Having returned from Alaska in July we felt the need for a bit of sun before the winter and so headed to Umbria to walk part of the Way of St Francis of Assisi, an ancient pilgrimage walk that follows in the footsteps of the Saint and our first visit to Umbria.
Wednesday 10th
Departed from Stansted to fly to Assisi. A period of stormy weather had hit Italy so it was fingers crossed for a smooth journey! As it turned out we were diverted into Rome and then had a two hour minibus journey to our hotel. Such is life!
We were staying in the Assisium Boutique Hotel which was very close to the the centre of Assisi. On arrival it was raining heavily so it was a quick sprint across the road to a very nice restaurant and an excellent meal with a bottle of very tasty red wine!
Thursday 11th
Awoke this morning to a dry but misty morning. The view from our room was over the roof tops towards the Cathedral of Saint Rufino where St Francis was baptised.
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| Morning mist and view towards The Cathedral from our bedroom. |
After breakfast we set out to explore Assisi. Being centred in the old part meant that we were out before the crowds so we could enjoy a less crowded view of things. Not far from the hotel we came across a wonderful cafe and cake shop the Gran Caffe that was to become our go to place for a drink and rest while in Assisi.
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| The Gran Caffe, Assisi |
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| Part of the range of mouth watering cakes available Assisi proved to be a fascinating city. Lots of pilgrims were visiting the church in which the latest Saint is buried but it was the Roman remains that I found more fascinating as were the narrow back streets and parks. Its amazing to think that it was hit by two earthquakes in 1997. The restoration has been amazing and it is easy to forget the impact that the earthquake had.
 We spent the day wandering the streets, enjoying very nice lunches and getting ready for excellent evening meals!  Saturday 13th September: Assisi to Spello: 16.3 km Time to hit the trail with our first days walking heading to the town of Spello. The walk started with a steep climb to St Francis' hermitage at Eremo delle Carceri. The climb through the woods reinforced the feeling that we had over-indulged in the last few days!  However on reaching the top the views across the landscape made it all worthwhile. After a short break we set off along tracks through the forest to Spello.  |
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St Francis of Assisi
The weather was glorious and by the time we arrived in Spello we were ready for a cold drink and as the hotel had a pool a long dip! Our room in the Hotel La Bastiglia was up a number of flights of stairs which after walking all day was a bit of a drag! However it proved to be very nice and after unpacking it was off to the pool for a cold beer and a long dip!
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| Cracking view from the pool |
Sunday 14th September: 11.5km
We did a circular walk from Spello today. The walk followed an ancient aqueduct to the village of Collepino, a fortified village its name meaning 'Castle of Wolves'. The route took us through beautiful countryside and as the weather was warm it was a really pleasant walk.
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| The route to Collepino following the aqueduct on the right |
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| The Aqueduct |
Collepino dates from the Middle Ages and was a charming place with narrow streets and excellent views.
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| Entering Collepino |
We picnicked below the watchtower before heading back to Spello along the flanks of Monte Subasio and through the woods.
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| Taking a few moments of peace in the forest. |
Returning to the hotel we dumped our backs and headed into Spello to explore the town and to stock up for the next day's walk. Spello was a really interesting place with great views over the rich fertile valley.
We stocked up on local cheeses, bread and meat for tomorrow and ate in a little cafe on the way back to the hotel.
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| Spello from a distance. Monday 15th September: Spello to Montefalco: 15.6km The next stage of our journey started at the town of Bevagna so we had a taxi to the drop off point. The walk towards Montefalco took us through vine yards and across farmland. The approach to Montefalco was uphill along the road which was not the best of way to approach this hill town. However on arrival we found a very nice cafe for a couple a cold drinks before we set out to our destination.   Our hotel was beyond Montefalco at San Luca. Sadly this part of the journey was not great. A lot of it was road walking and not very engaging. However our hotel at the end certainly made up for this! The Villa Santa Barbara was set in rolling gardens and had an excellent swimming pool which for quite a while we had to ourselves.  |
Tuesday 16th September: Montefalco to Spoleto: 15.8km
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| Approach to Montefalco |
Transfer to Trevi and opportunity to buy bits and pieces for lunch before we set out to Spoleto. A much better walk than yesterday taking us through woodland and olive groves.
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| Trevi |
The walk from here into San Giacomo was along a road and was a bit of a drag. From here we had to get a bus to Spoleto. As we had time to kill we enjoyed a cafe and cake in the cafe in the square. Somehow when ordering I managed to slip into spanish, much to the fun of the ladies behind the counter!
Following a very interesting bus ride we arrived at Spoleto and managed to find our hotel with a very grumpy receptionist! However the room was very pleasant and the hotel was oldy-worldly charming.
Wednesday 17th: Exploring Spoleto
What an amazing place! Spoleto is definitely a place to return too. An imposing fortress, ancient bridges and an aqueduct along with narrow streets and excellent food. I even had a burger and it was good!
The town also is well equipped with moving pavements to take you up the hill to the fortress and cathedral.
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| Spoleto's moving pavement |
We found a wonderful bar by the Cathedral and enjoyed a coffee and pastry while watching the world pass by.
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| The Piazza Del Duomo: cafe on the right! |
At the fortress we enjoyed the amazing views and I have never seen so many House Martins in my life!
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| The floor of the Roman House, Spoleto |
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| Around Spoleto: Ponte delle Torri |
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| Roman Amphitheatre |
Return to UK.
