This area has much of what travellers most admire in Italy. The best places to visit are not great cities (apart from the regional capital Perugia) or lavish displays of art, but many a humble church and civic gallery can boast works of the greatest masters. There is no really stunning scenery, no high mountains, but yellow earth, fruit blossom, vineyards and olives. Through it all flows the Tiber, not yet a great river but a docile shallow stream, canalized between files of poplar and riverside walks. Old towns and fortresses mark out its windings and its prolific tributaries. And there is Valnerina, one of Italy’s most pleasant and least-exploited lowland dales. Stay at the incredible Tenuta di Canonica, an old watchtower with views over the Tiber Valley. Or, on the outskirts of Perugia, Villa Nuba offers elegant self-catering apartments. In the small clifftop city of Orvieto, Palazzo Misciattelli is an excellent choice.

 TRANSPORT 

There are small airports at Perugia and Foligno. A branch of the main State Railway (Florence-Rome) goes via Perugia and Foligno to Terni and Narni. The Umbro-Aretine private line with railcars connects Perugia with Todi and Terni. Every town is linked more or less directly with every other town by a regular end efficient bus service, From larger towns such as Perugia express buses travel to cities outside the region, including Ascoli Piceno, Arezzo, Florence, Macerata and Rome; and in summer there are daily services to Cattolica, Cesenatico, Fano, La Verna, Pesaro, Riccione and Rimini. Mainline bus stations: Perugia (Piazza dei Partigiani); Assisi (Piazze Santa Chiara and San Francesco); Deruta (Piazza dei Consoli); Foligno (Porta Romana); Narni (Piazza Garibaldi); Spoleto (Piazza Vittoria and railway station); and Terni (Piazza Dante).