Perugia & Assisi

A hill-town journey through Umbria, Italy's green heart: Perugia is famous for chocolate and its jazz festival, Assisi's Basilica of St. Francis is a World Heritage Site, and hill towns dot the surrounding countryside.

Perugia, capital of the Umbria region in central Italy, sits on a hill above the Tiber valley. It has Etruscan walls, medieval squares and the renowned University for Foreigners, whose many students give the city a lively feel. About 20 km to the southeast is Assisi, birthplace of St. Francis, where the Basilica of San Francesco and other Franciscan sites are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Umbria is known as "the green heart of Italy", and among its olive groves and vineyards lie hill towns such as Spello, Gubbio, Bevagna, Montefalco, Todi and Spoleto. The best seasons are Apr–Jun and Sep–Oct; July brings Umbria Jazz, October the Eurochocolate festival, and from late June to early July you can see the flowering fields of Castelluccio. Summers are hot, and winters are chilly but quiet. Getting there: Perugia is about 2–2.5 hours by train from Rome and about 2 hours from Florence, and Perugia Airport has a handful of European flights. Trains run from Perugia to Assisi, Spello and Spoleto; Gubbio is reached by bus, and a car is recommended for the lake and wine country. The historic centers are restricted traffic zones (ZTL), so drivers should park in car parks outside the walls. Plan on 3–5 days: one day in Perugia, one in Assisi, and the rest exploring hill towns and Lake Trasimeno as you like. Shoulders and knees must be covered to visit churches.

Top sights

• Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi – A UNESCO World Heritage Site with two churches built one above the other. The Life of Saint Francis fresco cycle by Giotto is a landmark of…
• Basilica of Saint Clare – A Gothic church built from alternating pink and white stone, housing the body of Saint Clare and the original San Damiano Cross, which is s…
• Piazza del Comune & Temple of Minerva – The central square of old Assisi, with a well-preserved 1st-century BC Roman temple facade and the medieval Palazzo dei Priori beside it.
• Piazza IV Novembre & Fontana Maggiore – The heart of old Perugia, surrounded by the 13th-century Great Fountain carved by the Pisano father and son, the cathedral and the Palazzo…
• Orvieto – A hilltop town on a towering tufa cliff, with the golden-faced cathedral and St. Patrick's Well as its two main attractions.
• Assisi Cathedral (San Rufino) – A Romanesque landmark of Umbria with a striking facade of three rose windows, where Saint Francis and Saint Clare were both baptized.
• Rocca Maggiore (Assisi) – A medieval castle crowning the hilltop of Assisi. Climb its tower for views over the rooftops of the old town, the cathedral and the Umbria…
• Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli – A vast domed basilica on the plain below Assisi. Inside it shelters the small chapel where Saint Francis founded his order and the place wh…
• Eremo delle Carceri & Monte Subasio – A quiet hermitage in the forest of Monte Subasio. The caves where Saint Francis often prayed in solitude are still preserved, and mountain…
• San Damiano (Assisi) – The small church where Saint Francis heard the cross speak to him and began his mission to rebuild it. Saint Clare lived here for over 40 y…
• National Gallery of Umbria – A gallery on the top floor of the Palazzo dei Priori, home to masterpieces by Perugino, Pinturicchio and Piero della Francesca.
• Collegio del Cambio – A guild meeting hall inside the Palazzo dei Priori, with walls covered by Perugino’s frescoes, which are believed to include the young Raph…
• Perugia Cathedral (San Lorenzo) – A Gothic cathedral whose facade was never finished. Its side steps are the city’s most popular “open-air grandstand.”
• Rocca Paolina – The ruins of a fortress built by the pope over a medieval neighborhood. Escalators run through it, and the underground preserves an entire…
• Etruscan Arch (Arco Etrusco) – A monumental stone gate on Perugia’s Etruscan walls from the 3rd century BC, a visible testament to more than 2,000 years of history.
• Etruscan Well (Pozzo Etrusco) – A large Etruscan cistern about 37 meters deep. Visitors can walk along a suspended path inside the shaft to look down at the water.
• Chapel of San Severo – The only surviving Raphael fresco in Perugia. The lower half was completed by his old teacher Perugino in his later years, so master and st…
• Basilica of San Pietro (Perugia) – The church of a 10th-century Benedictine abbey. Its interior is covered with paintings and has finely carved wooden choir stalls, and a med…
• Hypogeum of the Volumni – An underground tomb of an Etruscan noble family from the 2nd century BC, laid out like a house, with urns of travertine carved with fine re…
• Casa del Cioccolato Perugina – The birthplace of the hazelnut chocolate “Baci.” Visit the factory museum, walk along the observation gallery over the production line and…
• Spello – A hill town built of pink stone, where every doorstep and window is decorated with flowers. The Corpus Christi flower carpets cover the ent…
• Gubbio – A medieval hill town of grey stone with an imposing Palazzo dei Consoli. Take the open-air “birdcage” cable car up Monte Ingino.
• Lake Trasimeno – The fourth-largest lake in the Italian peninsula, surrounded by lakeside towns and olive-covered hills. Take a boat to an island, watch the…
• Isola Maggiore – The only inhabited island in Lake Trasimeno, with a fishing village, handmade lace craft and a walking trail around the island, all at a re…
• Bevagna – A small town on the plain with a Roman mosaic bath and medieval squares. In June, its market festival brings medieval crafts back to life.
• Montefalco – The “Balcony of Umbria,” a hill town known for Sagrantino wine, with a church museum holding frescoes by Gozzoli.
• Deruta – A center of majolica ceramics since the Renaissance, with pottery workshops lining the streets and a ceramics museum to visit.
• Todi – A hilltop old town above the Tiber Valley. Its Piazza del Popolo is considered one of the most beautiful medieval squares in Italy.
• Spoleto – A hill town where Roman and medieval ruins overlap. The Ponte delle Torri spans a deep ravine, and the cathedral holds frescoes by Filippo…
• Castelluccio & Piano Grande – A highland basin in the Sibillini Mountains. In early summer, lentil flowers, poppies and cornflowers weave into colorful carpets, and a sm…

Where to eat

• Osteria a Priori – An Umbrian tavern in Perugia's old town using only local ingredients, with a shop selling local specialties and wine do…
• Trattoria Pallotta – A family-run trattoria next to Assisi's Piazza del Comune, set under painted arches, with thick pasta in olive and mush…
• Ristorante La Taverna – A long-standing restaurant in Perugia, tucked down the steps off Corso Vannucci, serving handmade pasta and lamb chops…
• Pasticceria Sandri – Founded in 1860, Perugia's oldest pastry shop is listed among Italy's historic establishments, featuring frescoes and w…
• Osteria Piazzetta dell'Erba – Tucked away in an alley off Via San Rufino in Assisi, this tavern offers modern takes on local dishes, with vegetarian…
• Benedikto – A Michelin-listed restaurant inside Assisi's Nun Assisi Relais, serving creative dishes with Umbrian ingredients, with…

Itineraries

• Tuscany to Rome Hill Towns Road Trip – A scenic drive from Florence through Chianti, Siena, Val d'Orcia, and Civita di Bagnoregio to Rome.
• Umbria Hill Towns to the Adriatic Sea – Drive north from Rome through the hill towns of Umbria, cross the Apennines to the Frasassi Caves, and finish on the Co…
• Rome, Pompeii and the City in the Sky in – Based in Rome, with three day trips to Pompeii, Orvieto and Bagnoregio, the 'City in the Sky,' and Ostia Antica.