Valnerina and the Sibillini

Vallo di Nera opens the valley with a castle-shaped village of stone houses and arched lanes. Step into Santa Maria for the Giottesque frescoes, then visit the Casa dei Racconti by the Portella gate. Try the region's black truffle of Norcia, then on to Scheggino.

Scheggino runs down from its ruined tower to the river Nera. Visit the truffle museum on Piazza Carlo Urbani and look for the frescoes begun by lo Spagna in San Nicola. At Fonti di Valcasana, trout have long been raised in the spring water, and from there it is on to Arrone.

Arrone is where you spend the first night. Walk up through the Terra quarter, with its ramparts and tight lanes, and look in at the churches of San Giovanni Battista and Santa Maria Assunta. Listen to the Nera below the castle walls, then settle in and stay the night here.

Monteleone di Spoleto is Umbria's highest town, reached by a lonely mountain road. Walk inside its three rings of walls and visit San Francesco. Ask about the Etruscan chariot found nearby, now in New York, which the town would like back. Then on to Norcia.

Norcia is the town of Saint Benedict and of cured pork. Walk the walls and the main square, then taste the local hams and sausages, from pork or wild boar, starting with the corallina di Norcia. In late spring, the Castelluccio plain is in flower, before you go on to Preci.

Preci is your second night, in the Castoriana valley among the mountains. See the abbey of Sant'Eutizio on its cliff, with its rose window, and the Annunciation by Giovanni del Biondo. Look for the Norcia ham cured in the hamlet of Abeto. Stay the night here.

Visso lies where five valleys meet, around the upper Nera. Stand in the piazza among its Renaissance palaces and visit the Gothic Collegiata. Leopardi's manuscripts, including L'infinito, are kept in the town. Try the ciauscolo, then on to Sellano.

Sellano is a compact walled town on a hill in the Vigi valley. Walk through its gates and bastions, then visit the octagonal church of Madonna della Croce. For a thrill, cross the high suspension footbridge towards Montesanto castle. Then on to Nocera Umbra.

The trip ends at Nocera Umbra, once known for its spring waters. Look for the rebuilt Campanaccio tower above the rooftops and step into San Francesco for the Matteo da Gualdo frescoes. Then head back towards Perugia Airport.