Guide to Tuscan wines: choosing and tasting by style

To discover the towns of Umbria without turning the stay into a race, choose a few stops that match your desires and the shape of your itinerary. Spello, Gubbio, Bevagna and Norcia are good names to compare, but they do not constitute a ranking or an exhaustive list of the region’s villages. You can also consider Orvieto or Spoleto if these places fit better with the other stops you have selected. The right choice depends less on the number of villages checked off than on the time you wish to devote to each.

Start by identifying the towns you absolutely want to visit, for example Perugia or Assisi, then add one or two towns rather than accumulating detours. This method leaves more room for walks, breaks and the unexpected. To prepare a trip to Umbria, also note what you wish to do on site: stroll through a historic center, discover heritage, enjoy the landscapes or linger over a meal. Group the stops that naturally fit into your route and check travel times before fixing your accommodation. Villages are not all visited the same way, and a lighter itinerary can be more pleasant than a succession of too-short stops. The goal is not to claim to have seen all of Umbria, but to choose places that make you want to slow down.

Yes, the Maremma is a lead to consider if you want to discover a facet of Tuscany different from the wine-growing hills and the most famous stops. It is presented in your itinerary as a wilder side of the region, with an atmosphere more oriented towards open spaces and outdoor activities. A horseback ride in the Maremma can thus suit you if you want to spend a day in the open air rather than multiplying city visits. This does not mean that the whole area will necessarily be quiet or that the experience will be identical everywhere: the atmosphere will depend on the places and dates chosen.

Saturnia et la island of Elba can also broaden a Tuscan stay beyond the classic stops, but they do not automatically replace a stop in the Maremma. Before including them, ask yourself what type of trip you want to build: landscapes and outdoor activities, discovery of a thermal area, or an island escape. Avoid bringing together too many distant areas in a too tight program. First choose your priorities, then organize nights and travel around them, checking practical conditions for your dates. If your stay already includes Florence, Siena or Chianti, an additional stop only makes sense if you have time to enjoy it. For a less conventional Tuscany, the Maremma therefore deserves to be considered as a real part of the trip, rather than as a simple detour added at the last moment.

It is better not to choose Umbria on the assumption that it will necessarily be cheaper or less crowded. The cost of your trip will depend above all on your choices: accommodation, meals, transport, visits and activities. A one-off good deal is not enough to establish a rule valid for an entire region. To compare seriously, rather prepare two scenarios with equivalent stops: for example, a few nights in Florence and Siena, then another estimate around Perugia and Assisi. Use the same criteria for both and take your exact dates into account.

Crowds are also compared at the scale of the chosen places, not only between regions. In Tuscany, the very famous stops like Florence, Siena and Chianti naturally attract the attention of many travelers. This does not mean that every Tuscan area has the same atmosphere: the Maremma can offer a different experience, more oriented towards landscapes and the open air. For its part, Umbria is not reduced to a calm region by definition; the experience will depend on the cities, towns and the calendar of your trip. To better control your budget and pace, select your stops, compare accommodation options for those dates and avoid booking on a generality like « this region is cheaper ». The best choice is the one that matches what you really want to do.

Choose according to the experiences you want to find at the heart of the trip, rather than looking for a region that would have a superior gastronomy to the other. In Tuscany, Chianti combines vineyard landscapes and wine tastings. You can imagine a day that combines discovery of the area, a gourmet break and a walk, without necessarily filling every moment with booked activities. If you want to give a wilder tone to the stay, the Maremma is more suited to outdoor activities, for example a horseback ride, than to a program centered only on tastings.

In Umbria, truffle, pecorino and charcuterie offer another way to explore the terroir. In Perugia, a chocolate workshop can complement heritage visits, especially if you want to vary activities beyond monuments. To decide, ask yourself whether you prefer to organize the trip around vineyards and hills, or around local products and Umbrian towns. Check dates, terms and availability of experiences before building your program: the article does not allow you to assume that a tasting, a workshop or an activity will be open at the time that suits you. Also think about keeping free time for meals and spontaneous discoveries. A gourmet stay works better when activities fit into the stops you already want to visit, rather than when they impose long detours.

There is no ideal duration valid for all trips to Tuscany or Umbria. The number of days depends on the places you really want to discover, the time you wish to spend there and the pace at which you like to travel. A stay centered on Florence and Siena is not built like a route that also includes Chianti, the Maremma or the island of Elba. In the same way, visiting Perugia and Assisi does not require the same program as if you add several towns like Spello, Gubbio, Bevagna or Norcia.

To prepare your stay, first note the stops that matter most to you, then distinguish must-see visits from possible additions. Group the places that fit well into the same route and check travel times before booking your nights. If you want to see cities, villages and landscapes, avoid planning a new stop every day without leaving margin: breaks and time spent on site are part of the trip. The choice of authentic accommodation can also influence your itinerary, because you may want to devote more time to its surroundings rather than leaving again immediately. For a trip in 2026, check availability and practical conditions corresponding to your dates before finalizing your program. So start with your desires — heritage, hills, forests or wilder countryside — then adjust the duration. Counting destinations is not enough to know how much time you will need to enjoy them.