Umbria is certainly not among the regions with the biggest wine production, but, as a destination for wine and specialty food tourism, it can vie with other famous, beautiful Italian regions. The main production zones in Umbria in the province of Perugia, are the Sagrantino di Montefalco Docg and the Torgiano Doc zones, two well structured red wines, excellent with savoury dishes and game. The heart of the Sagrantino di Montefalco zone is the little town of Montefalco, a medieval center where references to wine can be seen in the frescoes painted in 1452 by Benozzo Gozzoli, in the ancient convent dedicated to St. Francis. Just a few years ago, ancient wine vats were also discovered in the fourteenth-century monastery. In Bevagna, a nearby town in the valley, the wine tourist can admire the interesting “Palazzo dei Consoli”, built in 1270 and characterized by an imposing flight of steps, while piazza Silvestri is one of the most important medieval squares in the region.

Autumnal landscapes in the Sagrantino of Montefalco wine production area

The central square of Montefalco, a medieval village in Umbria and heart of the red wine Sagrantino production area

Another medieval town is Torgiano, in the heart of the production zone of the red Torgiano Doc wine. It is situated where the Chiascio River flows into the Tiber, and its name derives from the ancient “torre di Giano”, a tower dedicated to the god Janus. In the province of Perugia, in the Colli del Trasimeno Doc zone, vineyards are planted on the hillsides around Lake Trasimeno where the climate is especially mild and both red and white wines are produced. The town of Assisi, worldwide famous as the birthplace of St Francis and for Giotto’s frescoes in the Basilica Superiore, is in the heart of the Assisi Doc zone, a red wine, ideal with game meat and important dishes. A little farther north, the Wine Trail of the Colli Altotiberini Doc zone winds through a hilly territory, where the Tiber flows. Interesting towns are Città di Castello, Perugia, and the beautiful Gubbio, where archaeological finds, Romanesque and Gothic monuments and many examples of late Gothic paintings can be admired. The Colli Martani Doc zone, located on the left bank of the Tiber, is an area producing red and white wines, as well as extra-virgin olive oil.

The Cathedral of Orvieto, an important historical, artistic and wine town in Umbria (photo by Massimo Roncella, S.T.A. of Orvietano archive)

A view of Orvieto: around the village, built on a rock, there are farmland and vineyards (photo by Massimo Roncella, S.T.A. of Orvietano archive)

In the province of Terni, the leading wine tourism areas are in the Orvieto and in the Colli Amerini Doc zones. The territory around Orvieto mainly produces white wines. The town is very beautiful, perched on a tufa rock, 325 meters above sea level, overlooking the valley where the Paglia and Chiani Rivers flow, just before their confluence into the Tiber. Originally an Etruscan town and later under Roman rule, Orvieto is rich in historical buildings and churches; its Cathedral is considered a masterpiece of Italian Gothic architecture. The numerous subterranean cellars, dug into the tufa rock in the center of Orvieto, testify the ancient wine vocation of the town. The Colli Amerini Doc zone is characterized by hills and ridges surrounding Amelia, one of the most ancient towns in Umbria, rich in Etruscan and Roman monuments.

Places not to miss

A view of the churches of Assisi, where St. Francis and St. Clare were born

Ancient fermentation tanks for wine in Montefalco, in the St. Francis' museum

Umbrian cooking lessons held in Antonelli San Marco estate, in Montefalco (Perugia)