A road trip around Umbria has been one of our most memorable experiences in Italy to date. This area is called “The Green Heart of Italy” and now I know why! The views driving through anywhere in this region are insane! Just rolling green hills in every direction. The towns are built up on top of all of the hills and you can see them as you’re approaching, it is so iconic! I was absolutely stunned by so many places here.
We spent 5 days here and I know we’ll be back. We also spent a large chunk of time in Gubbio attending the Festa dei Ceri so when we come back we’ll have to check out some other spots we may have missed.
Here are some highlights from our 5 day trip!
Stay in a Castle
The reality of this experience turned out way better than I could have even imagined. I feel like I’ve been wanting to stay in an Italian castle for a while now, and I was so excited when I found the perfect one just outside of Perugia. You could literally see the city of Perugia on the hill from the castle grounds. Plus you get sweeping views over the Umbrian countryside, which is incredibly green and gorgeous.
The castle we stayed in was called Castello Di Monterone and it was a dream.
There was so much to love about this place, first off the view just right when you park and walk up to it looks like a fairytale. The rooms are clean and comfortable yet they look medieval and keep a lot of the actual castle charm. The bathrooms were HUGE which is an extreme rarity in Europe and the showers were warm with great pressure.
The best part was the grounds. There were so many beautiful areas to relax and hang out. We’re not usually the type to slow down on vacation and we found ourselves sitting in the courtyard reading, enjoying the jacuzzi, sitting on the terrace for a drink, strolling the rose garden repeatedly, etc. It also had a really nice pool and sauna area.
There is also an on site restaurant where we had breakfast each day and had dinner one night. We loved everything we ate for dinner and we tried quite a variety as there were four of us. My husband had an incredible burger, I had duck, we all shared some great pastas, and a burrata appetizer.
The staff at this castle were so kind, friendly, and welcoming. I also left a dress here and they emailed me almost immediately and were able to ship it to a hotel I’m staying at in Italy in a few weeks. It’s this kind of little attention to detail that really stands out to me these days.
This castle was also incredibly convenient to explore Umbria. We could easily park here. We could be in Perugia in 5 minutes by car or could walk/run there in about 30 minutes. I ran to Perugia each morning. It was also only about 30 minutes by car from Assisi which is another “can’t miss” Umbrian town. If we realized how easy it was I would have stayed even longer.
Check out some amazing sunset views in Perugia
One amazing thing about Perugia is that there are SO many amazing views to be had from the town overlooking the green valleys of Umbria.
Our favorite was Il Birraio. I admittedly like to romanticize life. So this might not be a “must do” for everyone. But we adored visiting this spot with such a lovely view. They put out little stools so you can sit on the large flat steps and have an aperitif to watch the sun go down.
We didn’t spend any time inside, but the inside of this place honestly looked super cute as well and like it would be a great vibe. I advise getting here a little early to get a spot it was really starting to fill up when the evening got going. There are so many amazing places with a view
Another excellent spot was the Chocolate Bar. From the chocolate bar you can see all the way to Assisi! You have wide open panoramic views over the whole area surrounding Perugia. We could even spot the castle we were staying in! The drinks here were nice and they do a lot of coffee, cocktails, and great treats! It is worth noting that you can access this view for free as there is a large public area beyond the bar that you can hang out on. But I always enjoy a good drink & view pairing so this was an excellent choice.
There is a third spot that I’d heard about that we didn’t get to called Punto di Vista. You’re getting a similar view to the chocolate bar here but seems like a smaller and more relaxed place. We didn’t get a chance to go, so maybe next time!
Visit Gubbio & take the cable car up the mountain
Gubbio is a special place to me personally so I was very excited to visit this town in Umbria. Yet somehow I had never heard of the funicular here until just before our trip. This one is an adventure as it is a standing cable car in what looks like an adult bird cage. It takes you to the top of the mountain where you can visit the Basilica of Saint Ubaldo.
Luckily, there is also a delightful little cafe at the top where you can grab a drink or a snack and take in views over the town and surrounding area. One thing you’ll quickly realize about Umbria is that there is never a shortage of views!
We loved Gubbio itself and we loved riding up for the views. I highly recommend doing this as long as you don’t have a fear of heights. Or maybe even if you do!
A side note: if you are visiting Gubbio we absolutely LOVED staying at Park Hotel Ai Cappuccini. The hotel and grounds were HUGE, it was so comfortable, they had an amazing restaurant where we had one of our favorite dinners, as well as a gym, pool, & spa. I highly recommend it!
Have a countryside dinner
Honestly, you probably can’t go wrong, but we loved our dinner at Ristoro In Campagna. It was about a 25 minute drive from the center of Gubbio and it was absolutely delightful. When we pulled up we could tell (despite the bad weather) that the views here were so dreamy. The inside had a wood burning fireplace and felt so warm and welcoming. There was even a resident peacock strolling the property.
As you probably guessed, the food was down home and amazing. Everything was so fresh and delicious and we ate SO MUCH. The towns in Umbria are incredible and have excellent food but it’s such an amazing experience to get into the hills for a meal like this.
Wine picnic at SAIO Assisi
I had really been looking forward to doing this activity and it did not disappoint. You can visit this winery and do a tasting in a traditional way. But we loved the idea of a picnic. Basically you show up and choose the bottle of wine you want for your picnic (you can do a tasting first if you want), you walk out to their lovely little pergola in the vineyard overlooking Assisi and then they bring you a picnic lunch to enjoy with your wine. You relax with the wine and food at your leisure and when you’re finished you just pack it all up and roll out. This is my kind of experience!
The picnic included porchetta, bread, meat & cheese, some sweets, and one bottle of wine per two people.
See the cathedrals in Orvieto and Assisi
Orvieto is arguably one of the most charming and delightful Italian towns. There is quite a lot to do here and it’s an easy day trip from Rome if you are in the area. We stayed a night and I’m really glad we did. The cathedral is absolutely stunning and according to the internet was made to model after/be as beautiful as the cathedral in Siena, Italy.
In my personal opinion both were incredible to see and are very underrated as cathedrals go! I’m not sure why more people aren’t talking about them or why they don’t get the fame of some other churches in Italy. Orvieto has a huge square in front of the cathedral as well where you can have a drink and admire it’s beauty before visiting the inside. It’s absolutely worth it.
Assisi is STUNNING. I hadn’t honestly researched too much about it before going and I knew it was a very important religious site. So I didn’t think too deeply about how beautiful the town itself would be. I was blown away by its charm. It is quite touristy, but that didn’t take away from our enjoyment here.
The fact that the Basilica here is actually bi level is wild. Both levels are huge, impressive, and so colorful (which I love). Personally I was obsessed with the teal ceilings. The fact that all of this was built into the hillside is absolutely incredible. Whether you love architecture, religion, or just can appreciate something that is truly mind blowingly beautiful you will love seeing this place.
Visit Italy’s dying Town: Civita di Bagnoregio
We visited the village of Civita di Bagnoregio and I am SO glad we didn’t skip this stop. This place is MIND BLOWING. I’m often frustrated these days with an internet full of drone shots and views that I’ll never actually see. So when I saw the view of this place online I tried to temper my expectations in case that wasn’t a view I could really see.
I was THRILLED when we walked up and I realized you could see the epic shot just from the ground like a normal person! What a delight! Walking up to this village is really special and the views are insane the entire way around. It is said that only about 10 residents still live in the village. The town is slowly eroding into the landscape around it and it seems people may be afraid to continue to live there. However, there are a number of options for cafes, shops, and places to grab a quick snack or bite. There are also a number of apartments & b&b spots here. I’d love to come back someday and stay a night so that I could see sunrise and sunset!
Overall we spent a couple hours here and I felt that was just right, but you could always linger longer.
Other Italian Blog Posts
If you can’t tell I have a deep love for Italy and I have a ton of posts on this blog that will help you in your Italian adventures.
If you’re looking for more posts about Liguria ——-> Click here
If you’re looking for more posts about Tuscany —–> Click here
If you’re looking for Venice and the nearby areas ——> Click Here
If you’re looking for the Dolomites —–> Click here
If you’re looking for Puglia ——-> Click here
If you’re looking for some special islands in the bay of Naples —–> Click here
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