Umbria self guided walking holiday, Italy

Description of Umbria self guided walking holiday, Italy

This self guided walking holiday allows travellers to discover the green heart of Italy within the centrally located region of Umbria. This lesser-visited area is incredibly beautiful with small towns and villages scattered across a typically Italian landscape featuring olive groves and vineyards. Ancient cultural heritage abounds within authentic local products, among them the tastiest extra virgin olive oil in Italy (especially the one from Spello) and some of the noblest wines, including Sagrantino and Rosso di Montefalco, best enjoyed in at a wine cellar in Montefalco.

You’ll hike for around 10kms per day along unknown Etruscan paths and ancient Roman roads to medieval villages like Montefalco, Bevagna, Cannara, Spello and Assisi. Each village is like a jewel waiting to be discovered; places where you can enjoy freshly made food and wine and chat with local people. Walking through the narrow streets you can imagine that you are in ancient times and you will be able to easily appreciate the historic links between cultural heritage, cuisine and wine, and traditions that make Umbria a wonderful place from where to appreciate the Italian way of life.

In the small hillside town of Montefalco you’ll find “the balcony of Umbria” which is famed for its breathtaking panoramas. There is also the San Francesco museum, which features the Benozzo Gozzoli frescoes and one of the Nativities painted by il Perugino. Traditional lace and cloth work is on display throughout the town as are several cellars offering regional red and white wines.

In Bevagna you can visit the incredibly well preserved Roman and medieval buildings and enjoy local dishes in one of its small taverns. From Bevagna you can walk to Cannara, a little medieval town built on the banks of the river Topino. The name Cannara is derived from “canna,” meaning rushes, indicating that the land was once underwater.

Spello is another little jewel of a town that maintains all its features from the past. For the art lovers, Spello is well known for its wonderful frescoes by Pinturicchio which can be found in the 12th century church of S. Maria Maggiore. You will also find a couple of excellent enoteques (regional wine stockist) and two extra special restaurants.

Collepino is a very small village, the perfect place to pause for thought on a self guided walking holiday in Umbria. We suggest taking in the old aqueduct, the well preserved remains of the castle and the Romanic Abbazia.

Last, but not least, a visit to Assisi. You can reach it through two different paths: “sentiero degli olivi” (the olive groves path) or the Saint Francis’ path. Sightseeing in Assisi will no doubt consist of the Basilica di San Francesco, Giotto’s frescoes on the Upper Basilica, several chapels and the crypt in the Lower Basilica. Moreover, you can walk for an entire day admiring the Basilica di Santa Chiara, the Duomo di San Rufino, and walk uphill to the Eremo delle Carceri.

Umbria really is an excellent option for responsible travellers interested in self guided walking against an authentic rural backdrop, far from the crowds flocking to neighbouring Tuscany.