Umbria & Marche

We decided to do an all-Italian tour in the summer of 2020. Due to Covid we could not travel abroad, and so we decided to rediscover the Italian beauties and take a tour dedicated to nature, good food and wine and of relaxation. We spent two relaxing weeks discovering two regions of Italy, Umbria and Marche. Umbria is most known for its medieval top hills town, many beautifully preserved and dramatically set. But nature has played his part too, contrasting the wild beauty of Monti Sibillini with the gentle fall and rise of green hills and wildflower-flecked meadows. Our tour included a visit to the most important cities such as Perugia, Orvieto, Spoleto, Spello, but also the magnificent natural landscapes such as the Marmore waterfalls and Pian Grande in Castelluccio di Norcia. We then continued on to the Marche region, where white cliffs plunge into the glittering Adriatic, staying in a magnificent farmhouse in the Conero Park, for a week of sea and complete relaxation.

Testo descrittivo.

1. Stroll in the streets full of colorful flowers in Spello

Among all the small and enchanting towns we visited during these holidays, spello was one of the most evocative and memorable things. Sprawling down a steep hillside, pretty spello is the archetypal postcard-pretty medieval town. In the summer, the green-fingered locals try to outdo each other with their billowing hanging baskets and flowerpots, turning the skinny streets into a riot of color and scents. It really seems to be in a fairy tale walking in the small alleys surrounded by flowers of the most varied colors. if you want to enjoy a view from the highest point of the city, you can take a walk to the Cappuccini Belvedere, it is like a balcony that allows the view of a panorama all around, to get there you have to do a bit of uphill but it’s worth it!

2. Taste the Chianina meat with Sagrantino wine in one of the typical Umbrian taverns

As always in Italy, wherever you go you eat and drink very well, and each region or city has its own particularities. In Umbria the typical meat is the Chianina meat, a name that derives from the Val di Chiana, a place in central Italy where lives the bull that gives rise to this meat, very tasty and exported all over the world. And how not to combine this meat with the typical wine of Umbria, namely Sagrantino wine? it is one of the best and most expensive among Italian wines, always of Umbrian origin. So you can’t miss a dinner in one of the many trattorias or typical restaurants, which serve this meat in various ways, for your information I particularly like tartare!

3. Look at the landscape from the Colle Eletto cable car in Gubbio

It takes 6 minutes to go up from Gubbio to the Sant’Ubaldo church via the cable car, and then you will arrive at a square where you can continue to enjoy the wonderful panorama. Getting on the Colle Eletto cable car in Gubbio will be one of the most fun and adventurous experiences of your holiday. Not only because you can enjoy an enchanting 360 degree panorama from above, but also because the cable car never stops going, so to get on and off you literally have to jump and run, you see some really funny scenes and of course I have been protagonist of one of these!

4. Take the 6 km “Giro dei Condotti” panoramic path in Spoleto

Presided over by a formidabile medieval fortress and backed by the apennines, hillside spoleto is visually stunning. ancient arches and a virtually intact amphitheater tell of its past as a strategic roman colony. The bridge of the towers is a truly magnificent sight especially at sunset, with its towers that seem to arise directly from the green forest around it. For those who are fond of walking and landscapes, the tour of the ducts is not to be missed. It is a 6km walk, starting from Via del Tiro a Segno, and the path leads along sun-dappled woodland trails, offering the classic postcard views of the Ponte delle Torri and hilltop Rocca Albornoziana. Make sure you have your camera charged!

5. Admire the inscription pax on the green lawn in front of the Basilica if San Francesco d’Assisi

St. Francis was the son of a rich merchant and a French noblewoman, who had a holy vision and decided to change his life and renounce all his possessions to live a humble and primitive life in imitation of Christ by praying and helping the poor. However, you don’t have to be religious to be enchanted by the city of Assisi. You need to walk the road that leads from the historic center to the Basilica of San Francesco d’Assisi, a UNESCO heritage site. At the Basilica, enchanting is the very green lawn with olive trees next to it, and on which Pax is written, meaning peace in Latin.

6. Take an aperitif in Perugia on the steps of Piazza 4 Novembre, admiring the bustle in the square

The city of Perugia is truly magnificent, of medieval origin, retains a great history and today is a city populated by many university students and cosmopolitan, and is the most important city in Umbria. Its center is made up of many pretty alleys, covered with cobblestones, arched stairways and piazzas framed by solemn churches and magnificent gothic mansions. This is the city where we decided to stay in Umbria, the streets are all uphill and downhill so returning to the hotel was always a pretty tough walk! In Perugia all the roads seem to lead to Piazza 4 Novembre. This historic square, flanked by Palazzo dei Priori and the Cattedrale and with the delicate pink-and-white marble Fontana Maggiore, is the center of the city, full of many magnificent restaurants with outdoor dehor, and with an unstoppable flow of tourists and students. If you pass by Perugia, sit on the steps of Piazza 4 Novembre and breathe the atmosphere of the city by observing the comings and goings of people around you, it will be amazing!

7. Get lost in the natural paths of Cascate delle Marmore

The Cascata delle Marmore is a waterfall located about 7 kms away from Terni, in Umbria, almost at the end of the Valnerina, the long valley carved by the Nera river. It is one of the highest cascades in Europe, relying on a total difference in height of 165 m, divided into three jumps, inserted in a large natural park. The name derives from the calcium carbonate salts present on the rocks which are similar to white marble. It is truly an enchanting landscape for a day full of nature. The falls have a southern entrance, which allows you to see the falls from the bottom up, and a northern entrance, which allows you to see them from top to bottom. We did both, also because the north route is completely reachable by car if you want. Inside the park there are 5 paths that allow you to walk in nature and see the waterfalls from different angles. In some paths it is necessary to have a waterproof jacket because you pass very close to the falls and you are literally washed by the splashes of water! obviously we didn’t have any, but luckily it was summer!

8. Admire the blue of the sea from the cliffs of monte Conero

Only minutes from Ancona but a world unto itself, the Parco del Conero is stunning, with limestone cliffs plunging into the cobalt-blue Adriatic and arching white-pebble bays backed by fragrant woods of pine, oak, beech, broom and oleander trees. You can decide to take a walk in nature or spend relaxing days on the beach. In fact, the park is home to some of the most beautiful beaches of the Adriatic Sea. The most famous is the beach of Le due Sorelle, so called because there are two identical rocks in the sea, very close to each other and separated by the water. It is accessible only by sea, and there are boats that in the morning and in the evening, four times a day, go from the port of Numana to this beach. Alternatively, you can rent a kayak and paddle you own way there. Two other very beautiful beaches to access are Spiaggia Sirolo and Spiaggia San Michele. We have decided to stop here for the second week of our holiday, to enjoy relaxation, the sea and nature.

9. Walking in the explosion of colors during flowering in Castelluccio di Norcia

Entering the Valnerina, the landscape changes and becomes hilly. Along the road, you would never say that you are approaching Norcia, and instead you suddenly find yourself in front of this village on a small hill, surrounded by an immense plain and bordered by mountains all around. This huge plain below Castelluccio di Norcia is called Pian Grande, and is truly a spectacle of nature in the flowering period. In fact, between the end of May and mid-July, the Castelluccio plateau witnesses a particularly important event, the flowering. For several weeks the top is characterized by a mosaic of colors, with variations of tones ranging from yellow ocher to red. The floral species that color the Pian Grande and Pian Perduto in this period are innumerable, walking along the paths we can meet: narcissus, violets, poppies, etc. Unfortunately, we could not witness this magnificent show, having visited Castelluccio in August, when the flowering had already ended, so the advice is to visit this place at the latest in mid-July.

10. Stand with the nose up to look at the cathedral of Orvieto

Set atop a gigantic plug of rock above fields streaked with vines, olive groves and cypress trees, Orvieto is one of the Umbria’s star attractions. What will leave you breathless is its cathedral. This extraordinary vision, one of Italy’s greatest Gothic churches, is stunning inside and out, with a sensational facade, on which over 20 artists have worked, and frescoes. The building took 30 years to plan and three centuries to complete. Surely you will not be able to avoid staying a few minutes with your nose up to admire this masterpiece!

three unmissable stops

Best photos spots

I’m a photographer, so I’m always looking for the best corner in the world to make the perfect picture. Often, with great pleasure of my traveling companions, I also spend hours staring at the landscape, waiting for the perfect moment with perfect light. Therefore, when I decided to create my blog, I could not avoid to include a dedicated section to photography enthusiasts like me, always looking for the landscape that leaves you breathless. Hope you will enjoy these places where, in my opinion, you can enjoy wonderful landscapes and take the best pictures.