Top Umbria hotels
Built on a volcanic tofa plug, the town of Orvieto is found 320 metres above the surrounding valley floor. Its a wonderful town with the Duomo argued to be one of the most beautiful in Italy. Fantastic views to be had of the surrounding countryside and a walled city.It is the 2nd most visited tourist spot in Umbria (after Assisi).See separate Orvieto page.
A few kilometres south west of Spello and Foligno, Bevagna is a wonderful little town even more 'remote' than Spello. Austere and grand on a small scale, it's little more than a main street with several small alleys running off it. But there are numerous churches to be found within the confines of the village, with the main square a true step back in history - the incredibly plain, squat churches facing each other across the cobblestones really are medieval - so fancy later additions to be had here. And this is a place where outside the weekend, likely to be deserted.One of my favourite places in Umbria.
Spello is one those typical Medieval Umbrian towns/villages - you just drive and there they are :) It's amazingly quiet considering its proximity to Assisi and Spoleto and, sited as it is, on a main north/south access road. It's easily worth stopping off for an hour or so, exploring the medieval streets, the frescoes of Pinturicchio in the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore, the many other churches and the ancient ramparts. It's a 'snapshot of Umbria' within one village.
If driving and heading for Assisi from the south (Foligno, Spoleto), instead of driving along the Autostrada, take a right at Spello (2 or 3kms north of Foligno) into the Park. Essentially, nothing more than a looped road to Assisi, the route will take you up into the hills and Mount Subiaso, provding you with great views of the northern part of the Vale of Spoleto and provide a different access and aspect of Assisi than 95% of other visitors :)
Arguably, the biggest single attraction in Umbria is the village town of Assisi - birthplace of Italy's patron saint and site of pilgrimage for 700+ years.Tucked into the slopes of Mount Subiaso, Assisi is a delightful mountain village that, in spite of slowly succumbing to the lure of tacky tourist kitsch, still holds its own as an Italian medieval village of churches, frescoes, alleyways, ramparts and castle battlements. The main attraction (and site of the 2nd most important Catholic pilgrimage after St Peters) is the stunning Basilica de San Fransciso and its extraordinary cycle of 14th century paintings by Giotto (and others) which contributed to the change in the history of art (and which thankfully were not destroyed - only damaged - by the recent earthquake). It is also the location of the burial tomb of Farncis of Assisi. By comparison, the Duomo pales into almost insignificance...
The largest city in Umbria, Perugia has a long history, an Etruscan city conquered by the Romans in 309 BC. Overlooking the Tiber and located moreorless in the centre of the Italian peninsular, it is of geographical importance and grew accordingly. Medieval Perugia sounded a nightmare! Described as the most warlike of people in all of Italy, but which also spawned the Flagellants (1265), the city was a powerful city state in the 14th and 15th centuries, run first by the Oddi family and then the brutal Baglioni family. But Papal rule took over in 1538. The tourist highlights of Perugia (an industrial city with a huge university population) date essentially from the late Baglioni days through to the early Papal days. But one of Perugia's major attractions is the massive annual summer Umbria Jazz festival.
My husband and I spent the month of October in Umbria. We were thoroughly mesmerized by the scenery, its people, the food and the wine. One of the highlights of our visit was a day spent cooking with Velia de Angelis and Gianluca Antoniella in Monterubiaglio (outside Orvieto). In actuality, Velia and I had established such a great "email relationship" that we felt like soul sisters the day we finally met! I was impressed with her efforts to determine our food preferences in order to create a very special menu for that day. She also took the time to send me different recipes to try in the US to get us into the Umbrian mood!We arrived about 9:30 and enjoyed meeting her family and then getting to know just the two of them over breakfast. We started cooking at 11 and when we finished at 2:30, we couldn't believe our eyes - had we really cooked all that? Everything from fresh chicken liver...
Todi, like many other Villages, is built on the top of a hill since roman times.The structure is medieval, roman remains are hidden here and there.Nice ambience, nice restaurants.Easy to reach by car: a big and free elevator brings you up to the center from a big anc cheap parking place.All in all, a great place to stop for a night and a day.Planning to built a more detailed Todi page soon.... Let's see!
The Facade if this Duomo is likely the most celebrated in Italy, and the most ornate one I've seen. Pope Leo XIII said of the Duomo "it is the Golden Lilly of Italian Cathedrals; on the day of judgment to will float up to Heaven carried by its own beauty". The sculptures, reliefs, columns, and colors, are amazing in their detail and condition (done in 1330). There is almost too much going on in this facade. It is worth spending some time examining the details. We caught it on a day with great lighting for the pics-The story behind the spectacular church: A priest, doubtful of his faith was making his way to Rome for reassurance. While celebrating Mass in a nearby town, the host started to drip blood down his arm and onto the corporal (cloth on the altar). This stained cloth was immediately taken to Pope Urban, who was staying in Nearby Orvieto who immediately proclaimed a miracle....
Orvieto is perched up on a hill and cliffs, about 1/2 way between Rome and Florence. This makes it a common stopping point for many bus tours, most of which shuffle thier tourists to the Duomo and are then on thier way. The town is deeper than just the Duomo and it's amazing facade, with many restaurant shops and rooms for lodging. The location makes Orvieto a place to consider as a home base for visiting the area. Florence and Rome are about 90 minutes each, with much to explore in between.
La Terrazza Assisi
1 Review and 191 Opinions Nice quiet hotel. The dinner in the hotel was very nice and so was the breakfast. Very nice, homey...
Palazzo Piccolomini Orvieto
2 Reviews and 96 Opinions This hotel was really neat and very fun to stay in. The staff was very accomodating and the rooms...
Brufani Palace Perugia
1 Review and 191 Opinions We stayed at hotel "Park", which is four stars hotel on outskirt of the town. Our Umbria Jazz...
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Q: We are trying to make reservations for the Rezidenza di via Piccardi in Gubbio in Umbria for late September. We have gone to the...
A: On their web site where it says Contatti, click and send them an e-mail unless you want to telephone. If you don't speak Italian, write in English and I'm sure they'll...
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