Florence to Rome

Rolling fields, Roman streets and religious monuments

This is a slow and easily varied itinerary for a journey that takes 90 minutes (and costs £14) by high-speed train. It offers a great way to see the countryside and hill towns of Umbria (umbriatourism.it), plus two fine Tuscan towns, along with a scenic ride through the uplands of Abruzzo (abruzzoturismo.it), one of Italy’s least-known regions.

First stop is Arezzo (1hr 10min; £9; arezzoturismo.it) to admire its main square, Piazza Grande, and the frescoes of Piero della Francesca in the church of San Francesco. Then it’s a 20-minute train journey to Cortona for the night – you will need a bus or taxi for the 20-minute ride from the station at Camucia-Cortona – followed by a morning to explore the sublime medieval town. Stay at the Hotel San Michele (hotelsanmichele.net; from £65).

Then into Umbria, past Lake Trasimeno, perhaps with a day in Perugia (turismo.comune.perugia.it) for its Etruscan- and Roman-era streets and the art-filled Galleria Nazionale. Then a definite overnight in pretty Assisi (visit-assisi.it), full of picturesque corners and home to one of Europe’s finest religious and artistic monuments, the Basilica di San Francesco. Stay at the no-nonsense Pallotta (hotelpallotta.it; from £50) or the smarter Fontebella (fontebellahotel-assisi.com; from £116).

Hop off the train a few minutes south of Assisi for an hour or so in Spello, a maze of medieval streets, and then give a day to Spoleto (spoletocard.it), perhaps Umbria’s loveliest hill town, before taking the train on to Terni. Treat yourself in Spoleto with a stay at the Palazzo Leti (palazzoleti.com; from £106) or save money with a night at Il Panciolle (ilpanciolle.it; from £64).

From Terni take the scenic line south for a night in Sulmona (3hr; £18) via a change in L’Aquila. Sulmona (visit-sulmona.it) is a delight, all airy piazzas and ancient streets, usually with not a visitor in sight. From Sulmona it is an easy train ride to Rome (2hr 30min; £11) via Avezzano.