Ms Kidd says...
This Headwater holiday was brilliant and we thoroughly enjoyed it. The food, particularly at the Albergo La Bastiglia, was generally fantastic. The only ...
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This 10-night linear trip is a great mix of wonderfully scenic walking and historic hilltop towns. The walks follow a mix of paths and trails, partly on the St Francis Way, partly on the 'Sentiero degli Ulivi', the Olive Grove Trail. Along the way, you explore the upper slopes of the 'bald mountain' Monte Subasio with stunning mountains vistas. You can discover the secluded hermitages of St Francis, pass the great Abbey at Sassovivo and wander the ruins of Campello Alto.
The walking is beautifully unhurried, retracing in part the trail St Francis took on his final visit to Assisi in 1226. It's a rural route brimming with rare flora and fauna, passing through olive groves dating back to Roman times. Stroll along pilgrimage trails through centuries-old forest and sacred woodland that has for years been tended and cared for by the Franciscan monks.
You stay in beautiful medieval towns: Assisi 'the town of St Francis' with its UNESCO-listed basilica; pretty Spello, which lies on the other side of Mount Subasio from Assisi; Trevi, standing on its hill overlooking the plains of Campello; Poreta, a tiny village with a restored hilltop castle and church, and finishing in Spoleto - the town of the amphitheatre and aqueduct.
The hotels we've chosen for this self guided trip are special too. From Renaissance-style palaces in Assisi and Trevi to a chic renovated farmhouse in Poreta. Food of the region is rustic, often called 'cucina povera'. The most typical pasta dish is Stongozzi, served with black truffles or a spicy tomato sauce, followed by simple grilled local meats and then a slice of pecorino cheese washed down with some superb wines. Sagrantino di Montefalco or red from Torgiano are just a sample. For a picnic lunch why not try the Umbrian staple, the porchetta sandwich - roast pig stuffed with herbs
The paths you follow are generally waymarked and well maintained. As there are frequent ascents and descents, you need to be reasonably fit and confident. Walking boots are essential and walking poles are recommended (but only if you already use them).
Arrive at your hotel, where you'll stay for three nights.
You stay at the Hotel Fontebella Palace (breakfast included)
A short transfer to pick up the Via San Francesco pilgrims' trail. Stroll through peaceful oak and pine woods and enjoy superb views as you approach the ancient town of Assisi. Call in at the San Croce chapel with its three-arched Ponte dei Galli, finishing off on a manicured trail through a 1,000-year-old forest to the majestic Basilica di San Francesco.
You stay at the Hotel Fontebella Palace (breakfast included)
Visit the basilica with its magnificent C13 Giotto frescoes and the commanding hilltop castle. Amble up Via San Francesco to the beautiful Piazza del Comune to visit the well-preserved temple of Minerva.
You stay at the Hotel Fontebella Palace (breakfast included)
Climb up Monte Subasio to the Hermitage of Asissi. Traversing a trail along the mountain you get unforgettable views of the Vale of Spoleto, before heading down into delightful Spello and your hotel for two nights.
You stay at the Albergo La Bastiglia (breakfast and evening meal)
Pink-stoned Spello is a well-preserved Roman town, with beautiful town walls, ruins of the old theatre and amphitheatre and thermal baths. Visit the church of Santa Maria Maggiore with its outstanding frescoes by Pinturicchio, the town's art gallery, annexed to the church, and the Palazzo Comunale Vecchio (Old Town Hall). Or perhaps take the train to Perugia the region's capital.
You stay at the Albergo La Bastiglia (breakfast and evening meal)
A short transfer this morning - Then follow the Sentiero degli Ulivi - the Olive Grove Trail - that connects Spoleto to Assisi. Spend time at the beautifully-restored cloistered Abbey of Santa Croce di Sassovivo and continue through woodland and olive groves to the hilltop village of Roviglieto - the highest settlement on the trail at 700m. Descend to Trevi for a picture-postcard view of this Roman gem on the slopes of Monte Serano. You'll stay here for two nights.
You stay at the Hotel Antica Dimora (breakfast included)
Explore this old theatre town with remnants of the Mura Romana (Roman Wall) and Mura Medieval (Medieval Wall) still encircling the town. The Teatro Clitunno is still one of the town's most important gathering places. Visit the Olive Oil Museum, housed in an ex-convent, and stroll around the main square, home to the 14th century Palazzo Comunale.
You stay at the Hotel Antica Dimora (breakfast included)
On the shared Olive Trail and Francesco Way, amble along to the hillside church of Madonna di San Arcangelo. Pass the secretive Eremo Francescano (Convento Pissignano) and explore the ruins of 10th century Castello di Campello Alto. Then meander down to Poreta and your hotel for the next two nights, where dinner is included in the converted stables.
You stay at the Borgo della Marmotta (breakfast and evening meal included)
Borgo della Marmotta is a perfect place to unwind for a day or two. Relax on a lounger by the pool with a good book, soak up the sun in the hotel gardens, or pamper yourself with one of the wellness sessions. Or follow small country roads down to the village of Campello sul Clitunno and visit the Roman Springs and temple of Clitunno.
You stay at the Borgo della Marmotta (breakfast and evening meal included)
Pass through the typically Umbrian villages of Santa Maria Reggiano, Bazzano and Eggi. From Eggi, the St Francis Way leads you along back lanes to the bustling town of Spoleto. Or take the old Olive Trail high up onto the former railway line that used to run from Spoleto to Norcia. Cross the 60m-high Cortaccione Viaduct for a superb view back over your week's walking.
You stay at the Hotel Charleston (breakfast included)
During your holiday you stay at the following hotels. If you'd like to extend your time at any of these or, if you'd like to enhance your stay with an upgraded room, just let us know at the time of booking.
To find out more call our sales team on 1-800-267-3347, use our live webchat or email usa@exodustravels.com
Find out more on the hotel website.
Read customer reviews on Tripadvisor.
NEARBY:
Room upgrades: Superior room with valley view.
Superior rooms offer more space and a view of the Umbrian Valley.
Extra nights: Please contact us for details.
Find out more on the hotel website.
Read customer reviews on Tripadvisor.
Room upgrades: Deluxe Room or Junior Suite
Deluxe rooms are larger with a balcony and bathroom with a bath. The Junior Suite includes a Jacuzzi in the bedroom and a panoramic terrace with solarium.
Extra nights: Please contact us for details.
Find out more on the hotel website.
Read customer reviews on Tripadvisor.
NEARBY:
Room upgrades: Deluxe Room.
Find out more on the hotel website.
Read customer reviews on Tripadvisor.
Room upgrades: Superior Room or Suite.
Find out more on the hotel website.
Read customer reviews on Tripadvisor.
NEARBY:
Room upgrades: Junior Suite.
Junior suites are spacious and elegant with seating area, parquet floors and exposed wood beams.
Extra nights: Please contact us for details.
If you'd like to extend your trip with extra nights at the start or end, or if you'd like to arrange a stop off point en-route, then we recommend the following hotels.
Find out more on the hotel website.
Read customer reviews on Tripadvisor.
Call now to speak to our specialist team at 1-800-267-3347 or email us at usa@exodustravels.com for enquiries or to book your trip.
Everyone who goes on a Headwater holiday will be emailed a link to our post-holiday questionnaire where they can give us an honest assessment of all aspects of their holiday - everything from how quickly we answer the phone to how clean the hotels were - plus an overall rating and comments about their holiday.
Any feedback collected is posted to our website, so that people can make an informed decision based on past experiences before heading off on holiday. We don’t edit the reviews, the only thing we do is proofread them and alter any typos, where necessary, to ensure they are easy to read for everyone. All reviews will be published (except in certain extreme circumstances), and a member of the Headwater team will respond to any constructive criticisms/comments under the reviews, at their discretion. So, for the real tales, twists and turns of our holidays, look no further than the reviews from our previous travellers.
This Headwater holiday was brilliant and we thoroughly enjoyed it. The food, particularly at the Albergo La Bastiglia, was generally fantastic. The only hotel we weren't overly impressed with was the Castello di Poreta - there was no hot water on our arrival for showers, breakfast was very disappointing in regards to choice, and the room there was extremely basic and looked as though someone had previously kicked the door in. The other hotels were a nice variety of styles - some slightly worn around the edges and could have done with a little refurbishment, however all had pleasant staff and the rooms were generally large, comfortable and clean.
The walks themselves were great with some fantastic views and true to the grading of the holiday. We went in late September so the routes were quiet, which we enjoyed, and some days we barely saw anyone on our walks! Most of the walks are quite isolated in that you need a packed lunch as the small hamlets you occasionally passed through had no shops, but we found buying some bread, cheese and meats ourselves from local shops the day before worked perfectly. The rep was very helpful and would deliver water to our next hotel for the following day also. Our favourite town was Spello, which was less touristy than Assisi but just as pretty, and we wished we had a little longer than just a few hours in Spoleto (due to flights) as felt there would have been lots to explore there. Overall I would definitely recommend this holiday!
Another well planned and structured trip by Headwater. Organising at short notice was very efficient with the help of the staff in the U.K. Office and support on the ground by Glynn was ever present if needed. This tour varies in the level of demand with a couple of fairly steep ascents and descents. Nothing that can't be managed by travellers of average fitness. Grading is always difficult but this is probably 2 with elements of 3 on occasions. We're certainly earned our early evening beer on a couple of occasions. Still a great holiday overall.
It was a most enjoyable holiday and well organised. Two of the hotels were superb, the one in Spello and the one in Poreta. The rest were adequate. The walks were fabulous but harder than we had envisaged.
An excellent way of exploring a beautiful part of Italy.
The holiday was well organised and the reps. were friendly and helpful. All of the towns visited were interesting but some of the walks lacked interest and the walk from Spello to Trevi was more demanding than expected with a succession of hills. The walk instructions were excellent, you hardly needed the map.
Overall very enjoyable .
You can be confident that our pricing includes all the standard requirements of your holiday and many additional extras. Always ensure that you are comparing like for like when booking your holiday.
This 10 night self-guided walking holiday includes:
Hotel-to-hotel accommodation in a mix of and hotels
All continental breakfasts and 4 evening meals
Management by your local Headwater-appointed agent
Headwater Wine Collection Service
Route directions and maps
Standard transfers at the start/end of the trip (if booking inclusive flights)
Luggage transfers between hotels
How to book:
For further details, or to check availability, speak to our sales team on 1-800-267-3347 or complete our holiday enquiry form (we'll contact you at a time that's most convenient for you).
To enquire about this holiday, or for further information, call our sales team on 1-800-267-3347 or complete our holiday enquiry form.
We do not currently have departure dates and prices available on-line. The season may have ended for this tour, or we are still in the process of adding these details to our website. Please contact us for further details.
Children
Please contact us for child prices.
Holiday type
Self-guided walking Managed locally by Headwater appointed agent.
Departures
Meals
All continental breakfasts and 4 evening meals
Tour only
Transfers can be arranged at a supplement from Foligno train station at 17:15, and back to Spoleto train station at 10:30.
For further details, or to check availability, speak to our sales team on 1-800-267-3347 or complete our holiday enquiry form (we'll contact you at a time that's most convenient for you).
Call now to speak to our specialist team at 1-800-267-3347 or email us at usa@exodustravels.com for enquiries or to book your trip.
