amazing panoramic views of the surrounding countryside – this giving Montefalco the title of ‘balcony of Umbria’.

The town is also popular for its wine production, thanks to the indigenous grape variety Sagrantino, of which there are 2,400 acres planted in the region. There is an official wine trail called the ‘Strada del Sagrantino’ which guides tourists from one winery to the next.

We visited one winery on the outskirts of town to take part in a private tour and tasting. MONTIONI FRANTINO & CANTINA is a small, family run winery and olive oil producer. We booked a tour with the owner Paolo who took great pride in showing us around the winery and oil mill. This was followed by a tasting of four of their signature wines (Umbria Rosso, Montefalco Rosso, Umbria Grechetto and their signature Sagrantino di Montefalco) paired with some local food and their own olive oil. All delicious and enjoyed in their fabulous tasting room.

We ordered some wine to be shipped over to the UK – at the time, the prices including shipping costs were cheaper than buying a half decent bottle of wine in the supermarket.

We also visited the ARNALDO CAPRAI winery, outside of the town of Montefalco. This was a much larger operation with a large modern tasting room, geared up for organised wine tours – a couple of buses called in while we had a brief tasting. It’s worth noting that their white Grechetto wine was delicious.

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The steep hills and cable cars of Gubbio

Gubbio is one of the oldest towns in Umbria, although remaining amazingly well-preserved. Located on the slopes of Monte Igno to the north of region, the town has a distinctly medieval feel with dark grey stone narrow streets and angular gothic architecture.

Parking up at a large car park on the outskirts of town near the Roman Amphitheatre, a series of narrow winding streets meander up the sometimes steep hills towards the centre of the town. Passing through a number of pretty squares and beautiful churches, the network of scenic streets eventually lead to the Piazza Grande and the fortress like Palazzo dei Consoli, built in the 1300’s. The building now houses a museum and gallery. Wandering around the large Piazza, like many other Umbrian hill towns, provides panoramic views of the surrounding countryside.

For those wanting an even better view, it’s worth taking a ride on the Funiva (cable car) that travels from the edge of town to the Basilica di Sant’ Ubaldo perched high on the hillside and offering fantastic view of the town from above. This cable car is not for the faint hearted – the cars are basically a number of very small birdcages hanging on a wire, transporting you up the side of the mountain.

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A trip to Montepulciano in Tuscany

Montepulciano was one of the main reasons that we wanted to visit this part of Italy. You may well have heard the name before? If so, it’s likely to have been on the label of a bottle of lovely Italian red wine, and was also one of my partner’s favourite wines. The town of Montepulciano lies across the border in Tuscany, about an hour’s drive west of Perugia. An absolutely stunning drive through the countryside and along the north shores of Lake Trasimeno, once you cross the border into Tuscany the landscape seems to feel decidedly more Tuscan – the rolling hills, the wildflower meadows, the cypress tree lined roads leading to hilltop vineyards.

The town itself, another hilltop hamlet, is centred around the main Piazza Grande with some fantastic architecture – the Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta and the Comune di Montepulciano stand out on the main square. With a number of cafes and restaurants set around the piazza, it’s a wonderful spot for people watching with a coffee or cold beer.

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More wine tasting

On to the wine. Exploring the town, it’s clear to see that there is a large focus on the Montepulciano brand here. Many wine shops and small wineries are located within the towns walls, one of which we particularly enjoyed. The CONTUCCIO winery had a shop and cellars located within the town, with the farm and vineyards further afield. We had a lovely free tasting and could wander the ancient cellars, which was really interesting.

After leaving the town we headed to the POLIZIANO winery for a pre booked tour. Poliziano is large modern winery surrounded by acres of vineyards of the signature Sangiovese grape variety. The tour and tasting was interesting, informative and fun – the wine particularly enjoyable. More wine ordered and shipped back to the UK, oops.

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Visit the awe-inspiring Civita di Bagnoregio

Civtia di Bagnoregio is like no place I have ever seen before. Sitting atop a tufa rock hill surrounded by an eroding canyon, the first jaw dropping views of the town can be seem from the town of Bagnoregio across the canyon.

The only access to the town nowadays is via a long footbridge that crosses the canyon up the hill to a huge stone archway that acts as an entrance into the medieval town. It’s such a dramatic location. Once through the archway, Civita di Bagnoregio is perfectly and classically Italian. Warm coloured stone walls, ivy draped balconies and stairways covered in summery potted plants. And cats. Lots of cats, everywhere.

The town’s population has dwindled over the years due the constant erosion of the surrounding landscape, with most people relocating across to Bagnoregio itself, meaning the town is mainly based around tourism. With cafes, restaurants and shops, there are a few accommodation options for people wishing to stay over, but it’s mainly a day trip destination.

Civita di Bagnoregio is located in Lazio, not too far from the city of Orvieto and is one of the unmissable things to do in Umbria and Central Italy.

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Marvel at the thundering waterfalls of Cascata delle Marmore

Located to the south of Umbria near the town of Terni, CASCATA DELLE MARMORE was a fascinating attraction and one of the surprise highlights of this trip. A waterfall created by the Romans in 271BC, at 541 feet high it is the tallest man-made waterfall in the world. The falls were constructed to drain the swamps and stagnant waters around the Nera river to reduce illness in the area.

The falls now have a dual purpose. For the majority of the time the water is diverted to a hydroelectric power plant. At this point, the flow of water to the falls is basically a trickle. Twice daily, for the benefit of tourism to the area, the water is diverted back to falls and within minutes the trickle becomes a raging torrent. It is spectacular to watch. The power of the water, the spray and the winds created are amazing to experience.

Set within a park of botanical gardens, numerous hiking trails provide access to some of the most fabulous views of the falls themselves, it is an attraction not to be missed in Umbria.

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See the epic scenery of Piano Grande

Located in the heart of the Parco Nazionale dei Monti Sibillini to the eastern edge of Umbria, the Piano Grande is a huge 16 square kilometre plain, 4000ft above sea level and surrounded by the Sibillini mountain range. The Piano Grande is famous for its summer blooms, where wildflowers cover the area making it look like a fantastic patchwork of vibrant colours. Our May visit was a little early for these spectacular blooms, but the scenery was epic nonetheless.

Heading from Norcia along the SP477 mountain pass, the first views of Piano Grande appear reaching the high point of the road not far past the Rifugio Perugia. There is a small parking area alongside the road to take in the stunning scene before heading down towards the plain.

The road descends and finally reaches the magnificent plain, cutting a route directly through the centre of the large expanse surrounded by dramatic mountain scenery to all sides.

The tragedy of Castelluccio di Norcia

The road descends and finally reaches the magnificent plain, cutting a route directly through the centre of the large expanse surrounded by dramatic mountain scenery to all sides. To the far end, a small town sits atop a hill. The town of Castelluccio di Norcia sits to the north edge of the Piano Grande, overlooking the plain. Sadly, in 2016 and 2017 (after our visit), two large earthquakes in the region devastated the town, leaving more than 60% of the buildings destroyed and uninhabitable.

Originally a farming town and famous for its lentil production, the town was mainly a collection of restaurants, cafes and gift shops aimed at the tourist market. It was quaint and a lovely place to spend a couple of hours, even if just to gaze out at the surrounding landscape. Although reconstruction work is underway, it will take a long time to rebuild. Many of the town’s hospitality businesses have reopened in temporary buildings, and the area is open to visitors again. A warm and friendly location, I hope the region thrives again after dealing with this tragedy. A path leading uphill from Castelluccio di Norcia provides fabulous views of Piano Grande from the perfect vantage point.

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THINGS TO DO IN UMBRIA AND CENTRAL ITALY – TRAVEL TIPS

Umbria can be easily reached by car from Tuscany or any other surrounding regions. For visitors travelling from the UK, Ryanair provide direct flights from London Stansted to San Francesco D’Assisi Airport near Perugia, which is located centrally within the region.

Car Hire is available at the airport with a number of hire companies including Hertz and Europcar. We rented a car for the duration of the trip and found it really worthwhile to explore the region, which would have been challenging using public transport.

We chose to stay in a relatively remote resort hotel for a the majority of our stay, meaning we could enjoy a relaxed setting after some long days out exploring. Our final two nights in Perugia provided the opportunity to take a more city break approach and explore everything the city had to offer.

LEARN ABOUT THE REASONS TO VISIT PERGUIA WITH A PHOTO TOUR OF THE CAPITAL CITY OF UMBRIA

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