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Bands of poppies and other wildflowers in bloom on the Castelluccio plain, with the Monti Sibillini behind

Sample journey · 8–10 days

Umbria and the Marche, from Orvieto's cliff to the Adriatic

Orvieto, Spoleto, Assisi, Norcia, Urbino & the Conero coast

Photo: Daniele Levis Pelusi / Unsplash

Illustrative journey ideas — not bookable packages. No prices, dates or accommodation are implied.

Many travellers know central Italy through Tuscany. This route turns east, into Umbria and the Marche, where the hill towns are every bit as handsome and the evening voices in the piazzas are mostly local. It begins in Orvieto, raised on a volcanic cliff, continues through Spoleto with its aqueduct over a gorge, Assisi and rose-stoned Spello, then climbs into the Monti Sibillini, to Norcia and the high plain of Castelluccio, which in early summer can turn the colours of lentil flowers, poppies and cornflowers.

The second half belongs to the Marche: Urbino, where Federico da Montefeltro built one of the finest Renaissance palaces in Italy, and the Conero coast, where a green mountain drops straight into the Adriatic. Distances are short, usually an hour or an hour and a half on the road, so the journey suits families and couples who want long lunches, small museums and the odd good walk. Stays, from an agriturismo among the olive trees to a house in a historic town centre, would be chosen around how you like to spend your evenings.

The route

The journey

  1. Rome
  2. Orvieto
  3. Spoleto
  4. Assisi & Spello
  5. Norcia & the Monti Sibillini
  6. Urbino
  7. The Conero coast
  8. Ancona
  1. The houses and towers of Orvieto on a sheer cliff, surrounded by woods and fields

    01Days 1–3 · Orvieto

    A town on a tufa cliff

    From Rome it's about an hour and a half north by train or car, and Orvieto appears on the horizon, built on a sheer cliff of volcanic tufa. Two nights here. The heart of it is the cathedral, with its striped stone facade and the San Brizio Chapel, whose walls Luca Signorelli painted with scenes of the Last Judgement. Children may prefer St Patrick's Well, with its two interlocking spiral staircases, and the underground city: Etruscan and medieval caves cut beneath the houses. On the second day you could drive to Civita di Bagnoregio, a hamlet on an eroding outcrop reached only by a footbridge, or stay put for a walk around the edge of the cliff and a long lunch with the local white wine. In the evenings, once the day visitors leave, the streets go quiet.

  2. A pale stone fortress on a green hillside above Spoleto

    02Days 3–4 · Spoleto

    A bridge over the gorge

    About an hour and a half across the Umbrian hills lies Spoleto, a town that climbs its hillside from a Roman theatre to a papal fortress. One night here. Usefully, the old town has escalators, so you can ride up without tiring and walk back down. The great sight is the Ponte delle Torri, a medieval aqueduct spanning a deep wooded gorge; a path crosses it, with the whole valley below. In the cathedral apse are Filippo Lippi's frescoes of the life of the Virgin, and in front lies a broad stepped piazza where, in summer, the Festival dei Due Mondi holds its concerts. If you're travelling in late June or July, the programme is worth a look. For dinner, black truffle and the thick local pasta.

  3. The Basilica of St Francis in Assisi in the light of sunset

    03Days 4–6 · Assisi & Spello

    Rose-pink stone and the frescoes of St Francis

    From Spoleto it's about 40 minutes to Spello, a small town at the foot of Monte Subasio. Two nights here: Spello is quieter than its neighbour Assisi, and its lanes are full of potted flowers. The church of Santa Maria Maggiore holds frescoes by Pinturicchio, and on the Sunday of Corpus Domini the streets are carpeted with flower petals. Assisi is twenty minutes away. In the upper and lower churches of the Basilica of St Francis, frescoes tell the saint's life, and they are best seen with a guide early in the morning, before the coaches arrive. In the afternoon, the Basilica of Santa Chiara and the climb to the Rocca Maggiore. For keen walkers, an old path runs along Subasio's slopes through the olive groves from Spello to Assisi, roughly half a day. In the evening, back to Spello and dinner on a terrace.

  4. The broad green plain of Castelluccio under a blue sky, ringed by mountains

    04Days 6–8 · Norcia & the Monti Sibillini

    The plain that flowers

    About an hour and a quarter over the mountains lies Norcia, birthplace of St Benedict, known for its cured meats and black truffles. The 2016 earthquakes badly damaged the town and its basilica; reconstruction is still under way, so some buildings may be under scaffolding. Two nights here, and time for the mountains. The road climbs to the Pian Grande, a broad plain at around 1,400 m beneath Monte Vettore, with the village of Castelluccio on its hill above, also still being rebuilt. In early summer, usually June into early July, the lentil fields here can bloom in bands of red, yellow and blue, though the timing varies each year. In other weeks the plain is just as striking: walking trails, horses, wide open pasture. For dinner, Castelluccio lentils and local cheeses.

  5. The domes and towers of Urbino in golden-hour light

    05Days 8–9 · Urbino

    A Renaissance town on a hill

    The longest day of the journey is about three hours north through the Apennines to Urbino, so it's worth stopping for lunch on the way. One night here. Urbino is a small university town where, in the 15th century, Duke Federico da Montefeltro gathered the artists and scholars of his age. His palace, with its slender towers and courtyard, now the National Gallery of the Marche, holds Piero della Francesca's Flagellation and the enigmatic Ideal City, and the duke's study is lined with intarsia: wood inlay depicting books and instruments. Nearby stands the house where Raphael was born. In the evening students fill the squares, and sunset is best watched from the ramparts, with the palace silhouette and the Montefeltro hills beyond.

  6. From the air: the bay of Portonovo, with a pale beach and woods at the foot of Monte Conero

    06Days 9–10 · The Conero coast

    A green mountain and the Adriatic

    About an hour and a half south-east lies Monte Conero, the one rocky stretch on the Adriatic's long, flat shore. The last night is in Sirolo or Numana, small towns above the sea. In the warmer months, boats leave from here for the Due Sorelle beach beneath white cliffs, reachable only by water, and in the bay of Portonovo the little Romanesque church of Santa Maria stands right by the sea. Children love the pebble beaches and clear water; adults, a fish supper with a local Verdicchio or Rosso Conero. On the final day it's about 40 minutes to Ancona airport; with a late flight there's still time for a swim.

Experience highlights

  1. 01

    Orvieto Cathedral

    The striped facade, and Signorelli's Last Judgement frescoes in the San Brizio Chapel.

  2. 02

    Assisi in the early morning

    The frescoes of the Basilica of St Francis with a guide, while the town is still quiet.

  3. 03

    The Castelluccio plain

    A high mountain plain beneath Monte Vettore, sometimes painted by flowering lentils in early summer.

  4. 04

    The ducal palace in Urbino

    Piero della Francesca's paintings and an inlaid study in one of the finest Renaissance palaces.

First, we listen. Then, we explore what's possible.

Make it your own

  • At a slower pace

    Spoleto and Urbino would happily take another night each, or in Umbria you could stay a whole week at one farmhouse and visit a town a day.

  • With children

    Orvieto's underground, horses on the Castelluccio plain and more days by the sea. The long drive to Urbino can be broken at the Furlo Gorge.

  • In another season

    Autumn is the season of truffles, the olive harvest and the grape picking, while in spring the hills are at their greenest. Early summer gives the best chance of the plain in flower.

  • With Rome or Tuscany

    Begin with a few days in Rome, or loop briefly from Orvieto through Pienza and the Val d'Orcia before turning into Umbria.

Practical considerations

  • The best time is roughly May to October. July and August can be hot in the hills, and mountain weather often changes quickly; in winter the road to Castelluccio may close for snow.
  • The journey is planned as a self-drive. Historic town centres are often closed to traffic (ZTL zones), so the car stays in car parks below each town and you go up on foot, by lift or by escalator.
  • In Norcia and Castelluccio, reconstruction after the 2016 earthquakes is still under way: some buildings and roads may be closed, so we check the current situation before you travel.
  • Churches and basilicas ask for covered shoulders and knees; in the Basilica of St Francis silence is usually requested and photography is not allowed.

General guidance only. Seasons, weather and wildlife are never guaranteed, and travel requirements are always worth checking before you go.

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