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.
Umbria, landlocked in central Italy, has a humid subtropical climate with continental tendencies, lacking the sea's moderating effect. Summers are hot and largely dry (July-August highs around 31°C/88°F), while winters are cool and damp with frequent fog in the valleys and occasional snow (January highs around 9°C/48°F, lows near freezing). Rainfall is spread through the year with autumn the wettest season, peaking in November, and a secondary spring peak; July is the driest month. The hill towns are breezier and cooler than the valley floors, and the Sibillini mountains and the Castelluccio plateau are markedly colder year-round, with snow in winter and cool nights even in summer.
Best time to visit
Best: Year-round
Avoid: None
Month-by-month weather
Typical conditions throughout the year.
January
5°C/41°F
Cold, damp, and often foggy in the valleys with possible frost and mountain snow; quiet towns and lowest prices
February
6°C/43°F
Still cool and damp with foggy mornings; very quiet, with the first hints of spring late in the month
March
9°C/48°F
Spring begins, valleys green up, hill-town walks reopen comfortably, and crowds are still light
April
12°C/54°F
Pleasant and green with wildflowers; Easter brings visitors and pilgrims to Assisi, book ahead
May
17°C/63°F
Warm, lush, and festive; Calendimaggio, the Corsa dei Ceri, and the start of the Castelluccio bloom - ideal for hiking
June
21°C/70°F
Warm and sunny; Spello's Infiorate, the Spoleto Festival begins, and Castelluccio's fioritura nears its peak
July
24°C/75°F
Hot and the driest month; Umbria Jazz fills Perugia and the Castelluccio bloom peaks - busy and lively
August
24°C/75°F
Hottest month with valley heat; Ferragosto holidays, some shops close, but festivals and sagre abound
September
20°C/68°F
Warm and comfortable with harvests and truffle season starting, fewer crowds - one of the best months overall
October
15°C/59°F
Mild and golden but increasingly wet; olive harvest, autumn colours, and new oil tastings
November
10°C/50°F
Wettest and foggiest month, cooling fast; Eurochocolate draws crowds to Perugia in mid-November
December
6°C/43°F
Cold and damp with festive lights and Christmas markets; Umbria Jazz Winter animates Orvieto over New Year
The seasons
What to expect in each part of the year.
Spring
Months: Mar-May
Mild and green (15-23°C), with wildflowers, blossoming valleys, and a busy festival calendar. Assisi's Calendimaggio, Gubbio's Corsa dei Ceri (15 May), and Spello's Infiorate animate the season, and the Castelluccio fioritura begins in late May.
Summer
Months: Jun-Aug
Hot and mostly dry (highs around 31°C in July and August) with little breeze in the valleys, though evenings cool down. Umbria Jazz fills Perugia in early July and the Spoleto Festival runs late June into July. The Castelluccio plateau is cooler and at its blooming peak.
Fall
Months: Sep-Nov
September is warm and excellent, with grape and olive harvests and truffle season beginning. October stays mild but rain increases, and November is the wettest, foggiest month. Eurochocolate brings crowds to Perugia in mid-November.
Winter
Months: Dec-Feb
Cool and damp on the valley floors with frequent morning fog, frost, and occasional snow; the mountains and Castelluccio see real snow. Towns are quiet and atmospheric, Christmas markets appear, and Umbria Jazz Winter lights up Orvieto over New Year.
Crowds & peak times
When to expect tourists and when to avoid them.
- High Season
- Jul (Umbria Jazz and Spoleto Festival), the Castelluccio fioritura (mid-Jun to mid-Jul), Easter week in Assisi, and mid-November for Eurochocolate
- Shoulder Season
- Apr-Jun and Sep-Oct (ideal for sightseeing, hiking, and festivals)
- Low Season
- Nov-Mar (quiet, cool, foggy, lowest prices, lively at Christmas and New Year)
Major events & festivals
Time your visit around what matters.
Calendimaggio di Assisi
Medieval spring festival in Assisi where the upper and lower towns compete in costumed processions, music, flag-throwing, and theatrical contests celebrating the arrival of May
Corsa dei Ceri (Festa dei Ceri), Gubbio
Umbria's most famous and frenetic festival, where teams race three enormous wooden ceri (candle-pillars topped with saints) up Monte Ingino to the Basilica of Sant'Ubaldo, always on 15 May
Infiorate di Spello
For Corpus Christi the streets of Spello are carpeted with elaborate pictures made entirely of flower petals, a spectacular overnight creation walked over in the morning procession
Festival dei Due Mondi (Spoleto Festival)
One of Italy's most prestigious arts festivals, filling Spoleto with international opera, dance, theatre, and concerts across the town's historic venues for three weeks
Umbria Jazz
A world-renowned jazz festival that takes over Perugia's historic centre for ten days each July, with major international stars on the main stages and free music throughout the streets
Fioritura di Castelluccio
The famous flowering of the Piano Grande plateau near Castelluccio di Norcia, when the lentil fields and wild meadows erupt in waves of red poppies, blue cornflowers, and yellow blooms
Giostra della Quintana, Foligno
A Baroque-era jousting tournament held twice a year in Foligno, with a costumed procession of hundreds and a knight charging on horseback to spear rings at speed
Eurochocolate
One of Europe's largest chocolate festivals, drawing crowds to Perugia, home of Perugina and the Baci kiss, for tastings, giant chocolate sculptures, and workshops
Umbria Jazz Winter, Orvieto
The winter edition of Umbria Jazz fills the clifftop town of Orvieto with concerts and a celebrated New Year's Eve programme spanning late December into early January