Tuscany and Umbria: Italy's Rural Heartland

The twisting stone lanes and charming squares of Orvieto are some of the loveliest and most romantic in Umbria, held aloft by the cypress-studded hills like a sacred altarpiece: fitting, perhaps, given the town’s crowning glory is its gothic cathedral, a lavishly carved, frescoed and mosaicked masterpiece that easily ranks among Italy’s most spectacular churches.

A place so poetic it’s mentioned in Dante’s Divine Comedy, Perugia is a tiny town in Umbria’s center famous for its travertine marble, Etruscan arches and medieval city walls. Despite its ancient architecture, it’s a lively student town with a jam-packed calendar of music, wine and food festivals. Home to one of Italy’s most famous chocolates, Baci (“kisses”) make sweet souvenirs for loved ones back home. Pause on the cathedral steps to eavesdrop on local gossip whilst watching the world go by on the majestic Piazza IV Novembre, or catch sunset at Porta Sole viewpoint.

Beneath Arezzo and Siena, southern Tuscany is beloved for its soft light and undulating landscape that inspired Impressionist painters and has long proved irresistible for travellers seeking rural romance. The generous land provides a bounty of vineyards and olive groves, whose luxurious produce makes the most mouth-watering staples and souvenirs.