Umbria: Assisi, Perugia and Orvieto, three hill towns

Umbria is easiest from Assisi, because from there the train reaches Perugia in 18 min and Orvieto in about 2 h. The region is the only one on the Apennine peninsula with neither a coast nor a state border, known as 'the green heart of Italy', and all of its towns sit on hills of stone, tuff and frescoes. The order is simple: Assisi is the base, Perugia wants half a day and Orvieto a whole one.

Assisi climbs the slope of Monte Subasio, and its stone is pink and white; the Sacro Convento beside the Basilica of St Francis is built of the same stone. The basilica was begun in 1228, and its two churches, upper and lower, were consecrated in 1253; they are built into the hillside, one above the other. The frescoes are by Cimabue, Giotto, Simone Martini and Lorenzetti, among others. The 1997 earthquake brought down part of the vault and damaged Giotto's frescoes, and UNESCO inscribed the site in 2000. Entry to the basilica is free.

2 daysAssisi hour by hour, from the basilica to the fortress at the top:Assisi in 2 days →

The train to Perugia takes 18 min and costs €8 return, which makes it a half-day trip. The capital of Umbria rests on a hill and was Etruscan Perusia, and the Etruscan Arch is still there. The main square is graced by the Fontana Maggiore, the work of Fra Bevignate and the sculptors Nicola and Giovanni Pisano, and beside it stands the Palazzo dei Priori, in whose Collegio del Cambio Perugino painted. The Rocca Paolina, a fortress of 1540–1543, closes the walk. The city is known for Perugina chocolate and Baci sweets, and every July it hosts Umbria Jazz, a festival that has run since 1973.

Day tripsPerugia, Spello and Orvieto from Assisi, with trains and prices:Day trips from Assisi →

Orvieto wants a full day: regional train (Trenitalia), change of train, return fare €26. If you have only one free day away from Assisi, Orvieto fills it, while Perugia fits into half. The town stands on volcanic tuff, and its walls are of the same stone. Etruscan Volsinii once stood here. From the lower station a funicular climbs into the old town, and on the square waits the cathedral, begun in 1290; in the San Brizio chapel Luca Signorelli painted the Last Judgment, taking up work Fra Angelico had left unfinished. The day can end at St Patrick's Well, built in 1527–1537 for Pope Clement VII, with two spiral staircases, one for going down and one for coming up, so that travellers never pass each other. The white Orvieto wine belongs to the same country.

Day tripsOrvieto from Rome too, by regional train:Day trips from Rome →