(approx. 5 min) The local village has a good selection of local shops, including a grocers, a post office, butchers, hairdressers and a couple of good bars.

(approx. 20 min) This town is one of the unspoilt gems of Umbria and the perfect place for a wonderful night out. Best to arrive in time to enjoy the sunset from the top of the town and take in the beautiful views of the surrounding countryside. Then grab a quick drink in the delightful town square before heading to one of many good restaurants in the town. The town often hosts events including a film festival, an archery tournament between the different quarters, and dancing in the town square, to name but a few.

(approx. 25 min) Perugia is the capital of Umbria, and is famous for the Umbrian Jazz Festival, which is held at the end of July. The old part of town is wonderful, full of monuments to its Etruscan, Roman and medieval past.

(approx. 25 min) In addition to the water sports on offer, towns such as Passignano and Castiglione del Lago are the most appealing, and the islands of Maggiore and Polvese can be accessed by short and enjoyable boat rides. Isola Maggiore features the ruins of a castle and church which are enjoyable to visit.

(approx. 35 min) The birthplace of St Francis, Assisi is a must for any trip to Umbria and Italy. It is hard not to be awestruck by the magnificence and sheer grandeur of the Basilica. Above Assisi is the Eremo di Carcere (Hermitage), which is an old monastery built near the caves that were used by St Francis and contains the tree where he preached to the birds.

(approx. 35 min) Gubbio is one of Umbria’s most perfect medieval hill towns. Its atmospheric streets and alleys are unspoiled and often deserted, except for locals going about their daily lives. The town is set at the foot of the Apennines with spectacular views from a variety of lookout points. The main square is half-way up the town and houses the Palazzo dei Consoli, which is a vast 14th century palace. There is a great walk to the Basilica, which is high above Gubbio, which takes a good hour.

(approx. 40 min) A beautiful hill top town at the base of Monte Subasio just a few kms from Assisi. It has wonderful little streets to wander around, many gourmet restaurants and stunning views. This is worth visiting at the same time as a visit to Assisi.

(approx. 50 min) Despite featuring in a film and book titled ‘Under the Tuscan Sun’, this beautiful Tuscan hilltop town hasn’t lost the charm for which it is famous. With a wonderful square, lovely restaurants and wine shops and a great walk to the monastery at the top of the town, there is much to attract people. From above the town, there are magnificent views across the countryside in every direction.

(approx. 60 min) This rather chic hill town is known for its summer arts festival, which has plenty of artistic, historical and cultural interest. It is worth combining with nearby towns if contemplating a day trip in this direction.

(approx. 60 min) The setting for the Oscar-winning Italian film ‘A Beautiful Life’, this Tuscan city has a magnificent square surrounded by wonderful restaurants from where you can sit and enjoy the views. It is often visited by art and antique lovers for its famous frescos and antiques market held on the first Sunday of every month.

(approx. 90 min) Tuscany has a rich wine heritage, especially in Montepulciano and Montalcino. Both these regions are easily accessible by day trip from Chiesa Del Carmine and visitors must sample the sublime Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and Brunello di Montalcino.

(approx. 90 min) Orvieto is home to what is said to be Italy’s finest gothic cathedral, with a façade that is truly magnificent. Inside you can visit Signorelli’s fresco cycle of ‘The Last Judgement’. It is worth the effort for the cathedral alone (one of Umbria’s key sights). A visit could be combined with a wine tour of the area.

(approx. 120 min) Day trips to Florence are easily manageable, either by car or train. It takes c 2 hours to drive to Florence. Alternatively, it is possible to take a train from Terontola station, where you can take advantage of free parking and cheap train travel to take a relaxing journey into the city, arriving 5 minutes walk from the Duomo.

(approx. 45 min) Todi has a magnificent position perched on top of a hill where picture-postcard views abound. It is home to a large ex-pat community and has a high tourist profile, with a main square of austere beauty, some wonderful streets and alleys and some good shops and restaurants.

(approx. 75 min) The most famous hilltop town in the region of Le Marche, complete with Ducal Palace, and a must-visit for all those in this part of Italy. Urbino is a University town with a young, vibrant feel during semester time. It’s a good place from which to start exploring an area that is not yet on the regular tourist trail. Lovely food and wine abound and seafood starts to make an appearance on menus as you near the coast.

Food is a quintessential part of life in Umbria and there is an enormous variety of delights available for visitors to sample. There are a variety of markets in the area for those in search of fresh produce. For example, in nearby Umbertide on Wednesday mornings, visitors have the chance to sample one of the region’s specialities: the delicious porchetta (roast suckling pig seasoned with sage or rosemary, fennel, and plenty of salt and pepper) served warm in fresh bread rolls. Also available in abundance are the fresh pecorino cheeses, wild porcini mushrooms, local wines and vegetables. The atmosphere is wonderful.

Umbria is famous for its truffles and olive oils. It produces the highest percentage of extra virgin olive oil in Italy and the quality has to be tasted to be believed. When in season, truffles are incorporated into everything from omelettes to pasta, salads and meat dishes. Lake Trasimeno yields fresh water fish, but Umbria is meat-eating territory, so game features strongly on all menus, with various birds, hare and wild boar being staples. Umbria is also famous for the tiny lentils from Castelluccio and the pork products from the southern town of Norcia. ‘Norcino’ has come to mean ‘pork butcher’, so famous are the salami, sausages and hams produced here. Salsiccia di cinghiale (wild boar sausages) and strangozzi pasta are other delicacies worth sampling.

The House Information Book has a superb list of recommendations for eating out with hugely helpful comment and opinions on each.

No trip to Umbria is complete without sampling some of the delicious wines from this region. Umbria is an exciting wine region with numerous grapes varieties grown only here on account of the unique climate and soils. The valley was once predominantly vineyards which were abandoned in the 1950s as people left the countryside for the cities due to the promise of subsided accommodation with full amenities and work in the booming manufacturing sector. The owners of the Estate are passionate about bringing the valley back to its former glory and have replanted a number of the areas where the best wines were produced before.

Chocolate lovers can take a trip to the nearby Perugina chocolate factory, visit the museum and take a guided tour of the factory. The tours lasts approximately 1hr and must be booked in advance.

The Antognolla Golf Course is set amidst the 600 hectare Antognolla estate only five minutes drive away. This championship golf course offers golfers of all abilities the opportunity to play on an expertly designed course, giving a true test of skill and judgement. The driving range is the perfect place to warm up before a round or just for working on your short game. The driving range is available for keen golfers seven days a week from 9am to 8pm.

There are a number of riding stables where you can book a riding lesson or go for a ride in the countryside.

The immediate area is ideal for a leisurely one- or two-hour walk in the unspoilt countryside of the valley. There are excellent details and maps of a number of walks from the house and in the area that range in length and difficulty. Alternatively, there are local guides who arrange day walks, for example across Mount Subasio or the area around Lake Trasimeno.

Bike riding is a very popular sport in Italy and there are lots of cycle routes in this area. Hire bikes can be arranged for you during your stay and advice given as to where to go.

The best local market is probably Umbertide on a Wednesday. The market is in the old centre of Umbertide. The market is on every Wednesday from approx. 7am-12pm. The majority of the activity is earlier in the morning and the best time to go. All markets are morning only. Tuesday: Pierantonio, Gubbio Wednesday: Umbertide, Thursday: Citta Di Castello Saturday: Perugia

There are a number of thermal baths in Tuscany – the nearest are Rapalano Terme and San Crescentino dei Bagni

In the local village of Pierantonio there is a beauty centre that can provide treatments and massages.

is only 20 minutes drive from Lake Trasimeno which offers a vast array of activities. At Monte del Lago there is a sailing school – Acqua Dolce Sailing, which offers guest the chance to hire sail boats, motor boats, canoes, kayaks and bikes. They can also arrange private lessons and skippered outings. http://www.acquadolcesailing.it/

Alternatively, you can visit two of the three islands on the lake, Isola Maggiore and Isola Polvese. These can be visited by ferry from a number of the towns around the lake and offer the opportunity to visit museums of local crafts and historical buildings. Or you can just enjoy wandering in the national parks, discovering the local flora and fauna. There are nine public beaches on the islands or around the lake where you can sunbathe or swim in the shallow water of the lake.

For children the best beaches are at Passignano and Tuoro, as there are lots of child facilities including playgrounds, ball pits, trampolines, etc. There are small beaches with shallow water that are perfect for little ones to splash around in.

on the Tiber at Citta di Castello Hire a Candadian canoe at Citta di Castello Canoe club. A great family day out. http://www.canoacastello.it/

near Norcia Experience the thrill of a days rafting on the rivers close to Norcia. http://www.raftingumbria.com/rafting/Marmore Waterfalls These spectacular waterfalls are located close to Terni in Southern Umbria. They are 165 metres in height and are the tallest man made waterfalls in the world. The Cascata delle Marmore were created by the Romans when they diverted the Velino river over cliff into the River Nera. http://www.marmorefalls.it/

The caves are open all year round and a visit can last approx. one hour. The caves consist of an immense cavern and a series of large chambers, tunnels, wells and labyrinths that snake for 13 km. Stalactites formed over thousands of years have entwined themselves to create stunning reflections on the surface of the water and take on bizarre shapes. See the website www.frasassi.com for more information.

Visit the home of ceramics and the museum. https://www.museoceramicadideruta.it/

This is an excellent water park about a 45 mins drive which is open all summer. It has 4 pools, including a very shallow child pool with acqua slides and diving boards. www.piscinetavernelle.it

Great water park for younger children only 25 mins drive which is open all summer. It has a large pool, with slides for younger and older children and a relaxing spa area. A bar is available and lots of space for relaxing. https://lagunaparktrasimeno.it/

The swimming pool opposite the COOP in Umbertide has 2 large indoor pool and 2 large outdoor pools including a giant water slides. It has a large grass area and pizzeria.

A large indoor play centre located on the outskirts of Assisi in Santa Maria Degli Angeli. There is a very nice restaurant and bar and activities to keep children and adults happy for hours.

An outdoor activity park near Spoleto. It has obstacle courses involving zip lines and rope bridges at different levels of difficulty as well as a water slide with inflatable tubes. There are activities suitable for all age groups. http://www.activopark.com/

This is a theme park based on the Italian fairytale Pinocchio. The park is located in the small town of Collodi near Florence. There are statues and fountains of the Pinocchio characters, a puppet show and wonderful gardens. http://www.pinocchio.it/

Umbria hosts a great variety of traditional events throughout the year. The local communities treat these events as an opportunity to confirm their roots and identity and it is a wonderful opportunity for tourists to experience genuine expressions of Umbrian culture and folklore. A list of many of the events in the area is in The House Information Book.