Walking Tours in italy

Walking in Umbria

Umbria is the heart of Italy and is less well-known to foreigners than its more cosmopolitan neighbour region Tuscany. Apart from the famous cities of Perugia and Assisi, Umbria boasts many small mediaeval towns, some dating back to Etruscan times, where traditional crafts still flourish, and some wonderfully spacious countryside, with an ever-pleasing mixture of farmland, woodland, and hills. In this idyllic landscape you will meet few other walkers on the paths and tracks

The famous River Tiber flows from north to south through Umbria on its way to Rome and the sea. Many places in the region are known for their wines, notably Orvieto, with its rich tufa soil. Other produce of the land includes olive oil, fine cheeses and honey as well as wheat on the more fertile soils. From the forests come truffles and wild boar ham.

From Assisi we cross the slopes of Monte Subasio to the town of Spello, which still retains its Roman walls surrounding the mediaeval centre. There are more important Roman remains at Bavegna, which you pass on the way to Montefalco, another ancient walled town set among vineyards and olive groves. Our route then crosses the woods and pastures of the Monti Martani hills, before descending to the river Tiber.

The 6 day tour ends at Todi, a delightful small town with walls dating from Etruscan, Roman and mediaeval times. From Todi it is another 3 days leisurely walk to Orvieto passing Avagliano Umbro with its interesting fossil forest and the ancient village of Montecchio, from where panoramic views extend to Monte Fiascone and to the volcanic Monte Amiata in southern Tuscany.

The 9 day tour ends in Orvieto, originally an Etruscan settlement crowning a precipitous hill-top. A network of mediaeval streets surrounds the renaissance cathedral. The surrounding slopes are largely given over to vineyards, source of the famous dry white Orvieto Classico.

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