Everyone who's spent any time in Umbria knows Deruta for ceramics — it's the name that comes up in every guidebook, and it earns the reputation. What fewer visitors know is that Gubbio, less than an hour away, has its own ceramic tradition entirely, and a much quieter one to explore. Best time to go: Late May, for one weekend in particular. Buongiorno Ceramica! is a two-day event held every year across sixty ceramic towns in Italy, and several of them are right here in Umbria

Fewer of our guests make it up to Città di Castello than we'd like, which is a shame, because it's the closest of Umbria's craft towns to Altabella and holds two of the more unusual stories in the region. Neither gets much attention outside Umbria, and both are still working businesses rather than preserved-for-visitors museum pieces. Best time to go: Any season works — this is a short trip from the valley, so it's easy to slot in on a quieter day regardless of when you're st

Cortona is at its best before the day has properly begun. In the early morning, the stone lanes are quiet, café chairs are being set out, and the town’s views across the Val di Chiana feel like they belong to you alone. Arrive early and give yourself two unhurried hours to walk from Piazza della Repubblica up to the Fortezza del Girifalco. Photo by Gabriella Clare Marino on Unsplash Begin in Piazza della Repubblica, Cortona’s civic heart. The broad steps of the Palazzo Comuna

A morning or afternoon in Cortona is made for wandering—but it is equally made for stopping. Just off Piazza della Repubblica, La Bottega del Vin Bono is one of those small, welcoming places where a glass of wine can easily become a tasting, a conversation and a useful introduction to the flavours of this corner of Tuscany. The shop and wine bar is on Via Benedetti, close to Cortona’s main square, and is an easy addition to a day spent exploring the town. The real pleasure h