And then someone tells you that it isn’t a figment of your imagination, this place exists. Its name is Umbria, the land-locked ‘green heart’ of Italy, also referred to as ‘the land of 20,000 saints’. Its history dates back 3000 years; it was here that the mysterious Etruscans and the ancient Umbrian people battled for ownership of the land.

The Etruscans have left their legacy all over the region in the form of tombs, arches, temples and strange stone tablets carved with a type of runic script. It wasn’t really until Roman times that the name ‘Umbria’ was used for the first time, and even today Roman houses, baths and aqueducts are still being uncovered. Umbria’ castles and towers testify to the many battles fought between Pope and Emperor, noble family, citizen and state throughout the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. It has also been a battleground in more recent times; in the Second World War, the German defense line, known as the ‘Trasimeno Line’ cut across the north west of the region, and was heavily fought over.

The population of Umbria is sparse, its area of 8456 square kilometres has just 850,000 inhabitants. Only two cities, the provincial capitals of Perugia and Terni, have more than 100,000 people living there. In the winter you will see perhaps a handful of cars on a 15 kilometre journey. Even in the peak of summer you are more likely to be held up by a tractor than a traffic jam. This is a place where you can breathe. There is space here.

Umbria was never part of the main highway to Rome and the South, and considered too far off the beaten tack to be included in the ‘Grand Tour’ of the 18th and 19th centuries. But it has always been on the itineraries of pilgrims, for Umbria is the birthplace o the patron saint of Italy, Saint Francis. He was born in Assisi 800 years ago and it was there that he started his religious order, giving up the trappings of a comfortable life to preach the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. He is famous for his love and respect for animals. Legend has it that he saved the Umbrian town of Gubbio from a savage wolf by preaching to the creature until it mended its ways!

He also wrote the first poem in the Italian language, his ‘Canticle of the Creatures’ which praises ‘Brother Sun and Sister Moon’. Outside Assisi you can see the small chapel of Porziuncola that Francis was called by God to repair in 1207. It is now covered by the dome of a much larger and more ornate church, Santa Maria degli Angeli. Visit the rose garden of the basilica where the blood-red streaked petals of the roses remind us of the night when the naked Francis threw himself on their thorns, the roses withdrew their thorns to avoid hurting him, and they have remained thornless ever since.

There is much more to see in Assisi itself: the Basilica of St. Francis, the Roman temple of Minerva and the underground museum containing the remains of the Roman forum.

Assisi is a popular destination for both tourists and pilgrims, but hotel accommodation is usually available with no problems. It is better to avoid the peak of the season, Sundays and religious holidays for obvious reasons.

About 25 kilometres north west of Assisi lies the region’s capital, Perugia. Dating from at least the 4th century BC its dominant position overlooking the Tiber valley meant it was to play an important part in Umbria’s history. Its streets have witnessed many bloody battles, including those fought during the 70 years of feuding between the Oddi and Baglioni families in the 16th century. A hundred murders in one night alone saw the streets literally running with blood. It was partly to keep these unruly citizens in check that Pope Paul III ordered the building of Italy’s largest fortress, the Rocca Paolina. It was so large that when the people of Perugia finally demolished it in 1848 it took them nearly 30 years!

The vaulted foundations of the fortress now house escalators leading from the carparks on the southside of the city to the Piazza Italia. Visitors using these escalators will find themselves passing through the fascinating subterranean street of Via Baglioni, and accompanied by the strains of Vivaldi or Albinoni can imagine what life must have been like all those years ago. The town council of Perugia has recently asked for it to be officially declared one of the wonders of the world!

Fortunately the only battle you are likely to encounter now on Perugia’s streets is the fight to win in the fashion stakes. Visit Corso Vannucci (named after the famous painter Pietro Vannucci – ‘Il Perugino’) at dusk, and you will see the ritual of the ‘passegiata’. This means ‘to walk’ or ‘to promenade’ and the well-dressed and stylish inhabitants of the city do just that, strolling around just to see and be seen. Of course visitors can and do join in, as do the students from the city’s two universities. One of these, the University for Foreigners (Università per Stranieri) is situated in Piazza Fortebraccia. It was set up in 1926 by Mussolini to promote Italian culture overseas. You can take courses in the Italian language or Italian art and culture and it attracts students from all over the world.

A visit to Perugia must include the National Gallery of Umbria in Piazzo dei Priori. There are 33 rooms of Umbrian painting, including works by Fra Angelico, Piero della Francesca, Pintoricchio and ‘Perugino’ himself. The city is also home to the National Archaeological Museum of Umbria in the cloisters of Umbria’s largest church, San Domanico in Corso Cavour.

Perugia has a range of hotels from 5 star to 1 star and there are places near the city which do bed and breakfast or ‘agriturismo’ (staying in a farmhouse). The city has excellent restaurants too, usually very reasonably priced.

Although Assisi and Perugia are probably the most well-known of the region’s attractions, they are only two pieces of the glorious jigsaw that is Umbria. There are hundreds of hill towns, villages and hamlets, some of them not even marked on the map, waiting for you to discover. Some are ghostly places, abandoned as the young people moved to the cities in search of work. Sometimes the only residents that remain are the old, the women still in the traditional black, the men weatherbeaten from a lifetime’s work on the land. You will see them sitting outside their houses having a chat, or tending their vineyards and olive groves.

If you tire of exploring the hill towns and yearn for a cool breeze and the refreshing sight of water then Umbria can again surprise you. Lake Trasimeno is one of the largest lakes in Italy, and is said to be the cleanest. Its maximum normal depth of 8 metres means it is a safe place for water sports of all kinds. Castiglione del Lago is the main lakeside town and is an excellent place to use a base for your holiday. Its sandy beaches allow you to swim and sunbathe against the dramatic backdrop of the town’s cathedral and castle. If you feel more energetic, enroll for a course at the windsurfing school. There is a regular ferry to two of the three islands in the lake, Isola Maggiore and Isola Polveses, either of which make a pleasant afternoon trip. Isola Maggiore has a restaurant and even offers accommodation (much in demand) should you be tempted to stay. Castiglione itself has a good range of hotels and some excellent campsites next to the lake. Restaurants offer the usual range of Umbrian cuisine, but you must try the area’s specialty : freshwater fish straight from the lake and cooked in variety of ways. Find yourself a restaurant with a view of the lake (try the one at the Hotel Miralago in the old town), have a wonderful dinner with some local wine and watch the moon rise over the silver shimmer of the water. Incredible!

Lake Trasimeno also has its story to tell. It was the scene of the great battle between Hannibal and the Roman general, Flaminius. Surrounded by Hannibal’s troops, the Roman army suffered one of the worst and bloodiest defeats in Roman history. The lake supposedly turned red with the blood of the massacred soldiers. You can visit the site of the battle at Tuoro on the north of the lake and follow the ‘learning trail’ which has been set up for visitors.

Of course Italy is synonymous with wine, and Umbria is no exception. If you go in October you will see the ‘vendemmia’ (grape harvest) in progress. The region produces about one million hectolitres a year from around 12,000 hectares of vineyards. Those statistics refer to registered wine, but many farmers grow grapes for their own consumption or to sell locally. If you stay on a farm offering ‘agriturismo’ you may well be offered some of the farmer’s own wine to buy.

The wine museum at Torgiano (about 10 kilometres from Perugia) is well worth a visit. They show how wine was made centuries ago and which techniques have been adopted for use today. Buy some ‘Torgiano Rosso’ too, which is a classic accompaniment to meat or game.

Perhaps the most famous Umbrian wine is the white ‘Orvieto Classico’. You could buy some from Orvieto itself. This city, built on a volcanic plug, is reached by funicular. It has one of the most beautiful cathedrals in the world. Catch it when the sun hits the stunning pillars and mosaics of its glittering golden facade to see why it deserves this reputation.

As far as food is concerned, the cooking is simple and good. The area is famous for its wild mushrooms, and of course the king of these is the truffle(‘tartufo’). Truffles are found in wooded regions and they need special and mysterious growing conditions. As yet they have not been raised commercially, but are only found by those ‘in the know’ aided by specially trained truffle dogs. The unpredictability and rarity of truffles means they are extremely expensive, in fact most farmers would rather find a truffle than a gold nugget.

It would certainly fetch more on the open market! The truffle season is from December to March, the knobbly object reaching its flavoursome best towards the end of March. The area most famous for truffles is Norci in the east of Umbria, although dishes using them are served all over the region. If you can, try pasta with truffles (pasta al tartufo) or croutons of bread with chopped truffles and olive oil (crostini al tartufo). If their taste wins you over that much you can buy a jar of them preserved in olive oil. Most delicatessens sell them, although you may find that they have lost some of their famous pungent aroma when you come to use them.

The staple meat of Umbria is pork. It comes in the form of salami, ham, wonderful spicy sausages, or as wild boar (cinghiale). A regional specialty is slices of whole roasted pig stuffed with fennel, garlic and spices (porchetta). At the many excellent markets which take place each week in the local towns, you will see vans selling porchetta served in a bread roll. Talking of bread, Umbrian bread is an acquired taste. It is baked without salt, a relic from the days when the local citizens rebelled against paying the salt tax by not using it in their cooking.