FESTA - PALOOZA! - in Tuscany & Umbria
2008 Dates: July 2 to July 10
Terrain: Moderately Hilly | Daily Miles: 40 - 70 | Difficulty Level: 3
$4,295
Enjoy the Festival of Two Worlds, Umbria Jazz, and all the small town festivals that take place this time of year. There are so many great festivals that we changed the name of this tour from it's prior name - Spoleto Fest.
Read about our '07 tour recap!
Itinerary
July 2 - Spoleto - 30 Miles - Arrive in Spoleto, unpack, build your bike. Enjoy a flat, warm-up spin to the ancient site of the Fonte de Clitunno, orignally a Roman spring. Tonite we'll enjoy a concert in the piazza in front of the Cathedral. Our hotel for two nights in Spoleto is the beautiful Hotel Clitunno. See details of the "Festival dei Due Mondi" at www.spoletofestival.it
July 3 - optional Spoleto ride - 60 mile loop We climb up to the mountains ti Sellano to an area that is separated from the rest of the region by the Valnerina mountain range. We'll continue along the Nera River and visit the tiny hamlets in the green hillside. Along the way we'll stop at l'Abbazia di San Pietro in Valle to satisfy your daily culture requirement, and then continue through the rolling hills back to Spoleto. Tonite we enjoy a dance performance at the Roman ruin.
July 4 - Spoleto to Spello - 70 miles We'll ride to the charming towns of Bevagna and Montefalco and through the famed red wine regions of Sagrantino and Rosso di Montefalco. There's a great bike shop in Foligno on our way through the olive groves on our way to Spello. While in Spello, one of the most beautiful towns in Umbria, we live like royalty for two nights at the amazing Palazzo Bocci.
July 5 - Mt. Subasio loop ride or Visit to Assisi Ride back through the olive groves to Assisi, where you can visit the Church of San Francesco. The Giotto paintings are a radiant riot of color. If sightseeing is not your thing, enjoy a loop ride around Mt. Subasio passing through tiny towns like Armenzano and Collepino along the way.
July 6 - Spello to Castel Rigone - 55 miles We continue riding through Perugini hills. We'll stop at the Torgiano Wine Museum and then ride around Lake Trasimeno and climb up to the spectacular town of Castel Rigone perched high above Lake Trasimeno. For the next 2 nights we are guests at the beautiful Hotel Relais la Fattoria.
July 7 - optional Cortona loop ride or Rest Day Visit Lake Trasimano to buy ceramics, go for a boat ride, or visit the San Feliciano Fishing Museum. Relax at our beautiful hotel, or go on a challenging loop ride to Cortona. A pretty road in a cool, green forest gradually rises over the mountain and culminates with a fantastic descent. The road is lined with cypress trees and bright, red poppies as we wind our way down. We cross the valley riding through fields of every type of crop and climb up to the stone walls of Cortona. Inside the town center, we are transported back in time.
July 8 - Castel Rigone to Citta di Castello - 56 miles Today we'll cross the hills of little-known Umbria. From the lake we'll head towards the valley cut by the Tiber River, travelling through Umbertide until we reach Citta di Castello, medieval jewel of northern Umbria. Our final two nights are at the elegant Hotel Tiferno - the oldest and one of the nicest hotels in Umbria.
July 9 - optional Citta di Castello Sunday Club Ride 50 to 60 mile loop Join the locals on their exhilarating not-to-be-missed Sunday club ride. This morning is certain to be a highlight of your vacation.
July 10 - Citta di Castello - 30 mile loop Nine days of great sights, new friends, challenging riding and at least one colorful Italian cycling jersey and after our morning ride we're off to the airport or you can extend your stay to spend some more time in Italy.
Come early and enjoy extra time at the Spoleto Music Festival www.spoletofestival.it. Enjoy world class opera, jazz, dance and more. When the trip is done we will have had your bike cases transported to Citta di Castello so that they are waiting for you upon your arrival and you can leave directly, or if you prefer we can have your cases left in Spoleto. Extend your trip to spend some time in Rome. It's just over an hour from Spoleto.
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