Nature and countryside

The territory of Umbria, encircled by Tuscany, Lazio and the Marche, is small but varied: sketched out by rolling hills, impressive mountains, green valleys, fertile plains transformed by millennia of agriculture, lake basins adn majestic rivers.

This extraordinarily rich environment and landscape, is protected and valorised by seven regional parks and one national park, namely the Park of Lake Trasimeno, the Park of Mount Subasio, the Nera Fluvial Park, the Tiber Fluvial Park, the Park of Colfiorito, the Park of Monte Cucco, the S.T.I.N.A. Park and the Sibylline Mountains National Park.

The paleontological site of Dunarobba, not far from Avigliano Umbro, carries us back in time by more than two million years, when forests of enormous sequoias grew on the banks of Lake Tiberino, a basin that in ancient times covered much of the current regional territory. The intriguing aspect of the Dunarobba forest, which makes it unique among Italian and international fossil deposits, is the fact that these gigantic tree trunks are still standing rising from the earth like totem poles.

The region’s mountainous geography is concentrated above all along the ridge of the Eastern Apennines separating Umbria from the marche. The Sibylline Mountains (only part of this chain is in Umbria) boast the tallest peaks of this mountain range, rising to an altitude of 2476 metres.
We are in the heart of the Sibylline Mountain National Park, a district that is extraordinarily important froma a naturalistic standpoint. Even today it is home to the Apennine wolf and the golden eagle, and visitors can observe the marvellous flowering of orchids, lilies, edelweiss and extremely rare yellow poppies. The miracle of springtime creates the area’s most magical scenario when the Great Plain of Castelluccio turns into a kaleidoscope of flowers.

The landscape typical of the region is nevertheless hilly and luxuriant. The sequences of wide, uneven valleys and gently sloping hillsides dotted with mediaeval towns comprise the pieces of the mosaic known as Umbria.

Water plays a significant role in moulding these landscapes, delineating the plains and narrow valley floors, widening into lakes, and winding through specatcular gorges and ravines. The worship of water in Umbria has been accompanied by primeval rituals since antiquity. The Springs of Clitunno were celebrated for the virtues of their waters.
The benefical and curative properties of Umbria’s mineral springs hae been famous for centuries. The most important spas are in San Gemini, San Faustino at Massa Martana, Fontecchio near Città di Castello and Spello.

The Valnerina area virtually symbolises Umbria’s fluvial system. Here the Nera, its affluents and the Marmore Waterfalls have distinguished the entire area as a Water Park. The Marmore Waterfalls are formed by the waters of the Velino that flow into the Nera and then over the cliff in three drops, the tallest of which is 80 metres high. The waterfalls are the largest in Italy in terms of flow.

There are hundreds of caves in all shapes and sizes in the Regional Park of Monte Cucco, which is located around the municipalities of Scheggia-Pascelupo, Costacciaro, Sigillo and Fossato di Vico. These deep caverns, hidden by the imposing mountains, have silently been carved out by underground rivers over million of years. The most important karstic phenomenon is represented by the Cavern of Mount Cucco, an enormous underground system covering more than 30 km and dropping to a maximum depth of 945 metres.

Umbria is also the region of the Tiber, which rises at Mount Fumaiolo and crosses Tuscany into Umbria. Its tributaries are the Paglia, the Chiascio and the Topino, and above all the Nera, which in turn is fed by the Velino.

The sun often shines on stretches of water in Umbria, from low, marshy basins to true lakes. These are the three most important:
Lake Trasimeno. This is the largest lake in the Italian peninsula and the fourth largest in Italy as a whole. It is of fluvial origin and perhaps partly tectonic. Heart-shaped, it covers an area of 128 sq. Kms. The waters reach a depth of 6 metres and its shores are shallow and crescent-shaped with sections of cane thickets. There are three islands: Maggiore and Minore close to the northern shore, and Polvese in the southeast corner. Its banksare dotted with tourist resorts, in particular Passignano. All water sports can be pursued and it is a real anglers’ paradise with the beautiful countryside and excellent amenities attracting large numbers of tourists. Navigation on the lake is controlled by regional by-laws.
Lake Piediluco. At a height of 365 m the lake has a perimeter of about 17 km and is the second largest lake in Umbria. It is irregular in shape with waters going down to a depth of 19 metres. Surrounded by picturesque high ground covered in woodland, in its calm, blue waters one can undertake sailing, waterskiing and fishing.