Luxury holidays to Umbria Italy | Tailor-made luxury hotel holidays

An Expressions tailor-made holiday to Umbria offers the chance to explore a lesser-known rural area of Italy. Umbria is a gentle, undulating land of hills, river valleys, a patchwork of fields, vines and olives similar in many ways to her better-known neighbour, Tuscany, yet in other ways so very different. Umbria evokes a deeper rusticity, a less ‘polished' feel than Tuscany, the secrecy and mysticism of the Middle Ages and yet because of this holds a charm and fascination for the visitor. The hill towns are superb in their own right; steep, narrow cobbled streets with overhanging arches, the grey stone enlivened here and there by pots of geraniums. Ancient crafts remain very much alive, with ceramics and woodwork in particular. Umbria abounds in Roman architecture with Gubbio and Spoleto being noteworthy and there are Etruscan remains too. The food is hearty and earthy too with truffles and porcini, sausages and salami being regional specialities. Yet Umbria also has some of the most important religious sites in Europe, such as the Basilica of St Francis in Assisi and throughout the region are to be discovered outstanding works of art by Perugino, Giotto, Pinturicchio and Gozzoli. Umbria is an intriguing region that awaits further discovery.

Frequently Asked Questions

Umbria shares Tuscany's basic ingredients: hills, olives, vines, honey-coloured hill towns. But the character is quite different. Where Tuscany has been photographed, written about and gently manicured for decades, Umbria remains a wilder, less self-conscious landscape, with a deeper rusticity and something of the secrecy of the Middle Ages still clinging to its hill towns. The steep, narrow, cobbled streets, overhung with stone arches and softened only by pots of geraniums, feel less arranged for the visitor and more simply lived in. Because Umbria has not been discovered to the same extent, the same calibre of hotel, cellar or cookery experience we would arrange in Chianti or the Val d'Orcia is often available here at noticeably better value, and with a stronger sense of having found something for yourself rather than following a well-worn route. For clients who feel they have exhausted Tuscany, Umbria is the natural next step, not a lesser alternative to it.

Perugia and Assisi are Umbria's two great art cities, and both reward unhurried time. Perugia, a cathedral and university city built around the Fontana Maggiore in the Piazza IV Novembre, holds an outstanding collection of Perugino and Pinturicchio in its Galleria Nazionale. Assisi is on another level again: the Basilica of St Francis contains Giotto's and Lorenzetti's frescoes, and the town carries a spiritual weight quite unlike the more secular Renaissance masterpieces of Florence. Beyond the two best-known cities, the smaller towns are just as rewarding for those with a genuine interest in architecture: Gubbio for Gattapone's Palazzo dei Consoli, Spoleto for his Ponte delle Torri and its summer Festival of the Two Worlds, Città di Castello for Signorelli, and Orvieto, with its Gothic cathedral, for a very different white wine and a striking hilltop setting. This layering of religious, secular and civic art across a small area is one of Umbria's genuine distinctions.

Umbria's gastronomy is earthier and, we would say, more particular than Tuscany's more familiar repertoire. Norcia is synonymous across Italy with cured pork and salami, and the surrounding hills produce black truffles and porcini in abundance, alongside game and wild boar. Pasta such as strangozzi and bici are often served simply, flavoured with truffle or porcini rather than a heavier sauce, and Torgiano produces both a well-regarded pecorino and Umbria's best-known red, Lungarotti's Rubesco, while Orvieto's whites are a national fixture in their own right. We can arrange private cellar visits at wineries such as Lungarotti, hands-on cookery classes near Perugia, or an olive oil tasting and discovery holiday, all built around hotels such as Borgo dei Conti or Le Tre Vaselle. Because the region draws fewer visitors than Tuscany, these experiences tend to feel less rehearsed and, for a comparable standard of hotel and hospitality, noticeably better value.

Umbria's countryside has a rougher, more elemental quality than Tuscany's carefully tended vineyards and cypress-lined avenues. The Monti Sibillini rise to genuine mountain scale in the region's east, and the Cascate delle Marmore near Terni is one of Europe's highest waterfalls, a dramatic contrast to Tuscany's gentler garden landscapes. The Fonti del Clitunno, south of Trevi, and the forests of holm oak near Spoleto add a quieter, more contemplative note, while Lake Trasimeno offers trout and perch fishing and a slower pace again. This is a landscape that still feels worked and wild rather than composed for effect, and it suits clients who enjoy walking, driving through unplanned scenery, or simply the sense of a region that has not yet been entirely tamed for tourism. A hire car is essential to make the most of it, and we include one with every Umbria holiday.

Both work well, and which suits depends on how much of Umbria a client wants to see. For a first visit, or for those who want to test the region before committing to it fully, Umbria combines naturally with Tuscany, typically travelling by train to Florence and then by hire car through Chianti and into the Umbrian countryside, or further again into Latium towards Rome, as in our Heart of Italy touring holiday. For clients who already know Tuscany and Rome well and are looking for something with a lower profile and a different rhythm, we increasingly recommend Umbria as a destination in its own right, with Perugia or Assisi as an art-city anchor and several nights at a countryside hotel such as I Borghi dell'Eremo or Villa di Monte Solare for wine, cookery and walking. Either approach can be arranged by air, rail or self-drive, depending on preference.

Our bespoke, luxury hotel holidays can be

● Single centre or multi-centre
● Long or short stays
● Combine a number of different hotels in different regions
● Utilise a variety of transport arrangements to Italy and within Italy, combining flights, hire-car, rail, ferries and private transfers

Our special interest holidays to Umbria

● Wine-tasting for individuals
● Food and wine holidays
● Cookery holidays for individuals and small groups
● Cultural tours for individuals
● Private guided sightseeing
● Art, history and heritage holidays

Included in all our holidays

● Concierge service
● Handcrafted helpful hints and local information provided with all our holidays
● Personal service by your sales consultant who looks after all aspects of your holiday

Call us on 01392 441245

Highlights of Umbria

Shop for ceramics in Gubbio, truffles and cooked meats from Norcia. Dramatic landscapes of the Monte Sibillini and one of Europe's highest waterfalls called the Cascate delle Marmore near Terni. One of Italy's beauty spots is the Fonti del Clitunno south of Trevi. See carpentry and woodworking in Todi. Visit the wine museum in Torgiano. Forests of holm oak near Spoleto. Antique fair in April and a national craft fair in August and September in Todi.

Cultural highlights of Umbria

A mixture of religious and secular art and architecture makes Umbria fascinating. The cities of Perugia and Assisi are great centres but the smaller towns of Gubbio, Todi, Spoleto and Spello are also of outstanding interest. Highlights of the region include the Fontana Maggiore in the Piazza IV Novembre in Perugia. Perugia`s Galleria Nazionale containing works by Perugino and Pinturicchio. Gattapone`s Palazzo dei Consoli in Gubbio and his Ponte delle Torri in Spoleto. The `Adoration of the Magi` by Perugino in the church of the Madonna della Lacrime in Trevi. Frescoes by Matteo da Gualdo in the Pinacoteca of Gualdo Tadino. `San Sebastiano` by Luca Signorelli in the Pinacoteca at Citta di Castello. Frescoes by Giotto and Lorenzetti in the Basilica of St Francis in Assisi.

Festivals in Umbria

Perugia has a jazz festival in the summer and the Sagra Musicale music festival held in its churches in September. Orvieto holds concerts in August and has a firework display on the 15th. Spoleto`s Festival of the Two Worlds, a world-class cultural event, takes place June and July. Spello holds its Infiorata in June when the streets are decked with flowers. Foligno holds jousting in September during its Giostra della Quintane.

Gastronomy in Umbria

Umbria's gastronomy is very much a product of its earth and waters: Mushrooms and truffles flavour many dishes, Game and wild boar, Trevi produces black celery, olive oil and black truffles, Pecorino cheese from Torgiano, Todi offers Panzanella, dried bread soaked and marinated in sliced tomato, basil, onion and olive oil, Sweet macheroni with walnuts, Salami and sausages are a regional speciality, Trout from the rivers and perch from Lake Trasimeno, Strangozzi and Bici are local pasta, often flavoured with porcini and truffles. Umbria produces some high quality robust red wines near Torgiano (Rubesco produced by Lungarotti for example) and Orvieto is known for its white wine.

Umbria travel information

Umbria is reached very easily from the UK by air. We suggest the use of a hire car for the freedom to explore the region.

By air

Fly to Rome with numerous flights by British Airways and Alitalia from Heathrow and Gatwick and some regional departures either direct or with a change. Perugia, Pisa, Florence and Bologna are also possible from a variety of airlines.

Car hire

We include a hire-car will all our holidays to Umbria as you really do need a car to make the most of your holiday in this region. If you just want to stay in Perugia or Assisi we can take out the hire-car and you can make your way from Rome, Pisa or Florence by train.

Self-drive

With your own car Umbria can be reached comfortably with two overnight stops from the UK. For example, you could stay overnight in Alsace and then the Italian Lakes and then return via Lake Geneva and the Champagne region. Ask us for advice and let us make these arrangements for you.

Our bespoke, luxury hotel holidays can be

Our special interest holidays to Umbria

Included in all our holidays

● Concierge service
● Handcrafted helpful hints and local information provided with all our holidays
● Personal service by your sales consultant who looks after all aspects of your holiday

Call us on 01392 441245

Here you will find a map of Umbria showing the locations of the hotels that we offer

Our bespoke, luxury hotel holidays can be

Our special interest holidays to Umbria

Included in all our holidays

● Concierge service
● Handcrafted helpful hints and local information provided with all our holidays
● Personal service by your sales consultant who looks after all aspects of your holiday