Live Umbria all year long
In Umbria, time changes rhythm. A slower, fuller rhythm becomes the backdrop to the most anticipated moments of the year: historical, cultural, and identity‑driven events that make the region vibrant in every season.
Winter Atmospheres
January
Orvieto / Norcia
Winter in Umbria surprises with intimacy and authenticity. From the refined concerts of Umbria Jazz Winter to gastronomic experiences dedicated to black truffle, it is the ideal moment to enjoy the region away from tourist flows.
Key Events
- Umbria Jazz Winter — The winter edition of UJ celebrates New Year’s Eve with jazz and gospel among historic palaces and the Cathedral. A legendary festival attracting critics and global enthusiasts in a monumental setting.
- Nero Norcia — The national market exhibition of prized Black Truffle and Valnerina’s cured meats and cheeses. Europe’s winter “mecca” for international hunters of the true gastronomic black gold.
The Many Faces of Love
February
Perugia / Terni
February in Umbria celebrates love in all its forms. From environmental reflections promoted by Umbria Green Festival to the symbolic ritual of the Promise of Saint Valentine, the region narrates an authentic idea of love made of care, respect, and connection.
Key Events
- Umbria Green Festival – A widespread, avant‑garde festival entirely focused on environmental sustainability and contact with nature, blending concerts, cultural events, and performances in exclusive venues.
- Saint Valentine’s Legacy — The Promise of Saint Valentine, a solemn celebration in the city of the patron saint of lovers: an authentic ritual of care, promise, and spiritual connection.
Active Soul & Deep Experiences
March
Lake Trasimeno / Perugia
Umbria reveals itself as an elite natural gym for body and spirit. A vibrant, dynamic season designed for international travelers seeking to push their limits in landscapes of silent, monumental beauty — and art collecting that becomes a treasure hunt between design and history.
Key Events
- Strasimeno — The legendary 58 km ultramarathon circling the entire Lake Trasimeno. Not just a race, but an epic athletic challenge along the water’s edge, attracting runners from across Europe.
- Anticamente — A prestigious antiques market showcasing top‑tier exhibitors with a curated selection of furniture, paintings, modern antiques, and vintage objects.
Spring Awakening
April
Lake Trasimeno / Piediluco
Nature, flowers, and reenactments. Spring awakens the territory through a perfect fusion of floral aesthetics, water‑sport challenges, and the first majestic medieval time‑portals.
Key Events
- Festa del Tulipano — A spectacular spring festival featuring floats entirely covered in tulip petals parading along the lakeshore. A high‑impact visual and lifestyle moment.
- Memorial Paolo D’Aloja — A historic international rowing regatta opening the Italian National Team’s season, with Olympic crews from around the world competing on Lake Piediluco.
Living Traditions
May
Gubbio / Assisi
Authentic traditions and collective rituals. In this month, Umbria releases an anthropological energy protected by time: not staged shows for tourists, but visceral, historic passions involving entire communities.
Key Events
- Festa dei Ceri — One of Italy’s oldest and wildest folk festivals. A breathtaking vertical race up Mount Ingino carrying enormous wooden structures topped with saints. A globally celebrated visual shock.
- Calendimaggio — The medieval challenge between Assisi’s two historic districts, celebrating spring with songs, scenes in the alleys, and courtship rituals.
- Cantine Aperte — A weekend when major wineries in Montefalco, Torgiano, and Trasimeno open their doors for tastings and tours — ideal for private and VIP wine itineraries.
Culture & Heritage Peak
June
Spoleto / Spello / Bevagna
The richest and most layered month. Umbria reaches the peak of Europe’s cultural scene: classical and avant‑garde art acclaimed by international press intertwines with botanical masterpieces of ephemeral art and the most accurate historical reenactment on the continent.
Key Events
- Festival dei Due Mondi — A historic international festival blending opera, music, theatre, and dance in Spoleto’s monumental settings, regularly covered by The New York Times.
- Infiorate di Spello — The streets of the village become a vast, fragrant carpet of sacred artworks made entirely of fresh and dried flower petals.
- Mercato delle Gaite — Europe’s most accurate medieval craft reenactment. Bevagna literally returns to the 1300s with ancient coins, artisan workshops, and medieval taverns.
Global Energy
July
Perugia / Todi / Passignano sul T.
Umbria enters the international stage with force. Towns and villages become global open‑air theatres where music legends meet spectacular air events and epic lake challenges.
Key Events
- Umbria Jazz — Italy’s most important jazz festival. For 10 days, Perugia fills with concerts in theatres, squares, and streets featuring world‑renowned stars.
- Italian International Balloon Grand Prix — Italy’s largest hot‑air balloon gathering, with over 90 crews from around the world painting the Umbrian sky with giant colorful balloons.
- Palio delle Barche — A reenactment in Passignano featuring a fast lake regatta followed by a demanding foot race through the village while carrying boats on the shoulders.
Slow Summer & Lifestyle
August
Città di Castello / Todi / Lake Trasimeno
A widespread, authentic summer — never excessive. The luxury of time and space expresses itself through avant‑garde music and theatre festivals in villages, alternating with collective nautical events in harmony with nature.
Key Events
- Festival delle Nazioni — Dedicated to chamber and symphonic music, each year honoring the musical tradition of a guest nation.
- Todi Festival — A festival of theatre, dance, and music focused on contemporary dramaturgy in Todi’s monumental setting.
- Trasiremando — A grand non‑competitive rowing event on Lake Trasimeno open to any rowboat, symbol of slow summer lifestyle.
Food & Active Lifestyle
September
Foligno / Perugia / Assisi / Bettona
The perfect month for active experiences and great gastronomy. Umbrian autumn debuts celebrating food culture and vintage‑style sports.
Key Events
- I Primi d’Italia — Italy’s only national festival entirely dedicated to first courses (pasta, rice, soups, gnocchi).
- Francesco nei Sentieri — Umbria’s answer to the famous Eroica: a non‑competitive vintage cycling event using pre‑1987 bicycles and wool clothing on white gravel roads.
- Bettona Crossing — A major international trail‑running event (up to 50 km) through woods, olive groves, and trails around medieval Bettona.
Harvest & Global Appeal
October
Perugia / Umbria
Tradition meets global visibility. International media spotlight Europe’s sweetest festival, while the countryside celebrates the birth of new olive oil.
Key Events
- Eurochocolate — The famous international chocolate festival in Perugia, attracting visitors from across Europe with chocolate sculptures, tastings, and global exhibitors.
- Frantoi Aperti — Celebrating the pressing of new DOP Umbria olive oil with olive‑grove treks, music, and bruschetta tastings in historic mills.
Truffle Hunting
November
Città di Castello / Assisi
Umbria at its most intimate and sophisticated. A season for connoisseurs of exclusive luxury: elite palates gather for the white truffle market, while sport becomes mystical along Franciscan paths.
Key Events
- White Truffle Markets — Elite events in Città di Castello dedicated to the prized “white diamond” of the Upper Tiber Valley.
- San Francesco Marathon — A marathon of strong symbolic and spiritual value in Assisi, connecting the most important Franciscan sites.
Festive & Intimate
December
Gubbio / Lake Trasimeno / Assisi
Mysticism and winter wonder take shape through a unique thread: the Route of Great Lights of Umbria. A monumental visual itinerary linking record‑breaking installations on water and rock with spectacular art projections on basilica façades.
Key Events
- The World’s Largest Christmas Tree (Gubbio) — A Guinness‑record installation illuminating Mount Ingino with over 700 lights.
- Luci sul Trasimeno (Castiglione del Lago) — The world’s largest Christmas tree drawn on water, over one kilometer long.
- Il Natale di Francesco (Assisi) — Spectacular light installations and videomapping projecting Giotto’s frescoes onto the Basilica of Saint Francis and the cathedral.
