dossier

Walking in Umbria

Travel Information

Season:   April to November. 

Please note:  that dates between late June and late Augustcan be very hot for walking .

Arrival:  The tour starts in Assisi.  From Rome (Fiumicino) airport shuttle train(half-hourly service)  to Roma Terministation, then by train to Foligno and local train to Assisi.  Buy one-way through  tickets to Assisi at theairport train station. Combined train fare including inter-city supplement isaround 21 Euros (US$ 25).  Journey timefrom Rome to Assisi around 3 hours.  Or fromFlorence by train to Assisi, changing trains en route at Terontola. Bus or taxifrom Assisi station to Assisi (8 km/5 mi). The bus service is half-hourly and takes 20 minutes. Or from Siena bybus direct via Perugia: 2 hours. Journey from the airport to the first hotel is not included in the tourprice.

End of Tour: The tour ends after breakfast eitherat Todi on Day 6 or at Orvieto on Day 9. From Todi taxi or bus to train station, then train to Roma Termini,changing trains en route at Terni (journey time approx. 2 hours); or, from Todiby train to Florence, change trains twice en route at Perugia and at Terontola(journey time approx. 4 hours).   FromOrvieto taxi or public bus to station then direct train to Roma Termini (1 hour20 mins) or to Florence (1 hour 40mins). From Roma Termini shuttle train everyhalf hour to Rome Fiumicino airport.  Iftraveling to Rome book through tickets to Rome airport from Todi orOrvieto.  None of these transfers isincluded in the tour price. 

Level of Difficulty
Grade:  Moderate. The walking is not technicallydifficult, but there are many hills (up and down) and some rough surfaces. Itis especially demanding in hot weather. Some days are long, and there will besome full walking days, although there are on occasion options for shorteningdays by taking public transport, or with the judicious use of taxis.

Fitness: Highstandard of fitness is not necessary but clients should be able to walk at asteady pace for up to 7 hours a day in hot sun on dusty, hilly terrain.

Waymarkingand Maps:  There areonly a few waymarked trails and in general it is necessary to follow ourspecially researched route descriptions provided together with the maps, whichare at 1:50,000 (tourist) and 1:25,000 (military) scales.   The military maps are uncoloured and someof the detail is very out of date.  Thetourist maps are more up-to-date but only provide partial coverage.  The walking route is highlighted on the mapsand the accommodations are marked.     

Accommodation & Meals
Accommodation and meal arrangements are on a half-board basis(evening meal, bed and breakfast) for  4 nights on the 9 day ; andfor 2 nights on the 6 day tour ; bed and breakfast only in the larger towns(Assisi, Todi and Orvieto) where there is a good choice of restaurants for anevening meal.  Picnic lunches are notincluded in the tour price, but materials may be purchased in the towns andvillages where you stay, or a picnic lunch pack can normally be obtained fromyour hotel. According to Italian Law, all restaurants, including those inhotels, must close on one night each week, so it may happen that customers aregiven a voucher to eat dinner at another nearby restaurant.

Please note that on occasion when we cannot get you into our normal accommodationsas listed below, we will offer you hotels/agriturismos of a similar standard toour original choice.

Night 1  Assisi.  A smallfamily-run hotel in a quiet back street just off the town's main square, Piazzadel Comune.  There is  a wonderful view over the town and theUmbrian plain from its pretty terrace garden.

Nights 2 & 3   Spello. A 3* hotel in the historic old town near the Augustus Gate. It is anelegantly restored building from the 18^th Century.  The hotel's terrace has a fine panorama overthe Umbrian plain. 

Night 4  Montefalco. Here there are two possibilities.  Our first choice is normally an agriturismo(country guest house)  It is only ashort walk (800m) from  this  small historic  town.  Most of ourcustomers stay here and it has been well praised by previous clients.   As an alternative (supplement payable)there is a 3* hotel in the historic centre of the town. The hotel shares itsstructure with the mediaeval church of the village.  All the rooms are modernized and well-appointed. 

Night 5  Todi.  When available (itis normally) our first choice in Todi is a small but particularlywell-appointed residence d'epoca(period town house) in the historic centre. Otherwise we use a 3* hotel with a swimming pool 15 minutes walk fromthe Porta Romana  (Roman Gate). 

Night 6 Asproli. Our first choice is very comfortable accommodation withfully en suite rooms and its own attached restaurant in a restored countryhouse dating from the 16th century. An idyllic situation in the hills west ofTodi; the attached farm includes olive groves and cereal fields. Produceincludes oil, wine, truffles, honey and preserves.   When fully booked our second choice is another well-appointedfarm guest house in the same rural area, also close to the village of Asproli.

Note: it is not always possible to secure accommodation in Asproli due to thevery limited accommodation here. If this is the case then you will walk asnormal to Asproli and we will organize for a taxi to collect you at a certainpoint and time, you will then return to Todi for the night. The following morningthe taxi will collect you and drop you in Asproli so that you can continue yourwalk as normal to Montecchio. Sherpa will cover the additional taxi transfers.More details of this arrangement will also be given in the route notes.

Night 7 Montecchio.  One of two small agriturismo (farm guesthouses, both of them on working farms) set at around 350m above sea level  in quiet countryside near the village ofMontecchio. One of the farms produces grapes, olives, cereals, sunflowers,truffles and other fruits and vegetables as well as goats and pigs!  'A quiet and peaceful oasis surrounded by 36acres of wood, olive trees, vineyards, truffle grounds and green pastures.'  The other is slightly larger and has a widerange of produce, including jams and honey.

Night 8 Orvieto. 3* hotel on the mainstreet of  the historic town, CorsoCavour.  The rooms have private bath,TV, radio, mini-bar and direct dial phone. Buffet breakfast served in a pleasant breakfast room.

Escorted tours 2008

*Sat March 29 - Sun Apr 6

  *“Research& Development”. The tour starting on the 29th of March has been designated “Research & Development”.  This means that the leader will be checkingroutes and possibly trying out new variations during the trip. Historicallythis has been done without clients in tow but we thought that some clientsmight like to take advantage of lower prices and join the trip with apioneering spirit and the acceptance that on occasion they may have to retracesteps to find the way or take a break while the leader checks out theroute. 

Extra nights
For those who wouldlike more time to explore any of these fascinating towns & cities, youcould consider an extra night in Assisi or in Orvieto.  We can also arrange an extra night in Romeor Florence. 

Outline Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive Assisi. Youshould take the opportunity to explore the mediaeval city of Assisi . You canjoin the crowds to visit the upper and lower Basilicas of St Francis, although you can normally visit the lower shrineof St. Francis  early tomorrow from06:30 if you want a morequiet time. However there is plenty more to see, including the Duomo (cathedral) on PiazzaRufino and the Temple of Minerva on the Piazza del Commune.  There are numerous other churches of whichSan Pietro (13thC) and the Basilica of Santa Chiara are  perhaps the most interesting. The interiorsof some of these buildings may not be accessible at certain times.  Overnight Assisi.

Day 2: There is a choice of two walking routes from Assisi (420m) to Spello(220m): either an easy-to-moderate traverse of the farmed and forested lowerslopes of Monte Subasio, following lanes and tracks (8 miles/13km/4hours),  or a more strenuous route, muchof it on footpaths (12 miles/19km/6 hours), which crosses the open summit area( 1290m) above the trees within the confines of the National Park. Both routesstart very steeply. You should have some very fine views across the Val di Spoleto to the Martani Hillswhich you will cross later in the week. On arrival in the mediaeval town of Spello  there are more antiquities, including the church of Santa MariaMaggiore which contains frescoes by Pinturicchio and  two Roman gates and a Roman arch.  Overnight Spello.

Day 3:  Asyou have 2 nights in Spello, today we advise that you take the train to thenearby town of Spoleto and then do a circular walk, starting from thechurch of S.Pietro, rising up to the monastic church of S.Giuliano, passing thesmall hamlet of Monteluco, finishing at the Roman bridge below the fortress ofSpoleto. Before you start and at the end there is a suggested walk throughoutSpoleto visiting the several sites and the narrow roads. Apart from the firstascent to S.Giuliano the walk is not that difficult and will take you about 3hours. A good combination is to visit the town and the surrounding forests.Take a flashlight with as you need to go through a dark tunnel.

Day 4: The firstpart of today's walk is relatively gentle, as you cross the low ground of theVal di Spoleto which is largely agrarian fields, orchards and vineyards.  Around lunchtime you reach the mediaevalvillage of Bevagna (225m) on the ancient Via Flaminia, described by The Rough Guide as 'even more serene and handsome a backwater thanSpello, with a central piazza of austere perfection...two of Umbria's finestRomanesque churches'.   If lunch inBevagna turns out to be too filling there is a bus service on to the hill townof Montefalco (472m) - otherwise it's a gradual uphill walk with a bit of asting in its tail.  Montefalco, the'Balcony of Umbria', is celebrated for its panoramic view over vineyards andolive groves back over the Val di Spoleto, for its 14th century ramparts andfor its famous local dry red Sagrantino wine(but note: Sagrantino Passito isa sweet wine!).  12.5 miles/20km/6  hours. Overnight Montefalco.

Day 5: After breakfast you will have a transfer southwards across theundulating plateau of farmland and wooded hills to the remote hill village or borgo (fortified hamlet) of Giano dell'Umbria (546m), surrounded by olive groves and pastureland. Then walk across moredelightful hilly Umbrian countryside today as you approach Todi. Today you willcome out onto high moor and grassland, before descending through the forestsonce again, this time to the town of Massa Martana, from where there is a busservice to Todi.  Todi  is, like many other Umbrian towns, built ona hill.  There are Etruscan and Romanwalls, mediaeval streets, Renaissance palaces and the magnificent Renaissancechurch of Santa Maria della Consolazione. There is plenty to see here. Overnight Todi.  (7.5miles/12km/4 hours) walking to Massa Martana.  

Day 6: Either (6-day tour) Depart Todi by taxi to train station, thentrain to Roma Termini, changing trains en route at Terni.  Journey time 2 hours. Book through ticketsfrom Todi to Rome airport. Or     (onthe 9 day tour) Todi to Asproli Today's walk is relatively short, so there istime for some sightseeing in the morning. An easy walk into the hills west of Todi.  Overnight Asproli. Your accommodation is in a delightful ruralsetting tonight amongst the Almond and Strawberry Trees. (8miles/13km/4.5 hourswalking). 

Note:it is not always possible to secure accommodation in Asproli due to thevery limited accommodation here. If this is the case then you will walk asnormal to Asproli and we will organize for a taxi to collect you at a certainpoint and time, you will then return to Todi for the night. The following morningthe taxi will collect you and drop you in Asproli so that you can continue yourwalk as normal to Montecchio. Sherpa will cover the additional taxi transfers.More details of this arrangement will also be given in the route notes.

Day 7: Asproli to a farm guest house near Montecchio.  A day's walk through the hilly countryside between Monte Croce diSerra and the Corbara reservoir (138m) which now occupies the valley of theTiber.  Overnight  on a farm near Montecchio (377m).  9.3 miles/15km (to Poggio Volara) or 12miles/ 19km (to Podere Casette).  Add2.5 miles/ 4km if including the diversion to Civitella del Lago. 

Day 8: Farmguest house near Montecchio to Baschi. Today you descend from the hills to approach the River Tiber at Baschi(165m). We recommend using public transport (bus and/or (on weekdays) train;not included in tour price) from Baschi to Orvieto Scalo to shorten the latterpart of the day's walk.  The distancewalked varies between 12 and 16 km (7.5 miles – 10miles) according to where youstart the day and whether you make the diversion to Montecchio village.  It is also possible (but considerablyfurther) to walk all the way to Orvieto Scalo. From Orvieto Scalo there is a funicolare(cable railway) to take you up to Orvieto itself.  Overnight Orvieto, a real gem of a city  with  several beautifulpiazzas and churches. On the one hand there is the magnificent  Gothic cathedral with some  alabaster lights and  the amazing (newly restored) frescoes bySignorelli. On the  other hand try tofind the  beautiful small church of St.Lawrence with its Etruscan (sacrificial slab) alter and the sky light fashionedin the form of Christ crucified.