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.
Historical timeline
Key moments that shaped Umbria.
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1
Umbri and Etruscans
The Italic Umbrian people settle east of the Tiber while the Etruscans dominate the west, founding hilltop centres including Perusia (Perugia) and Velzna (Orvieto)
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2
Roman Conquest at Sentinum
Rome's victory over a Samnite, Etruscan, Gallic and Umbrian coalition near Sentinum brings Umbria firmly under Roman control
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3
Via Flaminia Opened
Rome's great road from Rome to Ariminum is driven through Umbria, spurring the growth of towns such as Spoletium, Carsulae and Mevania
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4
The Perusine War
Octavian, the future Augustus, besieges and starves Perugia, held by Lucius Antonius; the city falls and burns, then is rebuilt as Augusta Perusia
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5
Birth of Saint Benedict at Norcia
Benedict of Nursia, founder of Western monasticism and author of the Benedictine Rule, is born at Norcia in southeastern Umbria
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6
Lombard Duchy of Spoleto Founded
The Lombards establish a powerful semi-independent duchy centred on Spoleto, leaving monuments such as the Tempietto del Clitunno and Basilica di San Salvatore
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7
Into the Papal Orbit
After Charlemagne defeats the Lombards, Umbrian territories pass towards Frankish and then papal authority, beginning centuries of Papal States control
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8
Saint Francis of Assisi
Francis is born in Assisi and founds the Franciscan order; his basilica is begun in 1228, making Assisi a great pilgrimage centre, while Saint Clare founds the Poor Clares
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9
Orvieto Cathedral Begun
Work starts on the great Gothic Duomo of Orvieto, later given Signorelli's Last Judgment frescoes and a mosaic facade among the finest in Italy
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10
The Salt War and Rocca Paolina
Perugia rebels against a papal salt tax; Pope Paul III crushes the revolt and builds the Rocca Paolina fortress over a destroyed quarter, cementing direct papal rule
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11
Unification and the Perugia Uprising
Papal troops violently suppress a Perugia revolt in 1859; in September 1860 Italian forces take the city and Umbria is annexed to the Kingdom of Italy
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12
Umbria-Marche Earthquake
A strong earthquake strikes the region, collapsing part of the vault of the Basilica of Saint Francis in Assisi and damaging frescoes since painstakingly restored
Historical sites
Places where Umbria's past comes alive.
Arco Etrusco (Etruscan Arch), Perugia
A monumental gate in Perugia's Etruscan walls, built in the second half of the 3rd century BC and later restored under Augustus, who added the inscription 'Augusta Perusia'.
Where: Via Ulisse Rocchi / Piazza Fortebraccio, Perugia
Admission: Free
Ipogeo dei Volumni (Hypogeum of the Volumnii), Perugia
An exceptionally preserved 2nd-century-BC Etruscan family tomb carved underground in the form of a Roman house, holding the funerary urns of the Velimna (Volumni) family within the Palazzone necropolis.
Where: Via Assisana, Ponte San Giovanni, Perugia
Admission: €3 adult; €1.50 reduced; free under 18
Pozzo Etrusco (Etruscan Well), Perugia
A monumental Etruscan cistern around 37 metres deep beneath Palazzo Sorbello, spanned by huge travertine beams, which visitors reach by a stair and a footbridge over the water at the bottom.
Where: Piazza Danti, Perugia
Admission: €3 adult; reduced and free categories available
Carsulae Archaeological Park
A Roman town on the Via Flaminia, founded in the 3rd century BC and abandoned after earthquakes and the road's decline, preserving the forum, twin temples, basilica, amphitheatre, theatre and the Arch of San Damiano.
Where: Strada di Carsulae, near San Gemini
Admission: €5 adult; €2.50 reduced; free first Sunday of month
Teatro Romano and Museo Archeologico, Spoleto
A 1st-century-AD Roman theatre, restored and still used for performances, beside the National Archaeological Museum, which holds local finds including the Lex Spoletina inscription protecting a sacred wood.
Where: Via di Sant'Agata, Spoleto
Admission: €4 adult; €2 reduced; free under 18
Tempio di Minerva (Temple of Minerva), Assisi
A remarkably intact 1st-century-BC Roman temple financed by the Caesii brothers, its Corinthian portico preserved when the building was converted into the church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva.
Where: Piazza del Comune, Assisi
Admission: Free (donations welcome)
Tempietto del Clitunno
A small temple-form Christian oratory built reusing Roman materials, a UNESCO World Heritage Lombard monument since 2011 that holds some of Italy's oldest surviving Christian wall paintings.
Where: Pissignano, Campello sul Clitunno
Admission: €3 adult; €2 reduced; free under 17
Basilica di San Salvatore, Spoleto
A late-antique basilica extensively rebuilt by the Lombards in the 8th century and noted for its classical-style stone architecture; a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2011, currently viewable only through a glass door after earthquake damage.
Where: Piazza Mario Salmi, Spoleto
Admission: Free
Museo Archeologico Nazionale dell'Umbria, Perugia
Umbria's principal archaeological museum, housed in the San Domenico convent, with major Umbrian, Etruscan and prehistoric collections including the Cippus Perusinus, one of the longest Etruscan inscriptions.
Where: Piazza Giordano Bruno, Perugia
Admission: €5 adult; €2 reduced; free under 18 and first Sunday of month