Umbria is a landlocked region in central Italy, the only one on the Italian peninsula with neither a coastline nor a border with another country. Known as the 'Green Heart of Italy', it is a land of rolling hills, oak forests, olive groves, and medieval hill towns. Umbria is famous for the Basilica of San Francesco in Assisi, the Gothic Duomo of Orvieto, the festivals of Spoleto and Perugia, and a hearty cuisine built around black truffles, cured pork from Norcia, lentils, and the powerful Sagrantino red wine of Montefalco.
Top day trips
Handpicked excursions within easy reach.
Rome from Umbria
Italy's capital is an easy rail day trip from southern Umbria, with Orvieto only 75 minutes from Roma Termini on the main line. A full day allows the Colosseum and Roman Forum, the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navona and the Vatican, though the city richly rewards a longer stay.
Florence from Umbria
The cradle of the Renaissance is a feasible day trip from northern Umbria via the Terontola junction near Lake Trasimeno. A day covers the Duomo and Brunelleschi's dome, the Uffizi, Ponte Vecchio and Piazza della Signoria, with the Accademia's David best pre-booked.
Orvieto from Perugia
Perched dramatically on a butte of volcanic tufa, Orvieto is crowned by one of Italy's finest Gothic cathedrals, its facade a blaze of gold mosaics and the interior home to Luca Signorelli's frescoes. Below ground lie Etruscan caves and the deep St Patrick's Well, paired with crisp Orvieto Classico white wine.
Spoleto from Perugia
A handsome hill town famous for the Festival dei Due Mondi arts festival, Spoleto is dominated by the mighty Ponte delle Torri aqueduct-bridge and the Rocca Albornoziana fortress. Steep lanes lead up to a Romanesque cathedral with frescoes by Filippo Lippi, all reached from the station by a chain of escalators.
Terni & the Marmore Falls
One of the tallest waterfalls in Europe, the man-made Cascata delle Marmore was engineered by the ancient Romans and plunges 165 metres in three dramatic tiers. The flow is switched on at set times each day, when trails and belvederes let visitors stand close to the thundering cascade in a lush gorge near Terni.
Norcia, Cascia & Castelluccio
Birthplace of St Benedict, the walled town of Norcia is renowned for its black truffles and cured pork (norcineria), set against the Sibillini mountains. Nearby Cascia honours St Rita, while the high Castelluccio plateau erupts each early summer into the famous Fioritura, a carpet of wildflowers across the Piano Grande.
Lake Trasimeno Towns
Italy's fourth-largest lake is ringed by mellow villages - walled Castiglione del Lago on its promontory, lively Passignano, and quiet San Feliciano - with ferries out to Isola Maggiore and the nature reserve of Isola Polvese. The shallow, warm water is good for swimming, windsurfing and SUP, framed by olive groves and gentle hills.
Cortona from Umbria
Just over the Tuscan border above Lake Trasimeno, the Etruscan hill town of Cortona - made famous by Under the Tuscan Sun - offers steep medieval streets, sweeping Val di Chiana views, an excellent Etruscan museum, and Fra Angelico's Annunciation in the Diocesan Museum.
Civita di Bagnoregio
The 'dying town' of Civita di Bagnoregio clings to a crumbling pinnacle of tufa and clay, reachable only on foot across a long footbridge. Cut off as the surrounding badlands erode, this near-deserted medieval village of stone lanes and tiny piazzas is one of central Italy's most haunting sights, just over the border from Orvieto.
Arezzo from Umbria
A graceful Tuscan city famed for Piero della Francesca's Legend of the True Cross fresco cycle in the Basilica of San Francesco, the sloping Piazza Grande used in the film Life Is Beautiful, and a renowned monthly antiques market spilling across its medieval streets.
Trips by distance
How far you can go in a day.
Getting there
Transport options for day trips.
- Tours
- Organized day tours from Perugia or Assisi to Orvieto, Spoleto or Lake Trasimeno from around €60 per person including transport and guide
- Private
- Private car hire with driver from €90/half day; useful for Norcia, Castelluccio and the Valnerina, which have sparse public transport
- Public
- Trenitalia main lines and the regional FCU serve Perugia, Assisi, Foligno, Spoleto, Terni and Orvieto; Busitalia buses reach the hill towns and lake villages - check timetables at trenitalia.com and fsbusitalia.it
- Rental
- Car rental from €35/day; the most flexible way to reach the hill towns, Lake Trasimeno, Norcia and Castelluccio, though ZTL zones restrict the historic centres
Day trip tips
Make the most of your excursions.
Book Intercity and Frecce tickets to Rome and Florence in advance on Trenitalia for the cheapest fares
Orvieto on the Rome-Florence main line is the fastest rail gateway out of southern Umbria
Hill towns and stations are often far apart - Assisi, Spoleto and Orvieto reach their centres by bus, escalator or funicular from the station
Rent a car for Norcia, Cascia, Castelluccio and the Valnerina, which have sparse and infrequent bus service
Lake Trasimeno villages combine easily with Cortona and Arezzo via the Terontola junction