Umbria Things to Do

  Looks good from any angle
by iandsmith
 
  • Looks good from any angle
      Looks good from any angle
    by iandsmith
  • Gubbio, Loggia dei Tiratori
      Gubbio, Loggia dei Tiratori
    by Trekki
  • Delicious Calabria - olives, onions, peperoncino
      Delicious Calabria - olives, onions,...
    by Trekki
  • Horses in Piano Grande
      Horses in Piano Grande
    by Trekki
  • Nativity - Filippo Lippi
      Nativity - Filippo Lippi
    by tim76
 

Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Gubbio - spend a day

by rubbersoul75

What a great town all around. Gubbio is a bit away from the autostrada and has no rail station, which keeps it a little light on tourism; however it is by no means undiscovered.The town is picturesque and will have you reaching for your camera at every turn. The piazza Grande is uniquely positioned above the town and must visit. Other than that, we wondered the streets and shops. The town is famous for its ceramics. Gubbio is on a hill and most of the east west streets are on incline. Not the lost stroller friendly town but maneagable. You can ascend to the Duomo at the top of town, in 2 person "baskets", a fun ride so long as you have no fear of heights. Pick up the funicular outside Porta Romana at SW corner of town. At the opposite end, outside the city walls at the NW corner are neat ruins of the ancient Roman Amphitheatre.

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Santa Maria Degli Angeli - Assisi

by rubbersoul75

Santa Maria Degli Angeli is the modern part of Assisi below the town. It's a couple km's down the hill from the Historic town. If arriving by train, this is where you come in. There are not many tourism offerings in town, but the Huge Basilica is worth a visit for St. Francis fans. This area used to be heavily forested and is where the Saint lived after the founding of the Francisan order in 1208. The original chapel founded by St. Francis called "porzuincola" (Little Portion) is contained inside this Basilica, a unique site. The town is not charming by any means, but has a number of reasturants & caffes where you can escape the tourism machine of historic Assisi and hang with real Italians.We found some very nice/modern rooms (with A/C!) and restaurant at Camere Santucci in town here. See lodging tip.

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Assisi

by rubbersoul75

Home town boy St. Francis is the reason thousands of tourists and Pilgrims flock to Assisi every year. Besides, the must see site - Basilica of St. Francis, the town is a very well preserved midieval hill town with a days worth of sites. We loved the town, in spite of the scorching temps on our visit.The heart of the town for us lies not at the Basilica but in Piazza comune. A perfect Piazza with water fountain and well preserved Roman columns of the Temple of Minerva. The tourist information is in the square.Heading East of the Piazza along Via San Ruffino leads you to the church of San Ruffino. Duck inside to see the baptismal font where St. Francis. and St. Claire where baptised. Further East takes you to the Roman Arena. There are a number of other churches around town as well.Rocca Maggiore is the castle above the Basilica and worth a visit for the views.

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Inspiring Assisi

by deecat

Although Assisi is inspiring, spiritual, and beautiful, it still lacks the simplicity that I had expected from the town of St. Francis's church and burial spot. But, after all the day trippers left, it was more of what I had imagined. Thank goodness, we were able to be there overnight..It is an ordeal to enter the gates. A pass must be obtained from the police to drive to your hotel. The streets are quite narrow, and there is no parking. But, there is paid parking outside the gates.What I did like about Assisi were some of the views, the fountains in the piazzas, and the Medieval architecture.Our hotel was in Piazza del Comune, the main square and was across from one my favorite sites, Tempio di Minerva. It was once the temple honoring the Roman goddes Minerva (Greek name Athena). It is now a church. Beside it stands Torre (Tower) which is open from 7a.m. -12 noon and 2:30pm to...

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Spoleto, a Special Place in Umbria

by deecat

After Todi, we drove more WINDING roads to Spoleto and our wonderful Hotel (see Hotel Tips).I loved this town. It has such STEEP walkways and so much history. Its surrounded by the kind of countryside most people enjoy...a mixture of mountains, olive groves, and pretty green hills.It's located on the slope of a mountain. The city has two levels. The lower level is built around the river Tessino. The upper level is the best. It contains the "centro storico" or central city with many sites to explore.Things to See:1. Ponte delle Torri, a combined bridge and aqueduct over the river. This is a gigantic bridge with ten arches.2. Duomo Santa Maria Assunta, a Romanesque cathedral with a fabulous facade, marble carvings, and wonderful mosaics. There is also a bell tower (campanile).3. Teatro Romano, a theater from the Roman Empire. It was uncovered in the 1950's.4. Rocca Albornoz, a fortress. In...

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Medieval Todi

by deecat

From Orvieto, Allan drove more WINDING roads to Todi. It's such an unsual little hill town with small churches, palaces, and the domed Santa Maria della Consolazione Renaissance Church.I personally liked the plain looking duomo located in Piazza del Popolo. I was most fascinated by the fact that it was built on the site of a Roman Temple dedicated to my favorite mythological god, Apollo, god of the sun. It's probably most famous for its stained glass windows.

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Orvieto, Unique Hill Town

by deecat

My husband Allan drove the WINDING roads to Orvieto. What an unique town. One could spend days discovering cobblestone streets, narrow alleys, wonderful restaurants, creative shops, and beautiful churches. Sadly, we were there for only a few hours.I learned that Orvieto sits atop a hill that is volcanic in origin so somewhat unstable.This hill is covered with numerous vineyards from which Orvieto's delicious white wine is produced.This little town has the most incredible Duomo with a facade covered in mosaics.There are ruins and a museum with Etruscan artifacts.Two important streets (Via Duomo and Corso Cavour) are filled with ceramic shops. We purchased some wonderful ceramics there.We liked the Medieval Quarter best; it is more tranquil, and it is where the artisans live and work.The Duomo plus the tiny church of San Lorenzo in Arari and the freso-covered San Giovenale church are...

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Gubbio

by janchan

Maybe the most authentic and intact of the medieval towns in Italy. It is a must, if you are visiting the area of Perugia.Gubbio was a fortified town. To see:Piazza Grande with:Palazzo dei Consoli (XIV cen.), the archeological museum, Palazzo Pretorio (XIV cen.).Piazza 40 Martiri with: church of St. Francis (XIII cen.), church and hospital dei Bianchi (XIV cen.), Loggia dei Tiratori (XVII cen.)and thenchurch of St. Peter (XIV cen.); church of St. John (XIII cen.); church of San Domenico (XIV cen.);Cathedral of Santi Mariano e Giacomo (XII cen.) with the museum;church of Santa Maria Nuova (XIII cen.); church of Sant’Andrea o monastery of San Marziale (XII cen.);Palazzo del Capitano del Popolo (XIII cen.);Palazzo del Bargello (XIV cen.);Palazzo Ducale (XV cen.);Roman amphitheatre (I cen.);Roman Mausoleum;Basilica of Sant’Ubaldo (XVI cen.);Chiesa di San Secondo (XV cen.);

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Perugia

by janchan

Perugia was founded 22 centuries ago by the Etruscans. During the middle age it became a very important city of central Italy. Several are the monuments to visit.Porta Pulchra or of AugustusBasilica of St. DominicNational Archeological Museum of UmbriaPiazza del SopramuroThe 15th century Palace of the Old University Palazzo del Capitano del PopoloPalazzio dei PrioriThe CathedralThe 13th century fountain Fontana MaggioreRocca PaolinaAmong the most important events taking place in the city, are the music festival Umbria Jazz and the gastronomic festival Eurochocolate.

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Assisi

by janchan

This beautiful historical town is placed north of Umbria region in Perugia province.Plenty of places of interest:St. Francis BasilicaRocca MaggioreThe Cathedral of St. RufinusPiazza del ComuneTemple of Minerva

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Fun things to do in Umbria

Top 3 Hotels in Umbria

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... 

 Hotels in Assisi

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... 

 Hotels in Orvieto

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... 

 Hotels in Perugia

532 Hotels in Umbria
 
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Reviews and photos of Umbria attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Umbria sightseeing.

Experience Umbria
Things to Do: Cities in Umbria
  1. Orvieto Things to Do
  2. Assisi Things to Do
  3. Perugia Things to Do
  4. Gubbio Things to Do
  5. Todi Things to Do
  6. Spoleto Things to Do
  7. Bevagna Things to Do
  8. San Leo Things to Do
  9. Norcia Things to Do
  10. Passignano sul Trasimeno Things to Do
  11. Lago Trasimeno Things to Do
  12. Spello Things to Do
  13. Terni Things to Do
  14. Le Marmore Things to Do
  15. Piano Grande Things to Do
  16. Deruta Things to Do
  17. Colfiorito Things to Do
  18. Trevi Things to Do

More Cities in Umbria

 

Questions and Answers

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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... 

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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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Umbria Members Meetings

May 27, 2012 
IT'S OUR MEET: Palio della Balestra in Gubbio

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