A slow visit perfect to admire landscapes and get in touch with nature spirit.
Mountains, hills, lakes, rivers and enchanting medieval towns: Umbria has a wide variety of landscapes, and bike could be the perfect choice to visit them, immersing yourself in nature through trails and dirt roads.
Far from the usual tourist itineraries, the morphology of this territory and its traffic-free ways make Umbria the ideal place to bike and live slowly, avoiding a one-off visit that doesn’t let you know the authentic essence of the region.
Here, you can cycle along about thirty tourist routes of different lengths and road surfaces, suitable for expert cyclists but also for beginners; the main itineraries go along the principal rivers or on the layout of no longer used railroads, but there are lots of minor ones linked to them.
Umbria Region has cataloged its bicycle paths in 3 groups – easy, intermediate and difficult – on the strength of different tastes and possibilities; they cover the most part of the Umbrian territory and represent a starting point that everyone can extend.
Beginners and families can enjoy their ride from Spello to Assisi, on the flat area of Valle Umbra or alongside the cycling lane which connect Bevagna and Spoleto, admiring the beautiful gentle hills around them; while in the province of Terni they can’t miss the itinerary between the Lago di Piediluco and the marvellous Marmore Waterfalls, and that from the ancient town of Acquasparta to the Roman ruins of Carsulae.
Intermediate cyclists can go along the Lago Trasimeno’s shores, through the Strada del Vino dei Colli del Trasimeno (Colli del Trasimeno wine route) and the Strada dell’Olio DOP (D.O.P. Olive oil route), discover the territory of Sagrantino or ride from the ancient town of Narni to the archeological site of Ocriculum, an ancient roman harbor situated along the Tiber river.
Competent cyclists can choose an hard path between the Tiber river and the Lago Trasimeno, a wearing itinerary through Valnerina from Spoleto toward the peaks of Umbria-Marche Apennines or the colorful plain at the feet of Norcia and Castelluccio, but they also can discover Orvieto and Todi – two splendid artistic towns – passing around the Lago di Corbara or leave from Perugia and follow San Francesco’s footstep up to Assisi.
If you need further information about these (and many other) itinerary proposals, have a look here!
Last advice: download Bike In Umbria App, a guide about 71 regional bycicle paths, gathered into 3 main areas (mountain biking, road bike and trails).
