Discovering Umbria and Marche

Traveling through Italy is generally straightforward thanks to efficient trains and multiple airports, but reaching smaller villages, hilltop towns, and wineries in Umbria and Marche often requires extra planning. Hiring a car is the easiest option, or staying in a well-connected town and using trains and buses for day trips. The journey focuses on central Italy, inland from the east coast, where fewer visitors go. Umbria’s capital is Perugia, and it includes historic towns such as Assisi, Gubbio, Orvieto, and Spoleto, known for rolling hills, forests, lakes, and valleys. The first stop in Norcia highlights Saint Benedict’s birthplace and a strong culinary tradition tied to artisan-cured meats and pork butchery.

"Travelling around Italy is generally easy. The train network is efficient and a pleasure to ride on. There are several airports across the country, so reaching most places is straightforward. Umbria and Marche, however, require a little more planning. The main towns are connected by regional trains, but reaching smaller villages, hilltop towns, and wineries can be tricky without a car, so hiring a car is the easiest option. Alternatively, you can base yourself in a well-connected town and explore from there by train and bus."

"Umbria is in central Italy; its capital is Perugia, and it is also known for historic towns such as Terni, Assisi, Gubbio, Orvieto, and Spoleto. It is often called the "green heart of Italy" because of its rolling hills, forests, lakes, and valleys."

"NorciaOur first stop was in Norcia, in the heart of Umbria, on a flat plain known as Santa Scolastica, framed by the Sibillini Mountains of the Apennines. The town is best known as the birthplace of Saint Benedict. It is also home to a rich culinary heritage, particularly its centuries-old artisan-cured meat production and pork butchery, which gave rise to the term "norcineria"."

Read at London Unattached