Assisi
Visible for miles around, the Basilica di San Francesco is the crowning glory of Assisi's Unesco-listed historic centre. The 13th-century complex is…
Must-see attractions in Umbria & Le Marche
Le Marche
Deep in the hill country near the remote village of Genga, the Grotte di Frasassi is one of Europe’s largest cave systems. This karst wonderland, gouged…
Orvieto
Nothing can prepare you for the visual feast that is Orvieto's soul-stirring Gothic cathedral. Dating from 1290, it sports a black-and-white banded…
Le Marche
This majestic hilltop sanctuary is one of Italy's most celebrated pilgrimage sites. The basilica, built between 1469 and 1587, is a stunning hybrid of…
Umbria
Although the Basilica di Sant'Ubaldo, perched high on Monte Ingino, is a perfectly lovely church, the real adventure is getting there on the funivia. The…
Musei Civici di Palazzo Buonaccorsi
Le Marche
Deep in the historic centre, the 17th-century Palazzo Buonaccorsi houses three of Macerata's best museums. The Museo delle Carozza boasts an extensive…
Galleria Nazionale dell'Umbria
Perugia
Umbria's foremost art gallery is housed in Palazzo dei Priori on Perugia's main strip. Its collection, chronologically displayed over 40 rooms, is one of…
Ancona
Ancona's fascinating civic art gallery houses Le Marche's most important art collection. Spread over two 16th- to 17th-century palazzi, the museum traces…
Perugia
Flanking Corso Vannucci, this Gothic palace, constructed between the 13th and 14th centuries, is architecturally striking with its tripartite windows,…
Museo Archeologico Nazionale delle Marche
Ancona
Housed in the beautiful 16th-century Palazzo Ferretti, whose ceilings are covered with original frescoes and bas-reliefs, this museum presents a…
Todi
Just try to walk through Piazza del Popolo without trying to photograph it from every angle. The rectangular piazza is one of Umbria's finest medieval…
Perugia
In Perugia all roads seem to lead to Piazza IV Novembre. This historic square, flanked by Palazzo dei Priori and the Cattedrale, has been at the heart of…
Umbria
This panoramic piazza, the result of an ambitious 14th-century urban development plan, is medieval Gubbio's showpiece square. Commanding huge valley views…
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Umbria
Narni’s main drawcard is this extraordinary subterranean underworld. Discovered by a group of young speleologists in 1977, and originally accessed through…
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Spoleto
A flight of steps sweeps down to Spoleto's pale-stone cathedral, photogenically set on a graceful hillside piazza. Originally constructed to a Romanesque…
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Le Marche
The poster child of the Parco del Conero's beaches is this dreamy white-pebble beach named after two rock stacks (the Due Sorelle or two sisters) that…
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Perugia
Seat of Perugia's Moneychanger's Guild between 1452 and 1457, the extravagantly adorned Nobile Collegio del Cambio has three rooms: the Sala dei Legisti …
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Chiesa di San Michele Arcangelo
Perugia
Also known as the Chiesa or Tempio di Sant'Angelo, this 5th-century Romanesque church is one of the oldest in Italy (and the most appealing in Perugia)…
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Spoleto
Many people gasp the first time they glimpse the medieval Ponte delle Torri, a 10-arch bridge that spectacularly spans a steeply wooded gorge – a scene…
Orvieto
The coolest place in Orvieto (literally), this series of 440 caves (out of 1200 in the system) has been used for millennia by locals for various purposes …
Perugia
Lording it over Piazza IV Novembre is Perugia's stark medieval cathedral. A church has stood here since the 900s, but the version you see today was begun…
Cattedrale e Abbazia di San Pietro
Perugia
South of the town centre, past the Porta di San Pietro, is this atmospheric 10th-century basilica complex. The basilica, overlooked by a landmark bell…
Umbria
The 15th-century Palazzo Ducale was built by the Duke of Montefeltro’s family as a scaled-down version of their palatial residence in Urbino. Its walls…
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Assisi
The upper church of the Basilica di San Francesco was built after the Basilica Inferiore and consecrated in 1253, and the change in style and grandiosity…
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Assisi
Perched on the forested slopes of Monte Subasio, this monastery is set around the caves where St Francis and his followers prayed and contemplated…
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Umbria
Centred on a statue of St Benedict, Norcia's most famous son, this small piazza is flanked by the town's most impressive medieval buildings, many of which…
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Perugia
To visit the Wonka-esque world of Perugian chocolate, sign up for a 1¼-hour guided tour (in Italian or English, times vary) of the House of Chocolate…
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Parco Regionale del Monte Cucco
Umbria
In Umbria's wild northeastern fringes, the Parco Regionale del Monte Cucco is a gorgeous swathe of wildflower-speckled meadows, gentle slopes brushed with…
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Ancona
A stiff but scenic climb up from the old town, Ancona's domed cathedral dominates the city skyline. Guarded by two marble lions, it commands sweeping…
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Assisi
Built in a 13th-century Romanesque style, with muscular flying buttresses and a striking pink-and-white striped facade, this church is dedicated to St…
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Umbria
Deep in the Parco Regionale del Monte Cucco is one of Europe's most spectacular limestone caves, with 30km of galleries reaching depths of 900m. Those up…
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Le Marche
Conceived as early as 1492 but not completed until 1653, Macerata's 64m-tall civic tower looms over Piazza della Libertà. It's most obvious feature is its…
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Umbria
Perched high on Monte Ingino, and accessible by the funivia or a steep 30-minute walk from Palazzo Ducale, this landmark basilica has housed the body of…
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Spoleto
The 18th-century Palazzo Collicola houses Spoleto's premier collection of modern art. The collection, named after its late former director and noted art…
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Assisi
The lower and earlier of the two churches comprising the Basilica di San Francesco, this basilica was commissioned by Pope Gregory IX in 1228, just two…
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Perugia
The centrepiece of Piazza IV Novembre, the delicate pink-and-white marble Fontana Maggiore was designed by Fra Bevignate and built by father-and-son team…
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Assisi
Set amid lush olive groves 1.5km southeast of Assisi's historic centre, this atmospheric sanctuary is where St Francis is said to have heard the voice of…
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Le Marche
There's fine walking to be had in the spectacular mountain country near the village of Montefortino. A stunning, and relatively accessible route, leads…
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Casa Museo di Palazzo Sorbello
Perugia
This exquisite 17th-century mansion, once owned by the aristocratic Sorbello family, has been restored to its frescoed, gilt-clad, chandelier-lit, 18th…
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Ancona
With its distinct pentagonal form, the waterfront Mole Vanvitelliana (also knownas the Lazzaretto) is one of Ancona's signature buildings. Designed and…
