Umbria
Why go?
If Tuscany is the heart of Italy, then Umbria is its lungs - some
might even say its soul. Wooded, unspoilt and steeped in history,
this landlocked province hides some of the country’s finest
art treasures (Piero della Francesca cycles) and music (Perugia's
jazz festival, Citta di Castello's chamber music), and some real
gems of medieval hilltowns (Gubbio, Spoleto, Montone). Bordered to
the east by the Apennine mountains of the Marche, to the west by
Tuscany’s Val di Chiana and to the south by Etruscan Lazio,
it’s very centrally placed.
The River Tiber has its source here, starting at the mountainous
intersection of Tuscany, Umbria and Marche, then flowing south
through pretty valleys past Citta di Castello to Perugia,
Umbria’s capital. Here it opens out into flatter land, with
the side valley of Assisi and Spoleto to the east, and the gentle
hills around Lake Trasimeno to the west, before continuing south
towards Todi and eventually Rome.