Worth getting out of bed for...

Viewpoint

The Marmore waterfalls – 165 metres high – will have you gawping at their organic beauty and marvelling at the power of nature, but don’t be fooled: those pesky Romans engineered their path a couple of millennia ago. Four trails guide visitors around the torrent. Climb the Specola tower for a bella vista over the countryside.

Arts and culture

The region’s historic towns are cultural attractions in themselves – hilltop, walled Todi, mediaeval Cesi di Terni, and the Roman ruins at Spello among them. Orvieto’s Gothic cathedral has a magnificent façade and fabulous frescoes inside. Take a guided tour of the town’s tunnels and passageways (www.orvietounderground.it). The Roman ruins at Carsulae in Terni are an archeological treat, as is the National Archeological Museum in Spoleto (+39 0743 2181; www.archeopg.arti.beniculturali.it).

Something for nothing

It won’t set you back a cent to see Assisi of St Francis fame, which has a pleasing café-lined piazza at the top of the village and many lovely boutiques worth a browse. This Unesco-listed site is second only to Rome for its religious significance, its sprawling basilica a lure for pilgrims (www.assisionline.com).

Shopping

For colourful, handpainted majolica ceramics, head to the workshops of Deruta, south of Perugia (www.deruta.net). Spoleto’s trove of boutiques house antiques, linens and artworks to please most tastes – also the case in Assisi. The saintly town’s other speciality is pilgrim-tempting tat: if ever there was a time to stock up on papal fridge magnets, this is it. Perugia has two typical and diverse talents – chocolate and embroidery. Stock up on Baci, Italy’s most famous chocolate, which is made here. And call at the Bottega d’arte Ceccucci, at 115 Strada Comunale di Prepo, for Perugia tablecloths and miniature tapestries known as arazzetti (www.bottegadartececcucci.com).

Daytripper

Gubbio, a two-hour drive from Norcia or Orvieto, is an incredibly well preserved mediaeval town on the lower slopes of Mount Ingino. Unravel its coil of shaded narrow streets, admire its historic architecture, and crane your neck at its crenellated castles. For lunch, Taverna del Lupo, at 21 Via Ansidei, is an attractive, arch-ceilinged, stone-walled trattoria. Order something with truffles, a speciality of the house (+39 075 927 4368; www.tavernadellupo.it).

Perfect picnic

Pick up truffle paste, some olives and salami from a gastronomia, a kind of gourmet grocer’s, a bottle of Montefalco and the freshest bread you can find at the town bakery, and head to Monte Subasio. Spread your rug on the huge hump of healthland above Spello and Assisi, with views back to Montefalco and Bevagna.

Walks

There’s no shortage of trails – mountain, lakeside or woodland – in this scenic region. Find routes among the peaks online for Monte Subasio (www.parks.it/parco.monte.subasio), and Monti Sibillini (www.sibillini.net). Above Norcia, follow the path from Forca d’Ancarano and seek out the monastery of Sant’Eutizio. The trail runs along a hidden hillside of the Castoriana Valley, and passes through several picturesque, semi-abandoned villages. Take a picnic and sit outside the church at Ospedaletti, which has a loggia for shelter if it’s raining.

Children

Bambini are welcome everywhere in Italy, Umbria no exception – it’s a nationwide inclination. In Orvieto, the underground tunnels and alleyways will thrill brave mini Smiths. Head to Perugia’s Città della Domenica, for a nature-themed amusement park with rides and an adventure playground (www.cittadelladomenica.it). Turn a trip to Lake Corbara into a Swallows and Amazons adventure by hiring a rowing boat from the centre at Salviano (www.orvietoonline.com).

Activities

Saddle up to trek the Castelluccio plain, with Oxer horse-riding centre, in Paganelli di Norcia (www.escursioniacavallo.it). Rafting Umbria (+39 348 351 1798; www.raftingumbria.it) or Sibillini Rafting Center (+39 338 767 8308; www.asgaia.it) can take you downstream on the Corno with duck’s-eye views of the Frasassi gorge. Keen cyclists not put off by the hilly terrain can hire wheels from Ciclo e Trekking in Orvieto (+39 338 404 8730). In winter, try snowshoeing and skiing at Forca Canapine. Hire horses from Riding Bianconi in Norcia (March to November; +39 074 382 8081; www.bianconi.com).

And

Film-maker Roberto Benigni put Terni’s riverside industrial landscape to good use in a couple of his films – shooting scenes from Life is Beautiful and Pinocchio at Papigno.