Travel program
1° day: ORVIETO
Meeting with guide and start of tour; Underground Orvieto: tour of the underground part of the city where, in the course of 2500 years, the inhabitants dug out an incredible number of caves in which centuries of history unfolded, from Etruscan to Medieval and Renaissance times.
Free for lunch.
Afternoon continuation of tour to the above the ground city of Orvieto: the Duomo, important example of Italian Gothic architecture with its Cappella di San Brizio, one of the cornerstones of Italian Renaissance painting dedicated to the Bishop, protector of the city, the Pozzo di San Patrizio, whose name was inspired by the Irish Medieval legend of the Purgatory of Saint Patrick, the adjacent Belvedere Temple and the Albornoz fortress.
At the end of the tour, dinner in hotel and overnight stay.
2° day: SOVANA / PITIGLIANO /ORVIETO
Breakfast in hotel and departure in coach for Sovana. Guided tour of archeolgical park “Città del Tufo”, characterized by its “tagliate”, roads dug out of the tuff rock and probably used to reach the burial places and later used as ancient communication routes. The itinerary passes through the Cavone, one of the most beautiful dug out roads in the territory, leading to the Tomba Ildebranda,the most famous monument in the city’s necropolis. Here starts the uphill stretch in the direction of Via Cava di San Sebastiano, bringing visitors to the beginning of the Via Cava di San Giuseppe, one of the most picturesque of the “tagliate”, which, after reaching the bridge over Fiume Lente, climbs back up again to Pitigliano. The trip concludes with a walk through the town’s streets, packed with little artisan workshops.
Packed lunch.
Return to Orvieto late afternoon.
Dinner in hotel and overnight stay.
3° day: CIVITA DI BAGNOREGIO and LA VALLE DEI CALANCHI, BOLSENA / ORVIETO
Breakfast in hotel and departure in coach for Bagnoregio. Here begins the footpath leading to the Bucajone tunnel, carrying on to the defensive tower made of tuff called the Montaione. Moving on along a narrow path, visitors arrive at the top of a ridge from where the Calanchi di Ponticelli, the massive clay walls, can be admired.
Return to Civita and free for lunch.
Afternoon visit to the small town of Bolsena, situated on a slope along the north eastern shore of Lake Bolsena, offering bathers its crystal clear waters and known as one of the cleanest lakes in Europe. The most important monument in the town is the Basilica of Santa Cristina, rising above the catacombs formed around the tomb of the Saint, martyred by the Emperor Diocleziano in around 304. The basilica has been altered over the centuries, combining a variety of architectural styles which make it one of the most remarkable religious architectural structures in the area. The town is also known for the miracle of the Eucharist that took place in the thirteenth century, after which the Pope instituted the feast day of Corpus Domini for all the church. Testimony to this miracle has been conserved partly in the Basilica of Santa Cristina and partly in the Duomo of Orvieto.
Return to Orvieto after the visit.
Dinner in hotel and overnight stay.
4° day: ORVIETO – TODI – SPOLETO
Breakfast in hotel. Departure in coach for Todi and urban trekking.
The city, defined by world statistics as “on a human scale”, occupies a panoramic position on one of the hills dominating the central valley of Umbria and is famous as the birthplace of Jacopone, Italian poet and religious figure of the thirteenth century. The city has conserved a vast variety of medieval buildings, rich in history, like the Church of San Fortunato, the Cathedral consecrated to Santa Maria Annunziata and the Palazzo del Capitano del Popolo. Without doubt the most significant building of the town is the Church of Santa Maria della Consolazione, which is also known as the Temple of Bramante, to whom the project, considered a symbol of renaissance architecture throughout the world, has been attributed.
Free for lunch.
Free time in the afternoon for individual activities then departure for Spoleto.
Arrival in Spoleto and check-in at hotel.
Dinner in hotel and overnight stay.
5° day: SPOLETO and surrounding area
Breakfast in hotel, meeting with guide and trekking in the area around Spoleto. The itinerary passes through the Giro dei Condotti, a beautiful natural pathway flanking the slopes of Monteluco. Its name derives from the fact that the pathway lies upon the pipelines of the ancient aqueduct of Cortaccione, the first work of hydraulic engineering that enabled drinking water to be transported to the city of Spoleto. The second part of the itinerary crosses part of the Sentiero degli Ulivi, a road that winds its way from Spoleto to Assisi through the olive tree covered hills that characterize the Umbrian territory. This part of the itinerary terminates in the town of Eggi.
Packed lunch
Return to Spoleto by coach and urban trekking in the city, homeland of the Festival dei Due Mondi. Visit to the city’s most well-known monuments: the ancient Teatro Caio Melisso, the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta and the Ponte delle Torri bridge.
Dinner in hotel and overnight stay.
6° day: VALNERINA – SPOLETO
Breakfast in hotel and departure in coach for the Valnerina. Meeting with guide and beginning of walk: the itinerary starts from Scheggino, a medieval town next to the river Nera, passing on through two small medieval towns, Sant’Anatolia di Narco and Castel San Felice, where the tour stops to visit the magnificent Abbazia dei Santi Felice e Mauro. The abbey, built towards the end of the XII century, is in fact the result of the restoration of a pre-existing religious building, work of the Benedictines after the nearby marshes had been drained. A legend dating back to this time recounts that San Felice defeated a fierce dragon that had been ravaging the surrounding lands. Finally, the itinerary ends in the Vallo di Nera, one of Italy’s most beautiful small towns, located in one of the most fascinating areas of the Valnerina where the narrowing of the valley has created gentle hollows and small, winding valleys.
Packed lunch.
Return to Spoleto by coach in the afternoon.
Dinner in hotel and overnight stay.
7° giorno: SPOLETO
Breakfast in hotel and end of tour.
