This island, accessible by ferry from San Feliciano, is a delight – not so much for its sights, of which there aren't many, but for its glorious unspoiled countryside and soothing silence. From the ferry docking area, where the Centro di Educazione Ambientale di Isola Polvese (www.polvese.it) has its base and runs environmental workshops and group tours, several paths lead across the island, providing easy-going walking and fine views.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
23.66 MILES
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…
27.55 MILES
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…
27.45 MILES
This chapel, in the apse of 14th-century Basilica di San Francesco, safeguards one of Italian art's greatest works: Piero della Francesca's fresco cycle…
27.62 MILES
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…
Galleria Nazionale dell'Umbria
12.5 MILES
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…
12.49 MILES
Flanking Corso Vannucci, this Gothic palace, constructed between the 13th and 14th centuries, is architecturally striking with its tripartite windows,…
26.64 MILES
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…
12.51 MILES
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…
Nearby Lago Trasimeno attractions
4.51 MILES
Crowning Castiglione del Lago's hilltop centre, this 16th-century ducal palace boasts a series of impressive frescoes by Giovanni Antonio Pandolfi Mealli…
4.87 MILES
The only of Lago Trasimeno's islands with a permanent, albeit tiny, population, Isola Maggiore was reputedly a favourite with St Francis, who spent time…
3. Casa del Cioccolato Perugina
10.01 MILES
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…
4. Museo Archeologico Etrusco di Chiusi
11.91 MILES
Small but outstanding, Chuisi's Etruscan museum boasts a bevy of ceramics, pottery, jewellery and cinerary urns (for cremation ashes) dating from between…
5. Museo Civico 'La Città Sotterranea'
11.92 MILES
Subterranean passages filled with the city museum's collection of monumental inscriptions (mainly urns and grave tiles) can be accessed on guided visits.
6. Museo della Cattedrale e Labirinto di Porsenna
11.94 MILES
This church museum houses the usual array of religious artefacts, but differentiates itself with its Labirinto di Porsenna, a series of tunnels (not for…
7. Chiesa di San Michele Arcangelo
12.32 MILES
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)…
12.47 MILES
Commissioned by Pope Paolo III in the 1540s, this fortress wiped out entire sections of a formerly wealthy neighbourhood. Its insides have long since been…