Festivals to Plan a Trip Around

Festivals to Plan a Trip Around

Each summer Umbria hosts two of Italy's biggest music festivals. Spoleto's Festival dei Due Mondi (www.spoletofestival.it), from mid-June through mid-July, features classical music and also ventures into theater and the visual arts. Perugia is hopping for 10 days in July, when famous names in contemporary music perform at the Umbria Jazz Festival (www.umbriajazz.com).

If you want to attend either event, you should make arrangements in advance.. and if you don't want to attend, you should plan to avoid the cities during festival time, when hotel rooms and restaurant tables are at a premium. A similar caveat applies for Assisi during religious festivals at Christmas, Easter, the feast of St. Francis (October 4), and Calendimaggio (May 1), when pilgrims arrive en masse.

If you've got a sweet tooth and you're visiting during the fall, head to Perugia for the Eurochocolate Festival (www.eurochocolate.perugia.it) in the third week of October.