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Italy

Green Valley of Umbria

Self-Guided Family Bike Tour

Grade

1
2
3
4
5

Duration

8 days

Prices from

$1,255 P.P.
Child Discount Applies
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This charming Italian tour sees you cycling on quiet country roads with a beautiful backdrop of hills. Umbria has been praised for its pure beauty since the Roman era, thanks to its greenery, refreshing springs, mountain streams and waterfalls. The Skedaddle App will lead you through lively medieval villages and quaint towns in the green Valle Umbra such as Assisi, Spello, Foligno, Spoleto, Bevagna and Perugia. Due to the gentle nature of the trip, you'll have plenty of time to explore these towns.
The tour starts and ends close to Assisi, which rests on a mountainous branch of Monte Subasio.
This beautiful pilgrimage town with its narrow alleys, cosy squares and many medieval monuments will make an unforgettable impression. On your first day, the scenic route winds its way through the fertile valley to Campello sul Clitunno famous for its refreshing springs. After some exploring, you will take a short circular tour among olive groves to Spoleto. You will have plenty of time to visit this lively town, with many squares and lovely streets to wander. You'll have the chance to visit the Duomo with the frescoes of the Florentine painter Filippo Lippi, the Roman theatre, and the medieval bridge and aqueduct; Ponte delle Torri.
The second part of the tour will bring you to Torgiano and Perugia the capital of the province. You'll journey past Renaissance palaces, museums, impressive churches and tightly winding market streets. A short ride along the quiet country roads of the valley will bring you back to Assisi. Beautiful winding roads and charming views mean the best way to explore this region is in the saddle.
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Highlights

  • Cycling from one medieval treasure to the next along the Valle Umbra
  • Visiting the World Heritage Site of San Francesco di Assisi
  • Marvelling over Giotto’s art in the Basilica of Assisi
  • Enjoying a platter of Umbrian bruschette
  • Meandering the narrow streets of Spoleto
  • Sampling crisp local wines

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Itinerary

Day 1
Arrival in Perugia airport - Transfer to Assisi

You’ll be met on arrival at Perugia airport and transferred to Assisi (approx. 30 minutes), to your first hotel. After your transfer, your bikes will be fitted and a local representative will provide you with your route notes and maps, and will brief you on the adventures to come.

Day 2
Assisi to Casco dell'Acqua
17 Miles / 27 Kms Approx.
  • Meals: Breakfast
  • Ascent: 150 Metres Approx.

You’ll leave your hotel this morning and cycle along the slopes of Mount Subasio to Spello. There should be enough time for a wander around this charming ancient town, pleasantly situated on the southern slopes of Mount Subasio. In urban, architectural and artistic terms, Spello is an extremely interesting town, containing many features dating back to Roman and medieval times.

Spello is also called the town of flowers, because of its many colourful little alleys embellished with plants and flowers. The town is well-known for its special flower festival (‘infiorata’) for Corpus Domini.

After Spello you’ll descend to Foligno, deep in the valley. You’ll ride past the main square with its beautiful duomo with its Romanesque façade. Continuing along the lively main shopping street you’ll leave the town, and ride the last kms of the route across the fertile valley with its colourful fields and various waterways. Your country house is situated in the village of Casco dell’Acqua.

Day 3
Loop Ride to Spoleto
27 or 31 Miles / 44 or 51 Kms Approx.
  • Meals: Breakfast
  • Ascent: 150 or 300 Metres Approx.

This morning you can choose how far you’d like to ride, with 2 route options available. The shorter tour (44 kms) will see you heading out on a cycle path and back the same way, or the longer (and more varied) route (51 kms), will see you riding among fields and olive groves.

You’ll already be able to spot Spoleto in the distance, and you’ll be heading this way today. The castle dominates the hilltop on which the medieval part of the town is built and the centre is still largely inside the medieval town walls. Spoleto is known for its music festival ‘dei due mondi’, held in the first weeks of July.

There is plenty to see today, including the cathedral with its famous frescoes by the Florentine painter Filippo Lippi, the Roman house and theatre, with an annexed archaeological museum.

Leaving Spoleto both routes follow the cycle path back to your country house Casco dell’Acqua.

Day 4
Casco dell'Acqua to Torgiano
22 or 31 Miles / 35 or 50 Kms Approx.
  • Meals: Breakfast
  • Ascent: 100 or 450 Metres Approx.

Biking through an undulating landscape you will see Montefalco from a distance. At the foot of this town you will have the option to continue along the valley directly to Bevagna or to visit Montefalco itself. If deciding on the latter, you’ll first have to conquer a steep climb as Montefalco sits at 472m/1548ft above sea level. Worth it though for the panoramic views!

Montefalco is well-known for its excellent wines, Rosso di Montefalco and Sagrantino produced on the sunny slopes around the town. Of course it is almost impossible to leave the town without tasting them in one of the many wine bars.

From Montefalco you’ll go downhill to Bevagna. This town has a lovely medieval square with a fountain and two Romanesque churches. The square is a real meeting place for the friendly inhabitants of the town. After the last hill you will reach Torgiano, at the confluence of the rivers Chiascio and Tiber (Tevere).

Day 5
Loop Ride to Perugia
16 - 31 Miles / 25 - 50 Kms Approx.
  • Meals: Breakfast
  • Ascent: 250 - 600 Metres Approx.

Again today you have a choice to make, depending on how much energy you have!

You can either ride to the station in Ponte S. Giovanni, at the foot of Perugia and take the train or local bus into the town.

Or you can stay on your bikes and ride the whole way into Perugia. The town centre is a vibrant location, with its quaint alleys and characteristic town squares. The renaissance palaces, medieval churches, museums and many galleries will make a lasting impression. After your visit can can either return by train, or ride, back to the peaceful, hospitable town of Torgiano.

Alternatively – Close to Torgiano is the village of Deruta, which has, in part, managed to retain the highly distinctive features of its medieval buildings. Deruta is universally famous for its ceramics. The origins of this ancient art go back as far as the Etruscan times and nowadays the many local workshops still make excellent quality ceramics. Numerous Italian and foreign museums have pieces of Deruta ceramics on show, including the Victoria and Albert Museum. The town hall hosts the art gallery and the ceramics museum. The next stop is the sanctuary of Madonna dei Bagni, built after a miracle that took place in the year 1657. Inside the church, there are more then 600 votive tiles, all testimony to the tradition of the Deruta ceramics. After the sanctuary you can choose to remain in the valley or have an undulating ride through a beautiful hilly landscape.

Day 6
Torgiano to Assisi
16 Miles / 25 Kms Approx.
  • Meals: Breakfast
  • Ascent: 250 Metres Approx.

Today you will cross the valley, cycling on quiet country roads. Assisi stands proudly in the distance, built upon a hilltop like many other Umbrian towns. Before reaching Assisi, you’ll have the chance to visit the Franciscan basilica in S.Maria degli Angeli. The humble little chapel ‘Porziuncola’ where Saint Francis came to pray still lies under its impressive dome.

After a short steep climb, you’ll reach the beautiful historical centre of Assisi. Once you wander through the town, you’ll agree that it was worth the effort. You will have enough time to visit some of the main monuments of the town, like the Basilica of Saint Francis with its beautiful frescoes by the painters Giotto, Simone Martini, Cimabue and Pietro Lorenzetti. Your overnight stay will be in the hotel where you started your tour outside Assisi.

Day 7
Assisi Rest Day
  • Meals: Breakfast

With so much to see in Assisi, today you have time to explore its surroundings.

From the Porta Cappuccini town gate, you can opt for a walk through a tangle of little alleys and medieval squares. You will pass by the remains of an amphitheatre, the medieval castle, the basilica of St. Francis, the temple of Minerva, the church ‘Chiesa Nuova’ and the basilica of St. Clare, finally walking down to the monastery of St. Damiano. You can then continue down the valley, back in the saddle, to the Basilica and then your accommodation.

Wine tasting can be arranged in a nearby local winery, please let us know if you would like us to organise this.

Day 8
Departure from Assisi - Transfer to Perugia Airport
  • Meals: Breakfast

Time to head to the airport for flights home (the transfer is approximately 30 minutes).

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The Cycling

Terrain

The tour will take you through a mixture of flat and rolling countryside, mainly on quiet country roads and cycle paths. The majority of the roads are tarmac (90%), with short sections on gravel (10%). Some roads will have local traffic, especially leading into the towns, but generally the roads chosen for this trip are quiet.

The road surfaces are in good condition overall, but there are a couple of sections that aren’t as well maintained. The trip is mainly along the Valle Umbra, but there is a bit of climbing. This includes heading up to hilltop towns, so around 1.5 miles/2-3 kms (such as Montefalco and Assisi, but the gradient is never more than 10%).

You have various options to choose from most days to make the tour a little easier or more challenging, depending on preference.

This tour is not suitable for road bikes.

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Family Cycling Grade

1
2
3
4
5
Grade 2 : Gentle

Distances generally of between 15-30 miles / 24-48 kms per day

For those looking for an easy-going route

Mainly on the flat

Some undulations and the odd cheeky climb

Our grading guidelines have been carefully created based on our many years of cycling experience, as well as customer feedback from our trips. Of course, if you're still struggling to figure out where you fit on the scale, do feel free to give us a quick call and we'll be more than happy to help!

For more information about our grading system click here.

Is this suitable for you?

Maybe you and your family have recently got into cycling and would like to do more over consecutive days, or maybe you‘re looking for a more energetic alternative to your usual vacation? If you’re looking for an opportunity to try some quiet, safe roads, cycle paths or some accessible, cycle friendly routes these trips might be for you. You’ll come across some gently undulating terrain and the odd cheeky challenge, so we’d generally expect those on a Grade 2 trip to ride their bikes relatively frequently at home, occasionally heading out as a family for some leisurely rides at the weekend.

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Dates & Prices

Daily departures available. The season prices below are per person and are applicable for all start dates between and inclusive of the stated dates.

2023 25 Mar – 30 Oct

Season 1 – $1255 25 Mar – 05 Apr, 15 Apr – 17 Jun and 04 Sep – 30 Oct

Season 2 – $1425 06 Apr – 14 Apr and 18 Jun – 03 Sep

We can offer the following discounts for children under 18:

5% discount for any child travelling with 2 fully-paying passengers

40% discount for any child sharing a room with 2 fully-paying passengers

Choose your date
Start Date
End Date
Duration
Price p.p.
Start Date
Return Date
--/--/----
Duration
8 days
Price
$1,255.00

Whats Included Tick

A) Hotel accommodation (shared twin/double rooms) in good quality 3* hotels

B) Meals as per the itinerary

C) Phone App navigation

D) GPX files on request

E) Local representative (with welcome meeting)

F) Luggage transfers

G) Airport transfer on scheduled arrival day from Perugia airport (PEG)

H) Airport transfer on scheduled departure day to Perugia airport (PEG)

What's not Included Cross

A) Bike rental (available if required)

B) Flights and charges for travelling with your bike (if applicable)

C) Single room (available if required)

D) Travel insurance

E) Meals not stated in the itinerary

F) Personal clothing and equipment

G) Personal expenditure (souvenirs, bar bills, hotel facilities etc)

H) Entrance fees to museums and other attractions

I) Possible city tax to be paid locally in cash (amount varies)

J) Train tickets on day Day 5 (approx €1.50 person and €1.50 per bike

K) Airport transfers on days other than the scheduled arrival/departure days

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The Essentials

Travel Options

This tour starts and finishes in Assisi.

Airport transfers are included in the cost of your holiday. We ask that you fly into and back from Perugia airport (PEG). Please aim to arrive between 09.00 and 16.00 and depart between 11.00 and 19.00.

Alternatively you can fly into either Florence airport (FLR), 180km from Assisi, or Rome Fiumicino airport (FCO), 190km from Assisi. Please bear in mind that transfers to Assisi are not included if arriving into either of these airports, but can be arranged on request. You can also make your own way by train from both Florence (approx. 3hr 30min) and Rome (approx. 2hr 30min) to Assisi, where your local representative can pick you up.

Most flights from North America require overnight travel, and a stop over in an intermediary airport, flying from North America may involve multiple travel days.

Please contact us for more detailed information on the specific flight schedules available for your holiday and please check with Skedaddle before making any travel arrangements.

Please note – If you make travel arrangements that fall outside of the above time windows there may be an additional charge for individual transfers.

Accommodation

On this tour we use good quality 3* hotels, some of which will have swimming pools.

Our hotels have varying facilities, ranging from air conditioning, wifi and restaurants to spas and wellness centres.

If you’d like some further info on what standard to expect please let us know and we can send you an example list of hotels.

Bike Hire

If you’d prefer not to bring your own bike along, we have bikes available to rent.

Rental bikes are typically Bottecchia Trekking 315 or 316 Lite hybrid / touring bikes (or equivalent) with semi slick tyres.

The bikes come with a bottle cage, one front and one rear pannier bag, a map case/holder, a puncture repair kit, bike pump and bike lock. We have both standard and step through frames available, please let us know if you have a preference!

We also have electric bikes available to rent, but only a small number, so these are available only on request.

For your family we have kid’s bikes, follow-me attachments, trailers and child seats.

We can provide helmets with the rental bikes – please request at the time of booking if you’d rather not bring your own along.

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