Italy Coast to Coast is a tricolour “Route 66”, to be covered on foot or by bike, along paths, unpaved roads or virtually traffic-free streets. It is a real journey to the discovery of Italy, with its hermitages, its ancient streets and buried cities, its characters, traditions, ancient cultures and unique sites.
The itinerary
The itinerary is about 400 km long and crosses four Regions (Marche, Umbria, Lazio and Tuscany), creating a highly panoramic route that is rich in nature, history, art and spirituality.
It’s possible to cover it both on foot and by bike. The pedestrian route is 410 km long and it develops in 18 daily stages along paths, cart roads and secondary roads. The stages are conceived according to the distances (the average length is 23 km), the gradients and the accommodation facilities. Instead, the cycling route is 440 km long and can be divided into 9 stages.
The itinerary starts in Portonovo, reaches Osimo and from here, through the Marche hills, arrives at Filottrano and Treia, for then continuing towards first San Severino Marche and then Pioraco.
Going up the valley of the Potenza river, the itinerary reaches Nocera Umbra and, once it went round the Subasio Mountain, it arrives at Assisi, the first important destination of the Coast to Coast.
It crosses the Umbrian Valley through Bevagna and Gualdo Cattaneo, until Todi and from there, through the Tiber River Park, it goes deep into a breathtaking nature. From the Civitella del Lago’s natural balcony the itinerary moves towards Orvieto, an Etruscan town lying on an imposing tufa cliff.
The route crosses an Etruscan road and then a Roman one, then it heads towards Bolsena, continuing along a stretch of the Francigena route and then reaches Onano, in the hills of Viterbo.
The next stages lead to Sorano, Pitigliano, Manciano and Capalbio, until Orbetello, the final stage of the Coast to Coast.
The stages in Umbria
The Coast to Coast in the Green Heart of Italy starts from Nocera Umbra, located along the Flaminia Road connecting Foligno and Gualdo Tadino, on the summit of a rocky spur which overlooks the upper valley of the Topino river. The natural waters are the most significant resource of the area: its therapeutic qualities have been known since the 16th century, when plants, collection and transport systems were built.
Then the itinerary goes on from Nocera Umbra towards Assisi that, lying on the slopes of Mount Subasio, is famous as the town of St. Francis and St. Claire as well as the universal centre of the Franciscan message of peace and brotherhood. Assisi, built with the typical pinkish stone of Mount Subasio, creates for all visitors an atmosphere of deep spirituality in the places made unique in the world by its history and its Saints’ faith.
Leaving Assisi, the Coast to Coast heads towards Cannara, on the left side of the river Topino, in the heart of the Umbrian Valley’s Plain. According to the tradition, the name comes from the presence of abundant reed thickets that formerly grew along the Topino’s swampy area.
The following stage is Bevagna, situated at the western border of Foligno’s plain, at the foot of a group of hills where Montefalco is also located, near the bend of the river Timia. The hill of the Umbrian Valley where the city stands is surrounded by a fertile plain rich in waters and planted with wheat, vineyards and olive trees. It is part of the “Italian most Beautiful Villages” Club thanks to its significant environmental, cultural and artistic heritage.
After Bevagna, the itinerary reaches Gualdo Cattaneo, a medieval village perched on a hill on the slopes of the Martani Mountains in a particularly impressive position. The name of the place derives from “Wald” (forest, wood) and confirms the richness in forests surrounding this territory.
The next stage after Gualdo is Todi, a wonderful art city standing on a high hill overlooking the Middle Tiber Valley. Thanks to its historical, artistic and architectural richness, it is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Umbria.
The itinerary leaves Todi, crosses a street along which it’s possible to admire luxuriant woods rich in fauna and deep karst chasms, and reaches Baschi, placed on the summit of a rocky spur which overlooks the Tiber valley, not far from the confluence with the river Paglia.
The Coast to Coast ends in Orvieto (in Umbria), a charming town of Etruscan origins rising on an imposing tufa cliff. The town, that has a significant artistic and cultural heritage, brings with it the magic and force of 3000 years of history that are visible on the medieval urban structure that remains unchanged over time. Because of its centuries-old ceramic tradition, it is member of the Italian Association City of the Ceramics (national mark “Artistic and Traditional Ceramics”).
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