HISTORY OF UMBRIA:
The region of Umbria was named after the Umbri people, who inhabited the area starting with the 9th century BC. In the 3rd century BC, the Umbrian territory was conquered by the Roman Republic, who established colonies such as Spoletium, the current Spoleto. Read More [...]
After the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, the Ostrogoths and the Byzantines dominated the region. After the end of the Gothic war, the Lombards invaded Italy and founded the Duchy of Spoleto.
By the middle of the 14th century, Umbria was subsumed into the Papal States by Cardinal Albornoz, who also prepared the return of the pope from Avignon to Rome. The Papacy ruled the region until the end of the 18th century.
After the French conquest of Italy, Umbria became part of the ephemeral Roman Republic, and later part of the Napoleonic Empire. After Napoleon's defeat, the Pope regained Umbria and ruled it until 1860. In 1861, the region of Umbria was included into the newly created Kingdom of Italy.
GEOGRAPHY OF UMBRIA:
Located in central Italy, Umbria is the only Italian region which does not have neither a coastline, nor a border with other countries, but it does not suffer for this reason. Read More [...]
Much like Tuscany, Umbria is characterized by beautiful hills and valleys, and wonderful medieval towns, rich in history and culture, perfect holiday destinations.
Umbria has its own little sea - Lake Trasimeno, is crossed by the River Tiber, and includes part of Apennine Mountains, with the highest point on Monte Vettore, at the border with another Italian region, Marche.
The capital of the region is Perugia - an important university center, and the most important towns are Assisi - the birth place of Saint Francis of Assisi, one of the most important religious figures in the world, Norcia, Spoleto, Gubbio and Orvieto.
Other small towns which deserve to be mentioned because of their beauty are Trevi, Spello, Bevagna, Todi and Narni.
TRANSPORT TO/IN UMBRIA:
The main airport of Umbria is the San Francesco d'Assisi Airport, located about 12 kilometers east of Perugia and about 15 kilometers west of Assisi. The airport is small and not very well connected to the surrounding cities. Read More [...]
In Umbria, you can easily travel by train. A trip from Perugia to Spoleto takes about 1 hour and a half, and the cheapest ticket costs 6.80€, while a trip from Perugia to Orvieto takes almost 2 hours, and the cheapest ticket is 10.10€.