# Hills of Umbria



## oarsman (Nov 6, 2005)

Less well known than its glamorous neighbour Tuscany, Umbria has a great deal to offer the cyclotourist. Some terrific sights - like Assisi and Orvieto, and much glorious riding. The towns here are smaller, the roads narrower, the hills steeper, the corners sharper and best of all the traffic is lighter. 

I stayed at an "agriturismo". I would recommend this to anyone who likes to stay put for a week or so and do loops on quiet country roads. But, they are mostly outside of towns and since I went with a non-cycling friend the car was a necessity. Strong cyclists not adverse to carrying groceries up steep hills from a town some distance away could escape without a car with careful planning and choosing places nearish to railway stations. Staying is such a quiet place was something of a relief after the crush of humanity in Rome. I posted those photos in a lounge thread: 

http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=190840

So, on to the Umbria photos. When I arrived it was pouring rain, but I spent some time unpacking the bike from its case and assembling it, by which time the sun had put in an appearance which meant I was able to take the bike out for a bit of a trial run. A few quick stops to adjust the brakes and derailleurs and all was fine. This first set of photos are from a number of loops I did in the area. I typically cycled for 3-5 hours, returning in the afternoon for lunch. Sometimes naps were involved prior to a bit of sightseeing in the car.

The place itself was an Olive farm named the "Casa Rondini" near the town of Montegabbione, not terribly far from the autostrada from Rome to Florence. It was, however, a very steep 7 kms down to the nearest town with a grocery store. We ate in almost every night. One night was "pasta night" where our hosts invited all their guests (8 of us I believe) to make homemade Ravioli - yum. Did a pizza night as well. Also lots of fun. I didn't post photos of those, since I don't really have the permission of the other guests to do so. But trust me... much tasty food and wine was consumed.


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## oarsman (Nov 6, 2005)

*More Hills, more Corners, More towns*

Umbria is quite sparsely settled, so while there are lots of little (very little) towns they tend to be spread apart. They also close up completely during the early afternoon. And I do mean completely. The hills are definitely a challenge. They tend to be rather short, but awfully steep. 15 or 17% is not unusual. The corners are also very sharp and the roads very narrow. Traffic is not bad, but the drivers can be sort of crazy. They rather like passing on curves for some reason. Some of the next group of shots try to show where the road actually goes. You should be able to get a sense of the gradients. The surfaces can be pretty much anything. I cycled on lots of gravel roads, which I always enjoy.


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## oarsman (Nov 6, 2005)

*a few more*

More of the same.... what can I say? These are from around Citta della Pieve, and points west, into Tuscany. There are three from an area near Assisi, one of the most amazing roads I have ever come across. Very narrow and steep. The shots do not do the road justice. Came across a tour company of cyclists here. Otherwise, I saw relatively few cyclists.


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## oarsman (Nov 6, 2005)

*Assisi and Todi*

Umbria is not just about the riding. We visited some great hill towns, including Assisi and Todi. Assisi is the home of the famous frescos (damaged in the earthquake in the late nineties) and of course that most favourite of saints - St Francis. It is also a pilgrimage town and can be bursting with tourists. Late afternoon is probably the best time to visit, the tour buses will have left by then. It is still quite busy, but tolerable. On feast days you can't get near the place. Photographing the frescos is not possible, but there are lots of images on the web such as the link below:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipe...es-entry-into-jerusalem-pietro_lorenzetti.jpg

The town of Todi is completely different. Perched up on a hilltop (like so many towns), it is almost perfect. Lovely squares, atmospheric streets and panoramic views.


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## oarsman (Nov 6, 2005)

*Orvieto*

Orvieto was my favourite town in Umbria. Got there in the late afternoon, just as the hordes were leaving. Spent a few hours wondering about, looking at the museum of Etruscan artifacts (not the best laid out museum, I must say), poking my head into this or that shop, hanging out in the piazzas eating gelato and later having a campari watching the kids kick a soccer ball about. 

The highlight though, is the Duomo. WOW. The outside is unbelievably ornate. I managed to get a couple of shots in different lighting conditions, but my little point and shoot camera wasn't really up to the task. The pink glow of the facade at sunset must be seen to be believed. And the inside is even better. It is austere, calming, harmonious. There is a rather scary last judgement in one of the chapels (very vivid imaginations these 15th century artists) which was said to inspire Michelangelo's Last Judgement in the Sistine Chapel (which I saw in Rome), but otherwise it is an elegant oasis. Many of the "windows" are alabaster, thin enough to let the soft glow of the sun into the dimly lit church. It might just be the most beautiful church I have ever been in.


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## snapdragen (Jan 28, 2004)

Wow!


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## sometimerider (Sep 21, 2007)

Very nice. Brings back memories of the week or so I spent (no cycling) in Tuscany last year. Visited Orvieto, but not much else in Umbria. The roads and hill towns are very similar (other than a few days in Florence, our time was spent in small towns - staying in Montepulciano). Yeah, I have a bunch of pics, but not cycling related.

I would have liked to try an agriturismo - maybe next time.


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## il sogno (Jul 15, 2002)

I swear I've walked those same streets in Assisi. 

I've never been to Orvieto. Looks like I'm gonna have to go there.


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## Mapei (Feb 3, 2004)

Glorious. A glimpse of heaven. Orvieto, especially, is killer. Next time, sneak a few interior shots in the churches. Turn off the flash. Let the camera's image stabilizer take care of the shake, or perch the camera on a pew. The Italians, at least, could care less that you're taking a shot or two, if you do it discreetly.


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

Lovely, lovely, lovely.

Ever since you announced you were planning an Italian vacation I have eagerly anticipated this (and several more) post.

You have not disappointed.

BTW no food shots?!? :yikes:


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## FatTireFred (Jan 31, 2005)

did you ride the road named colle infinite?


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## Ridgetop (Mar 1, 2005)

Wow, brings back memories. We've been talking about going back for a couple of weeks but can't seem to figure out how to pay for it right now.

Fantastic report.


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## oarsman (Nov 6, 2005)

Mapei said:


> Glorious. .... Next time, sneak a few interior shots in the churches. Turn off the flash. Let the camera's image stabilizer take care of the shake, or perch the camera on a pew. ....


"image Stabilizer"? Hmmm, I wonder if my little camera has that. It could, I suppose, but I've never noticed it.

I did notice the occasional photo being taken, and did take a couple here or there, but the Orvieto Duomo in particular is very dimly lit (except for one chapel with the Fresco of the last judgement I referred to above) and there they did care about photos being taken. There are some in the public domain such as these ones:

https://www.fmschmitt.com/travels/I...wiki_public_domainSignorelli_Resurrection.jpg

https://www.italyfarmhousesrental.com/cities/Orvieto/img/last_Judge.jpg

In a strange way, I don't mind not being allowed to take photos in some of these places. Flash can actually damage things of course, but even a non-flash photo seems intrusive in a way and somehow vaguely disrespectful. Photos also are hopeless at conferring the sense of space in these Cathedrals. Orvieto's Duomo, to me, was all about proportion, grace, use of different coloured stone and especially the opalescent windows filtering the late afternoon sun. I don't think any photo could do the place justice.


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## oarsman (Nov 6, 2005)

MB1 said:


> Lovely, lovely, lovely.
> 
> Ever since you announced you were planning an Italian vacation I have eagerly anticipated this (and several more) post.
> 
> ...


Thanks. And there will be at least four more posts. 

And sorry about the lack of food shots. Looking through the photos, I didn't take many at all. Now, that is partly because the friend I travelled with is easily embarrassed by me standing up and taking shots in the middle of dinner. So, searching through the photos, I did find these two, the first is Pasta night at the agriturismo and the second pizza night. The latter has the back of one of our hosts, Franco, the former the hand of one of the guests.


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## cpark (Oct 13, 2004)

I hate your gut..... 
Seriously, these are beautiful pix.
Glad you are having a great time.


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## oarsman (Nov 6, 2005)

FatTireFred said:


> did you ride the road named colle infinite?


haven't the slightest idea. The hills did, at times, seem to stretch off into infinity mind you.


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## rodar y rodar (Jul 20, 2007)

What beautiful towns, Oarsman! I`d love to wander through those alleys. What exactly is agriturismo? A series of farms that rents out space to guests? Did you arrange each stay individually in advance? Book a whole package? Maybe just wander in and look for a place to stay at the end of each day?


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## oarsman (Nov 6, 2005)

rodar y rodar said:


> What beautiful towns, Oarsman! I`d love to wander through those alleys. What exactly is agriturismo? A series of farms that rents out space to guests? Did you arrange each stay individually in advance? Book a whole package? Maybe just wander in and look for a place to stay at the end of each day?


The towns are fabulous: narrow alleys with unexpected little piazzas suddenly opening up beside you. 

Agriturismos are indeed farms that rent out space, usually apartments, to guests. They qualify for some special tax status in Italy as long as the income from the tourists stay below that of the farm itself. They are a particular form of what the Brits call "self-catering apartments". We found ours on this site:

http://www.ownersdirect.co.uk/Italy.htm

more particularly we stayed here in Umbria:
http://www.ownersdirect.co.uk/italy/IT1125.htm

and here in Tuscany (pics still to come, probably this weekend some time; this place was not actually classified as an agriturismo):
http://www.ownersdirect.co.uk/italy/IT479.htm

Most places seem to rent out on a weekly basis (some have flexibility). They always have kitchens, are usually located some distance from towns (though rarely terribly far, everything in this area of Italy is reasonably close together) and tend to have just a few suites. You can find ones at practically any price point and nearish to wherever you want to go.

While getting to them by bike is certainly feasible (if you don't mind taking your bike on trains and carrying your own gear), since I was the only cyclist, we rented a car. I would be happy going to both these places with only a bike as transportation; they are both quite well located. The "Casa Rodini" is within cycling distance of Todi, Assisi and Orvieto, though you would be faced with long days if you planned any sightseeing. The place in Tuscany was a perfect location - sort of smack in the middle of a triangle drawn among Florence, Sienna and San Gimignano. I would recommend lights, especially in fall or spring (best time to cycle) with the shorter days.


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