Experiencing Fall in Umbria, Italy

Soon, the summer heat will fade away, and you will be experiencing fall in Umbria, and the vineyards will begin to blush with ripening grapes. Umbria—Italy’s green heart—transforms into a rich tapestry of color, scent, and flavor. Fall is perhaps the most magical time to visit the villages of Umbria. With its rolling hills wrapped in amber hues and medieval hill towns basking in golden light,. Village Vacations in Italy offers slow travel tours in Umbria, providing a quieter and more intimate experience.

Fall into the Colors of Umbria

From September through November, Umbria’s landscape undergoes a dramatic change. Forests of oak, chestnut, and beech turn fiery shades of crimson, gold, and rust. This is the season for long walks and panoramic drives. Valleys once green with spring growth become warm-toned patchworks of farmland and forest. I love how the hills of Umbria and Tuscany change colors with the seasons, and fall is my favorite.

Festivals of Fall Harvesting

Fall in Umbria is synonymous with harvest. It’s a time of abundance, and the locals celebrate with food festivals (sagras), wine tastings, and centuries-old traditions.

Dancing in the streets at a fall festival

Wine Tasting

Room with a view

Grape Squishing, Lucille Ball-Style: A Fall Memory to Stomp Into

Grape Squishing at its finest

If you’ve ever watched the iconic, I Love Lucy episode where Lucille Ball tumbles into a vat of grapes, laughing and wrestling with a local woman, you’ll understand why grape squishing holds a special kind of nostalgic joy. And yes—in Umbria, you can live that moment for yourself with Village Vacations in Italy! While the real winemaking happens behind the scenes, this theatrical tradition honors the ancient ways and celebrates the tactile joy of the harvest season. It’s one part comedy, one part history, and all heart. The only prerequisite is that you must dress up like Lucy.

 The Olive Harvest: Liquid Gold in the Umbrian Hills

First pressed liquid gold

Lunch on the terrace after olive picking

Visit in November and experience Umbria’s rolling hills come alive with the soft hum of harvest. Locals in boots and gloves dot the olive groves, nets spread beneath centuries-old trees as the region’s most sacred ritual begins: the olive harvest.

The olive raccolta is slow, careful, and deeply meditative. Workers—many of them families who’ve been tending these groves for generations—use long-handled rakes or even their hands to strip the small, firm olives from the branches gently. It’s a labor of love. With Village Vacations in Italy, you will join the locals in picking olives for a short time in the morning, enjoy a delicious lunch, and then head to the “frantoio” to watch the olives you picked turn into liquid gold. You haven’t lived until you have tasted fresh-pressed virgin olive oil slathered on a piece of freshly baked bread.

 The Quiet Beauty of Umbrian Towns

A father with his daughter enjoying a sunset aperitif after picking

Autumn brings a serenity to Umbria’s ancient towns, which are less crowded, allowing visitors to explore cathedrals, Etruscan ruins, and art museums at a leisurely pace. The mild weather makes it the perfect time for strolling cobbled streets or enjoying an espresso in a sun-drenched piazza. Assisi’s Basilica glows softly in the golden afternoon light, while Perugia’s Etruscan archways and medieval palaces seem even more enchanting under the crisp fall sky.

Seasonal Flavors 

This is just the appetizer!

Experiencing fall in Umbria and enjoying the region’s cuisine, which is rustic, earthy, and rooted in the land. The seasonal ingredients are abundant with every meal, which feels like a celebration of the earth’s bounty.

• Freshly picked porcini mushrooms appear in risottos and on grilled crostini.
• Game meats like wild boar and pheasant are featured in hearty stews.
• Sweet treats include roasted chestnuts, fig jam, and mustard grapes (mostarda).

With our chef, you will be treated to the seasonal cuisine of Umbria.

Experience Umbria in the Fall

Umbria in the fall is a sensory feast. The landscape is alive with color, the air carries the scent of earth and smoke, and the food is deeply satisfying. Umbria remains off the beaten path, especially in autumn, offering a more personal, authentic Italian experience.

Whether you’re a lover of food, a seeker of beauty, or a traveler craving tranquility, fall in Umbria delivers all this and more, and Village Vacations in Italy pampers you from pick-up to drop-off at Leonardo Di Vinci Airport.

2025 Fall Tours

 Our philosophy is Slow Travel, Unpack Once, and No Rush, allowing you to enjoy your time in each village we take you to. A fantastic opportunity to spend time in Umbria and Tuscany in a beautiful villa with everything arranged for you to truly enjoy and live “La Dolce Vita” for the week you are with us.

 Includes:

 Accommodations

Bountiful Breakfast every morning

Two lunches

 Dinners prepared by our chef and served with wine

Transfers from and to Leonardo Da Vinci Airport

Day Trip Transportation with Escort to

Assisi-Cortona-Perugia-Deruta

 Cooking Class

Vineyard Tour, Wine Tasting & Light Lunch

*Grape Squishing & vineyard tour with wine tasting & lunch at Le Cimate Vineyard in Montefalco.

*Olive Harvest Day in the Fall with lunch and a visit to the Frantoio & watch your olives get pressed into liquid gold*

Everything listed on the tour is included except airfare and travel insurance.

For more information, contact Nedra@VillageVacationsInItaly.com

Former flight attendant Nedra Bottieri made a life-changing trip to Italy twenty years ago to re-discover her family heritage. Now with dual citizenship, she has a second home in Umbria. Through her company, Village Vacations in Italy, she organizes and hosts small group tours based in small villages in Umbria and Tuscany, normally customized tours for private groups. Groups have included yoga workshops, writing workshops, and groups of family and friends. Nedra draws on her extensive experience and relationships to plan special accommodations and activities to meet each group’s needs and dreams. Experience “La Dolce Vita” in Italy! To learn more about her tours, see www.villagevacationsinitaly.com Slow Travel Tours is an affiliation of small-group tour operators who offer personalized trips in Italy, France and other European countries.