Umbria’s hill towns

Route description

Perugia sits on a hill above the Tiber valley; park below the centre and ride the escalators or the minimetro up into the old town. From here, it is a short drive to Assisi, whose Basilica of St Francis is two churches stacked on a hillside, the lower one covered in Giotto-era frescoes.

Assisi itself is car-free, so leave the vehicle in one of the car parks outside the walls. Nearby Spello is a small pink-stone town, and from there the old Via Flaminia runs south via Foligno and Trevi to Spoleto, with its cathedral and the Ponte delle Torri aqueduct.

The road then heads west across the hills to Orvieto, built on a volcanic rock and crowned by a cathedral with a gilded facade; a funicular climbs from the station car park to the town. The last stop is Civita di Bagnoregio, a hilltop village on crumbling clay, reached only by a steep footbridge, and there is an entry fee.

All these towns have ZTL limited traffic zones in their historic centres, monitored by cameras, so use the signed car parks. Spring and autumn are the best seasons, with milder weather and fewer crowds.