Best day trips from the Perugia area

Posted by Patty (Amelia Island, FL) on 06/26/22 03:15 PM

We are being hosted for a week by friends who are staying in the Perugia area for a month… they have invited a number of friends to rotate through the 4 bedroom Villa while they are staying there. We are there during the last week of their month’s stay. As a thank you to our hosts I am planning two day trips to the surrounding area… and they have promised not to go to the towns before they go with us. So I need to call “dibs” on two places and create plans to make the day trips really special. We will have cars.

I am considering Orvieto and Gubbio as the two towns but would really appreciate feedback. So far our hosts have a cooking class, wine tasting and truffle hunting as activities planned so I think my options are wide open.

Also….From looking at the map, it appears that it might be easier to train to Orvieto, rather than drive. That way you can enjoy a nice dinner and not have to drive for an hour or more to get home. Thoughts?

Posted by Suki

06/26/22 03:42 PM

11647 posts

I highly recommend you choose beautiful Spello
as a day trip! We spent two wonderful weeks there and used it to explore other towns. It is known for the beautiful flowers residents put out on the streets of the town. Lots of good restaurants there too.
Orvieto is nice but on the train line and main highway from Rome so does get a lot of visitors.
Gubbio is the one town in Umbria that we didn’t get to visit.

Posted by geovagriffith

06/26/22 04:04 PM

8406 posts

Also, Assisi and Spoleto

Posted by nancys8

Saint Paul, Minnesota

06/26/22 08:46 PM

1605 posts

Having been to many towns in Umbria last fall, I was about to say "Orvieto, Spoleto, and Gubbio," but if you want an entirely different and rewarding day trip, drive an hour and a half to visit Norcia and then on to Castelluccio. These are towns wrecked by earthquakes six years ago and still rebuilding. Both have interesting histories and special local foods and offer great places to eat.

Norcia still has its town walls and you have to park outside them and walk in. All that remains of its main church is the facade, held up by scaffolding, and many buildings in town are either rubble or in the process of being fixed, yet the town is very alive and busy.

The actual town of Castelluccio was off limits when we visited, but there are restaurants, shops, and booths set up outside the town. Its location in the mountains is stunning and the huge, flat plain of the Pian Grande, famously lovely when all its flowers are blooming, was still a wonderful sight to see in late November covered in snow. Be sure to eat and also buy some Castelluccio lentils if you go.

About Norcia:

https://www.italiadelight.it/norcia-what-to-see-in-one-of-the-most-beautiful-towns-in-italy/?lang=en

Article about Castelluccio from the Times that you should be able to open:
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/23/travel/castelluccio-di-norcia-italy-travel.html?unlocked_article_code=AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACEIPuomT1JKd6J17Vw1cRCfTTMQmqxCdw_PIxftm3iWna3DEDmwZiPgPCpaN_wDGbLF_at83wj-QRdgEPL5qQvtoxe5Wek1xQg2554eekYoIJ2M1tYe3FCsQ7q76YIoZo3Xsf3Xrb6B23qG-tBaLd2O7X6eP2HQhOF1hqJR6cVqs2WgDlK7ADrQliYYu36orBp4uQiwSJ3Xf54meABl5Pt6Fbxnb-1N2D7kfAWeP6Ibav7EQcwxSCkbES2d_5gs86dBfOtARPMXvPkJqOZq-0fhKVDsefMr-DIYxRoPUi7xvrbXJzBeOw8K3zPg1f75GPkES4Uax00lKfLvp5b4tiA&smid=url-share

Posted by apaonita

Perugia, Italy

06/27/22 05:26 AM

211 posts

Or, for something completely different: Call the restaurant Da Sauro on Isola Maggiore in Lago Trasimeno and reserve a table for pranzo/lunch. Drive to Tuoro sul Trasimeno. There's a big parking lot by the dock. Take the ferry to Isola Maggiore. When leaving the dock on the island, fortify yourself with a coffee and a snack at the nearby bar. Hang a right--you'll be hiking now--through the town and look around at the building details. When the buildings thin out,, go left up a steep hill to a little church. You can enter the church to see some ancient artwork. You're at the top of the island now. The views of the lake and surroundings are amazing. You can walk around and explore. When you get hungry, you can descend--there are maps everywhere of the trails. If you're still early, there's a nice shore walk. Then get to Da Sauro, take a table in the garden, and have a nice lunch of their lake fish specialties while the neighborhood pheasants gawk at you.