Umbria is probably one of the least known and least visited regions in Italy. And that is a great pity, because nowhere is the authenticity so deeply baked into the character of the cities and villages, robust, at times mystical, invariably located on top of a majestic hill with an unimpeded view over the green plains and gently rolling landscapes of Umbria. A region of natural beauty, a region that had tremendous influence on culture and religion, with cities like Assisi, Perugia and Orvieto; a region also that connects the dots of history and gives material answers to the question what was before the Romans and what was after them: the traces of the Etruscan civilisation, present in these lands half a millennium before the Romans realised the power of their society; the awkward entanglement of the Umbrian free cities, caught in the middle of a vicious power struggle between the Holy Roman Empire of Frederick I and his Germanic descendants, and the Popes who often busied themselves more with territorial ambitions than with the exegesis and teachings of Christianity.

Pour yourself a glass of Sagrantino red wine, and wash down the little cuts of local salume and salsiccia, from Norcia, the best in Italy, lean back and discover Umbria.