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Although no part of Italy is
undiscovered, many travelers believe that the region of Umbria, with
its quilt of fortified hill towns, provides some the best vacation travel in Italy.
Predominately an agricultural area, Umbria is appealing from a variety of
perspectives. Its attractions are interesting and several towns have
noted architectural or artistic treasures, but you do not feel compelled
to rush from here to there as you do in Florence, Venice or Rome.
Instead, you feel your pulse slow, appetite return and a fascination
begins to grow as you muse about what it must be like to live in this
delightful section of Italy.
Many people ask us "Why Umbria?" Our response is that Umbria
has many of the same delights as Tuscany (although its landscapes are not as
varied) without most of the crass commercialism and fewer tour buses
(at least at present). In many ways, Umbria is an attitude, and
one that we find pleasing and restful.
There are any number of wonderful
villages and towns in Umbria. We provide Photo Guides of the towns
that we feel include the "best" of Umbria. Your choices may
differ, but the beauty of choice means that you have to sample even more of
this wonderful region. The cities we explore are shown by the
following links (click the one for you).
Most
of Umbria's towns are small and can be crowded during the day in high
season. We recommend that you consider spending a night or two in
one of the towns described above to
understand the how wonderful a visit to Umbria can be. When the sun goes down, the tour buses
rumble down the highway and life returns to normal.
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Most of the fortified towns were
located atop hills for defensive purposes and grew in layers around their
church. Towns in Umbria feature winding walks, curvy, narrow roads and
a mix of architectural styles that somehow seem warm and inviting.
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You will find a limited
number of residents who speak English and communications may be a
challenge. Conversely, the restaurants are wonderful, the people
friendly and the pace of life enjoyable. A meal and a quiet afternoon
seem to follow, since most shops will be closed after lunch until early evening.
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Umbria
Assisi
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If you are interested in knowing more about Italy's people, history, economy and geography, visit our section:
Italy
Country Facts
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Orvieto
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is shown, click it to see photographs of the attraction.
this symbol is shown, click for a Photo Guide that provides several
photos and additional details on the attraction.
Click this symbol in the text to see a
detailed road map of Italy, symbolized with the locations of the
Best Places to Visit.
