Pedaling immersed in a wood, climbing up to the high mountains to enjoy the view, passing among the olive trees or through villages, all this is possible in Umbria.
Recently in the region, it is possible to take the former railway that connected Spoleto to Norcia, which meets the right combination of history and landscape, nature and culture, religiosity and ingenuity, because along the way you can meet the shelters of the first Christian hermits, and it is also the valley where the rule of San Benedetto met San Francesco. Leaving from Norcia, after a while you will come across the Marcite (a system of permanent marshy meadows that the Benedictines developed at the end of the 700th century). If you have the way, near Triponzo, where the Nera acquires the waters of the Corno, two tunnels and a viaduct bear the name that gives its sign to the place, Balza Tagliata. Between two limestone walls, about XNUMXm high, there is a narrow mule track overlooking the river which for centuries, from the pre-Roman age was the only passage between these two valleys. The stretch of about thirty km from the Scheggino-Sant'Anatolia di Narco and Spoleto station allows you to admire the engineering works of the Swiss Erwin Thomas and Paolo Bestler. The first Benedictine abbey stands at one point of the railway at Castel San Felice.
Other itineraries include a visit to the village of Bevagna, where artistic curiosities and historical insights are combined with some pedaling. Leaving the city center, you discover spaces and paths that cross the countryside between the hills that rise above Bevagna and Bettona and the most arduous climbs of Mount Subasio. An itinerary winds its way through the peaceful countryside of Trevi and runs along an easy and flat cycle path along the river that reaches Foligno. For wine lovers, you can cross the vineyards of Collemancio and Castelbuono, and following a tasting and a visit to the creation of Arnaldo Pomodoro, you can take some time to visit the villages mentioned above. One last itinerary, cycling along the Via degli Ulivi that connects Spello to Assisi, in the footsteps of San Francesco. An obligatory stop is in Assisi, in the places dear to Chiara and Francesco; while in Spello to visit the historic center and admire the frescoes by Perugino. For those still not satisfied, you can climb to the top of Mount Subasio. If you want to go through the places of the battle of Hannibal, head towards Lake Trasimeno and from there cycle through Tuoro, Castiglione and Passignano sul Trasimeno.