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Umbria lies in the center of the Italian peninsula with high mountain expanses and large tracks of pastoral lands, it is aptly called the “Green Heart of Italy”.   Umbria is known for its beauty and picturesque medieval hilltop towns.  Some of those old towns, that seem to be untouched by the passage of time, are: Perugia, Gubbio, Orvieto, Todi, Norica and Assisi.

These towns have become architectural time capsules.  Each city is worth a day to itself in order to explore all the nooks and crannies that only a 700 year old town can posses with their twisting streets and buttressed buildings and centuries old houses that have been built on the steep hillsides.  Listed below is some of the more notable aspect of each town that you should make a special point in visiting.

Perugia is the capital of the Umbrian region. It has maintained its walled hilltop medieval city with little changing in the main piazza since the 14th century.  The Palazzo dei Priori and Fontana Maggiore are some of the finest examples of medieval architecture in Italy.  The Palazzo with is monumental walls, interior artwork and the large bronze lion and griffin mounted above the raised doorway make it one of the finest public buildings of any age in Umbria.

Gubbio is one of the most beautiful medieval towns in Umbria with macabre stories surround its 13th century monuments, though there are few towns that can compare with Gubbio’s overall quiet ambiance.

Ovieto is known for many things, its wine, its church and its well.  The town is perched on plateau, which overlooks the vineyards producing a fine dry white wine classified as Orvieto Classico. The Duomo of Orvieto, is considered one of the greatest Romanesque-Gothic churches in Italy, while the vast well of Orvieto was designed with a double helix staircase that drops over 62m, 203 feet.

Todi looks out over the Tiber valley. The town preserves its unique medieval feel with several small churches and piazzas. The most notable being the main square with its Duomo possessing one of the finest carved choir stalls in Umbria.

Norica is a robust mountain town so it is sometimes surprising that it is one of Italy’s culinary capitals.  It is renowned for its truffles and some of the countries best hams, sausages and salamis, many of which are exported throughout the world.

Assisi is the jewel of medieval towns in Italy, home of the Basilica di San Francesco, the burial place of St. Francis, founder of the Franciscan order.  The Basilica was built and decorated by the greatest artist and architects of the day starting in1228 and is one few truly Gothic churches in all of Italy. The Rocca Maggiore is an extremely well preserved medieval castle built on the heights over the town.  It offers the most commanding view over the town and countryside allowing for a quite tranquil place to take in the splendors of the Umbrian countryside.  The entire town was heavily damaged in 1997 by an earthquake and millions have been spent in the restoration of the different structures and frescoes and many siteare re-opening again to the public.

This is only a small portion of the many cities, towns, sites and wonderful settings that Umbria has to offer the visitor.

Click here to visit and discover the Umbria region with European Home Rentals specialists in renting weekly vacation rental apartments, houses, cottages and villas in France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, England, Ireland, Scotland and Greece. www.europeanhomerentals.com