Umbria, the ”green heart of Italy,” might be lesser known than neighboring Tuscany, but it is just as worthy (or even more worthy!) of a visit.

We spent 5 days and 4 nights in the region and I still daydream about the rolling hills, cascading towns, and the food.

I’ll tell you why I loved it there, which towns we visited, and share some important details to help you plan your trip to beautiful Umbria.

The Charm

Day 1 - Arriving in Umbria

From Rome, we headed towards our Airbnb near Corciano, Umbria. The drive was beautiful! The surrounding hilltop towns, olive trees, and vineyards make you feel like you’ve fallen into a film set.

Along the way, we stopped near Narni for lunch. A restaurant next to the Nera River caught our eye. The staff asked us to take a picture of the menu and then led us down to the dining area perched above the river. The setting was memorable. It was so quiet, peaceful, and incredibly green, including the river.

Our food was delicious; eggplant parmigiana and a variety of bruschette. It was probably our favorite meal in Umbria, largely due to the relaxing, beautiful setting. The restaurant: Da Nicoletta

You couldn’t wipe the smile off my face as we passed one idyllic hilltop town after another. Living in Sicily at the time, we were fixated on how clean and manicured Umbria was. That was a running thought throughout our trip; the region looked so cared for.

Our Airbnb was located on quite the hill, but the views on the way up were stunning. We stopped the car several times to take in the scenery. Umbria forces you to have many of those moments. The Airbnb: Villa Petra Corciano

Day 2 - Perugia market, Corciano, and Lake Trasimeno

The next morning, we got a ride with a friend (and Umbrian native) to the market that opens every Saturday at the base of Perugia.

First, we had breakfast. The cornetto alla crema (croissant with pastry cream) was better than any I’ve had in Sicily.

Then we wandered around the market made up of stalls selling clothing, food, some live animals, and items for the home. We found a vendor selling porchetta sandwiches, bought two, and headed to Corciano.

I knew that Corciano is included in i borghi piu belli d’Italia, a list of Italy’s most beautiful villages. For this reason, I thought that the town would be busy and a bit touristy, especially in June. I was very wrong.

The town was SO quiet. It was wonderful to walk around without any crowds. I think we came across about five people in the two hours we were there.

It would be a wonderful place to do a photoshoot. Just saying. All the buildings are made from the same gorgeous, sun-drenched stone, and the views around the perimeter are pure Italy!

That evening, we met some friends at a beach bar on Lake Trasimeno. Again, the drive was so scenic. We took the wrong turn by accident several times on this trip, but we never minded.

The beach bar was on the east side of the lake, near Monte del Lago. It was a great place to enjoy a drink and watch the sunset. The bar: Albaia Beach Bar Lounge

Day 3 - Spello and Perugia

We need to talk about torta al testo. On this trip, we were asked over and over again by locals, “Have you tried torta al testo yet?”

It is a type of sandwich made with a flatbread and a couple fillings that are typically found in Umbria. In my opinion, the best ones are filled with sausage and greens. At several places, we saw the bread come right out of the woodfire oven before being sliced and filled with goodies. Yum.

Some friends had recommended one of their favorite spots for torta al testo in the small town of Ellera. It was only €5 for a torta al testo and a draft beer. Sold!

I don’t remember what I had on my sandwich, but my husband had sausage and broccoli on his, and it was amazing. That’s the one to get! The broccoli was soft and garlicky, almost like a sauce. It was SO good. The restaurant: Testone

We had heard that the town of Spello had a flower festival going on during our visit. A beautiful town made more beautiful for the week… I had to go!

It turned out to be a festival that featured “carpets” made of dried flower petals on many of the main streets. It was unique and added to Spello’s already colorful streets.

Spello had been on my radar for a few years, and it lived up to what I had imagined. It’s a well cared-for, flower-filled delight! I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Later in the day, we made our way to Perugia. The friends we met up with the day before live in the center of Perugia. They made our one evening in Perugia memorable.

We followed them as they took us on their “walking tour” of the city, pointing out interesting sights and teaching a few brief history lessons.

The city is incredible. We loved every bit of it. Being a university city, it has an exciting, international vibe. Yet, it was still relaxing and quintessentially Italian in its history and architecture.

We spent the rest of the evening on our friends’ rooftop terrace. I highly recommend enjoying an aperitivo and watching the sunset on a terrace in Perugia! It may have been the most beautiful view we enjoyed in Umbria. The last bit of the day’s sun hitting the city’s clay roof tiles was gorgeous.

Day 4 - Castel Rigone and Passignano

We had met an Italian family while having coffee and pastries one morning. The mother and daughter offered to have us follow them to a few of their favorite spots in the area. We took them up on their offer and met them again on the morning of our 4th day in Umbria.

They told us that our first stop would be to Castel Rigone, which I had never heard of. My goodness, the drive was beautiful! Castel Rigone is located high on a hill covered with olive trees. Once at the top, you see wooded areas and homes that reminded me of ones you may find in northern Italy.

The town is tiny, but it was lovely, quiet, and traditional. There wasn’t necessarily anything super exciting up there, but I bet you could have a great lunch in one of its few restaurants. It was a relaxing, scenic spot I would happily return to for a slow-paced half-day.

Next, we followed our new friends to Passignano, a visitor-friendly town on Lake Trasimeno. We strolled along the waterfront and contemplated taking the ferry to one of the little islands on the lake.

In the end, we decided that we would leave the ferry trip for a future visit. (Something new to do next time!) Our time in Passignano was short, but I think it would be the ideal place around the aperitivo time of day.

Our last stop with our Umbrian friends was their favorite place to eat. They explained that they rarely eat out at restaurants, except for this one on special occasions. It is located near the village of Montebuono, about 25 minutes around the lake from Passignano. The trattoria: Faliero

It’s a pretty casual eatery. You go inside to look at and choose your food. They give you everything on a tray to bring outside to the picnic tables. It wasn’t fancy, but everything we ate was delicious!

We had fried zucchini flowers, a pork shank, fried lake fish (my favorite), torta al testo, peas with pancetta, and draft beer. We ordered way too much food, but the leftovers were our dinner for that evening.

I highly recommend this place! There’s such a variety of dishes to choose from, and it was teeming with locals. Always a good sign.

The rest of our day was quite relaxed. We grabbed a gelato, and then found a spot of grass and a tree along the lake to take a nap in the shade. We welcomed the rest, as it was a hot, hot day in Umbria.

Day 5 - Orvieto and Bagnoregio

After checking out of our Airbnb, we grabbed breakfast at the bar we had been to a few times on this trip. It’s funny how you feel like a “regular” after going to the same place just a few times.

We needed to make our way back to Rome to catch our flight early the next morning, but I had planned a couple stops along the way. Our first stop was Orvieto.

A few years back, I remember listening to a podcast that interviewed a young woman who lived in Orvieto. The way she spoke about this beautiful and historic town really stuck with me. I’d had it on my bucket list of places to visit for a long time.

Read: My Italy Bucket List (And How To Make Yours)

Orvieto is like the medieval, countryside version of Taormina in Sicily. It is perched high on a huge rock, which makes it difficult to see anything up there when you’re down below. When you arrive at the top, it’s exciting to wander the town and see it unfold in front of you.

We parked our car in Orvieto Scalo, the modern town at the foot of the huge rock, and took the funicular up to the old town.

We first caught sight of Fortezza Albornoz, a fortress with beautiful gardens and views. We wandered around there for a while, taking pictures and admiring the hydrangeas. For me, a highlight of the entire trip to Umbria were the hydrangeas!

Next, we followed one of the main roads that leads to charming restaurants and shops. Every outdoor dining table looked tempting, especially because it was lunchtime. While many spots looked great, I didn’t feel like getting lured into a cute place filled with tourists. I was in the mood for something traditional and inexpensive.

We asked a local woman in one of the shops for a lunch recommendation. She suggested a trattoria known for its carbonara. It turned out to be a wonderful recommendation! The trattoria: Mezza Luna

Regrettably, I didn’t take any photos at the trattoria, but the atmosphere was perfect. Two women were cooking in the tiny kitchen, one older, no-nonsense man served the food, and local construction workers taking a long lunch break filled most of the few tables. I imagine the restaurant could have looked and felt the same 40 years ago.

We went for the carbonara and it really was fantastic. Our bill was about €20 for two pastas and a half liter of wine. We were initially tempted to order more, but thank goodness we didn’t. We were stuffed.

Even though we felt like napping, we strolled down whichever streets caught our eye. There was no shortage of pretty sights. Orvieto is beautiful. You’ll love it!

Our pasta-filled bellies needed a little rest by the time we made our way to Piazza Duomo. It was a great area to sit, relax, and people-watch. The duomo itself is HUGE and has a unique façade.

We must have regained some energy because we decided to go down the Pozzo di San Patrizio (St. Patrick’s Well) before leaving Orvieto. The well was built in the 1500s and has an uncommon design feature. There are two spiral staircases, one used for going down and the other for going up. The two staircases never meet.

Have I mentioned that it was terribly hot during this trip to Umbria? It meant going down the well was pretty refreshing because it was quite cool at the bottom. But coming back up was another story. Going up the 248 steps, the air got hotter and hotter, and our breathing got heavier and heavier. There were quite a few people who stopped partway up the stairs to take a rest. Leaving the town on the funicular, we were absolutely drenched in sweat. La dolce vita?

The last stop of our trip was only about 20 kilometers from Orvieto, but it was technically in Lazio, not Umbria. So this is a bit of a “bonus” destination.

To end our trip, we visited Bagnoregio. We had planned to visit Civita di Bagnoregio, an ancient town that can only be reached by foot from Bagnoregio. Unfortunately, we arrived a bit too late in the day and were too exhausted from the heat to trek over the bridge to the ancient town.

Civita di Bagnoregio is known as “The Dying City” because it has very few inhabitants and is slowly crumbling. Like Corciano, it is on the list of Italy’s most beautiful villages. It was definitely a bit sad to be so close and not visit it. We did get to see it from a distance and take some pictures. One day, Civita di Bagnoregio, one day.

The Logistics

Car Rental

We booked a rental car that we picked up at Fiumicino airport, outside of Rome. It was an expensive time to rent a car. We planned this trip only about two weeks in advance, so the rental car was booked fairly last minute. I scoured the internet and could not find a great deal.

The Flight

We flew from Catania, Sicily to Rome. Our return flights were not a great deal, but that’s what you get when you book two weeks beforehand in June. Still, the price would seem cheap if you’re from North America.

We also looked at flying into Perugia, but the flights and car rental would have been more expensive than flying into Rome.

The Accommodations

We stayed near Corciano for 4 nights, and the total for our Airbnb was about €215. It was a great price for June, one of Umbria’s busiest months for tourism. When I searched online at the beginning of June, several properties were available in the area at reasonable prices.

The Driving

Driving in Umbria was a breeze (especially coming from Sicily). Even Perugia, the busiest city we visited, was easy to navigate. Fuel was a little over €2 per liter during our visit, but we only spent about €100 on fuel the entire trip. Our rental car was a hybrid, which we did feel saved us a bit of money.

The Advice

Here are my best tips and thoughts for you as you plan your trip to Umbria.

Length of Stay

I really feel that 5 days is a great amount of time for visiting this region. We based ourselves in one spot, but you could stay in two different locations during your trip if you want to see even more. Of course, if you can stay more than 5 days, that’s even better. You certainly won’t get bored.

If you can only stay in Umbria for a short amount of time, let’s say 3 days, I would definitely suggest basing yourself in one place and visiting nearby towns. Regardless of where you stay in Umbria, you’ll have several charming towns and beautiful landscapes surrounding you.

What We Did Right

We didn’t fit in too much, and it made for a really relaxing trip.

Renting a car was super convenient and gave us the freedom to sightsee at our own pace. It’s the best way to get around the region.

“I highly recommend enjoying an aperitivo and watching the sunset on a terrace in Perugia! It may have been the most beautiful view we enjoyed in Umbria. The last bit of the day’s sun hitting the city’s clay roof tiles was gorgeous.”

What We Missed

I wish we would have been able to visit a winery or two. We really didn’t try many local wines at all. I think the hot weather had something to do with it. The temperatures lent more to drinks with ice.

We also didn’t eat truffles! We did pop into one shop and sampled some products made with truffles, but it wasn’t quite the same as enjoying pasta with shaved truffles. Again, the hot weather really deterred us from eating too many rich, creamy dishes.

There are a few little towns that I had in mind to visit if we passed by and had time. Narni, Rasiglia, Bevagna, and Deruta all look lovely and worthy of a visit. I also wish that we could have visited Assisi.

Visiting Civita di Bagnoregio

If you visit Civita di Bagnoregio, don’t make the same mistake we did. When we arrived in the main town of Bagnoregio, we parked at the first parking lot we saw. We paid a few euros to park, then waited for the bus that takes you to the bridge leading to the ancient town. The bus would have cost a few more euros.

We ended up walking to the bridge/lookout area because the bus didn’t arrive. The walk was more than a kilometer and when we arrived, we realized we could have parked so much closer! We probably would have had the energy to continue on to Civita di Bagnoregio.

Are you ready for your own trip to Umbria?! It’s a special place that gets overlooked by many tourists, but that makes it all the more appealing. You won’t regret adding beautiful Umbria to your Italy itinerary!

What appeals to you the most about Umbria? Share your thoughts below!

How To Spend 5 Days In Beautiful Umbria