Umbria and Marche – Sten Hansson

In our ambition to discover the different regions of Italy 2017 we focused on Umbria and Marche which are two regions i the middle of Italy. We spend ten days starting in late May to drive around.

The first farmhouse was on the countryside outside the small and charming village of Bettona. From there we had beautiful views of the slopes of the Appeninian mountains and specifically Assisi.

Gubbio is one of the more spectacular hilltop towns in the region. During our short visit there was the annual crossbow competition.

Assisi is probably most famous for the monastery which indeed is beautiful.

Montefalco is a small village in the middle of the region where they grow the Sagrantino grape. If you like Italian wines I would suggest that you try pure Sagrantino or wines with mix of Sagrantino and Sangiovese.

Orvieto is another hilltop town in the western part of Umbria known for the impressive dome but also for the wines named Orvieto Classico.

Norcia is a small town located high up in the Appeninian mountains. It was struck hard by the earthquake last October and the town is still under restoration.

Ascoli Picena is a regional town on the east slopes of the Appenines. It has small but beautiful town center.

Portonovo is a hidden gem in mid Marche located on the slopes of a hill and with magnificent view of the Adriatic sea.

Urbino is one of the most famous hilltop towns in Marche. We stayed in a farmhouse in beautiful surroundings.

Fano, Pesaro are towns located at the shores of Adriatic sea. We also took the opportunity to visit San Marino which is its own republic and located north of Marche.

Florence was the first and last stop of our journey this year. It is one of those places you want to come back to again and again and regardless of time of the year.