88 km

87 km

80 km

77 km

71 km

96 km

107 km

85 km

Umbria: Orvieto town tour

Crossing the volcanic plateau where Santa Cristina Castle is located, we head east passing by two picturesque towns on the way to the Orvieto valley in Umbria. Descending along a winding road between olive trees and vineyards, we will have a superb view of Orvieto nestled on top of a volcanic rock hill, dominated by its medieval walls and famous Duomo.

Besides the Duomo with its magnificent façade, the Maurizio Tower, Torre del Moro, and Saint Patrick’s Well are some of the sites we can visit.

Orvieto is also a temple to good food, good wine ( e.g. Orvieto Classico, a famous rounded white wine typical of the rich volcanic soils of the region), and of course Italian olive oil. Be careful not to overindulge dear cyclist! Resist food temptations if you can, because on the way back we will have to climb about 400m up the volcanic bank to reach the plateau above.

Tour of the Farnese Duchy of Castro

We head west of the castle where the land slopes gently down towards the sea. Touching Tuscany and the Maremma plains, we will cross the big open spaces of what once was the Duchy of Castro (around AD 1500). The route is easy to start with as it is mostly downhill and flat. We will pass by the towns of Farnese, Ischia di Castro and Valentano with beautiful palaces and towers, a glimpse into the regions glorious past.

The road then turns to the north and starts climbing slowly but consistently, crossing a couple of gorges. However, if you go down, you must come back up and we face a challenge to climb up 650m onto the hills above the castle.

Tour of the Farnese Duchy of Castro (VT)

Lake Bolsena and Ancient Hilltop Towns Tour

This tour borders the crater of Lake Bolsena (the biggest volcanic lake in Europe), going down through Gradoli village and following a scenic road along the water passing by the harbours of Capodimonte and Marta. We climb the hill where Montefiascone is set to have the best 360° view of the area from Umbria to the sea. Of course, as with all the other towns around, there is a fortress that once belonged to the Pope.

Descending along the old roman road we will again benefit from a magnificent view of the lake. Bolsena, the lake town will be our next stop, with its fascinating castle and the famous Santa Cristina church where one of the first miracles of the Catholic religion took place about 1000 years ago.

Tuscany; Pitigliano, Sovana and Sorano; Fortresses in the Rock

To the north west of the castle, entering the rolling hills of Tuscany, we find the fortress towns of Pitigliano, Sorano and Sovana. Pitigliano is known as “Little Jerusalem” because it holds one of the smallest Jewish ghettos in Italy and is also a famous wine producing area.

Sovana, a little gem of the region was once a famous Etruscan centre and has a number of 3 rd - 2 nd Century BC tombstones.

We will behold a breath-taking view of the XVI century Sorano fortress, built on the side of a gorge in a typical strategic defensive position: facing north.

This route keeps the cyclists attention as it undulates between steep hills and gorges. It is challenging but extremely beautiful.

Pitigliano (GR)

Small towns between Toscana and Lazio; A Taste of the Mountains

On the strip of land between Tuscany and Lazio, we find an ideal place for cycling. Beautiful scenery; mountains, hills and rivers will accompany us whilst our pedals are spinning.

We will visit a series of villages where time seems to have stopped. Onano, San Valentino and Montevitozzo are all positioned just below Monte Elmo, close to Mount Amiata. The road climbs into the mountains for 6 or 7 km, not too steeply but enough to keep our concentration and focus.

Proceno castle is on the last hill before the Paglia river valley, then we return back up along the old Via Cassia from Siena often used by the Giro d’Italia. At the top of the hill, before entering Acquapendente, one of our friends - Roberto awaits us in his bar with cold drinks at the ready! From there the castle is only 10 km away.

Under the Shade of Radicofani Tower

The imposing structure of the Torre di Radicofani, dominates the entire route like a Disney villains lair! It once belonged to Ghino di Tacco (considered a "Thief and a Gentleman," a sort of Italian Robin Hood).

We will climb in Trevinano for 10 km, on a bike-friendly rise, which has between the 21st and the 22nd kilometre, a straight stretch with an incline between 8 and 9%. We proceed for a further hilly stretch for 13 km in the direction for Celle sul Rigo, passing from San Casciano Dei Bagni. We have a downhill section for 4 km and then we will face a rise of 11 km which takes us to Radicofani, under the austere view of the tower. We will descend for a further 9 km until the SS Cassia. The next 17 km are along the Paglia’s Valley and we will climb again for 3 km until we reach Acquapendente. We will finally return to the Castle with 10 more km of gentle incline.

Mount Amiata: the big mountain

Mount Amiata is the irresistible challenge for all the local cyclists. After an easy, mostly downhill first part, following the old Roman Road along the river Paglia, we finally start the 28 km climb up along the mountain through Piancastagnaio and Abbadia Santa Salvatore. The road winds upwards, through chestnut woods providing both shade and beauty and past old mines that were once the industry of the area for a time that seems never ending. As we climb, there is a noticeable difference in the air which is both cool and thin. Finally we reach the top at 1734m ASL, a well-deserved stop to refuel and take some pictures and then we continue down the steep roads on the southern side of the mountain.

Watch out on the last part because for about 20 km there are ups and downs on the hills which are not to be underestimated. Finally we arrive at the castle after 107 km for some hard earned “Rest and Relaxation”.