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Umbria: the Green Heart – Route Guide

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Assisi Basilica San Francesco — Umbria: the Green Heart
Photo: Stifone · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Tuscany's quieter, holier neighbour: Giotto's frescoes glowing in Assisi and Orvieto's striped cathedral rising off a volcanic plug riddled with Etruscan caves. Truffles cost half what they do across the border, and the pilgrim paths double as the best walking in central Italy.

Umbria: the Green Heart is a 125 km one-way journey (self-drive). It works best as 3–5 days; the plan below is the 5-day version for May, built from 109 verified places, with real road-routed transit times, opening hours and daylight checked.

3–5
days
125km
distance
4
Stops
109
curated stops

Plan your own version → 3-day plan · 5-day plan · best time to go

The route

Perugia→ 25 kmAssisi→ 40 kmSpoleto→ 60 kmOrvieto

What you'll see

Fontana Maggiore
Admire intricate Pisano sculptures on a grand medieval basin.
Perugia
Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi
Admire Giotto-school frescoes and the tomb of St. Francis in the upper and lower churches.
Assisi
Orvieto Cathedral
Marvel at the black and white striped Duomo.
Orvieto
San Pietro
Appreciate Perugino's works beneath a distinctive hexagonal tower.
Perugia
San Damiano
Visit the little church where St. Francis received his calling, just outside the city walls.
Assisi
Palazzo del Capitano del Popolo
Admire the stately medieval civic architecture.
Orvieto
Academy of Fine Arts
Study masterfully rendered classical sculptures and temple façades.
Perugia
San Rufino Cathedral
Marvel at one of the town's most beautiful façades and consider visiting the museum.
Assisi

Choose your length

3-day plan17 stops · 7.2 h transit5.7 stops/day · 2.4 h transit/daySee the full plan →5-day plan32 stops · 6.7 h transit6.4 stops/day · 1.3 h transit/daySee the full plan →

When to go

Best months: May, June, July, August, September, October

Poppies then grape harvest across the valley, Assisi's basilica cool and calm at opening time, and Spoleto's festival filling late June with music.

See the month-by-month breakdown →

Similar journeys

Plan your own version →