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La Dolce Vita's Umbria Cycling Tour
Tour Duration : 7 Days  Day 1:
ORVIETO UNDERGROUND Crowning a mountain, the splendid city of Orvieto has numerous underground cellars that were carved in the soft tuffa stone in the distant past. Our welcome brunch is at a local restaurant that has one such ancient wine cellar excavated by the Etruscans 2,600 years ago and containing fossilized tree roots from the Jurassic period. Refueled and refreshed, we’ll set off on our warm-up ride. Today’s destination is Civita di Bagnoregio, a fascinating Etruscan town that’s perched on an eroding peninsula of tuffa. Here we’ll see a medieval olive press and learn how little has changed in the making of Umbria’s delicious virgin oil. At the end of our ride, we’ll stop by a new wine estate, La Carraia, where we’ll have our introduction to Orvieto Classico, a straw-colored wine once adored by Renaissance Popes and artists and now undergoing a revival among boutique wine producers. Back in Orvieto, we’ll visit the ornate Gothic cathedral, which ranks among Italy’s most superb. Dinner is at the city’s finest restaurant in the main piazza, which serves such local treats as pici (a thick spaghetti), farro (an ancient wheat), roasted game, and pecorino cheese. [20 miles] Day 2: ANTINORI'S UMBRIAN CASTLE One of the first names in Italian wine is Piero Antinori, who has done more to elevate Italian wine in the past three decades than perhaps any other winemaker. Today we bike to Antinori’s Castello della Sala estate, housed in an old stone castle overlooking vast acres of vineyards. Our route passes along the river valley of the Fiume Paglia, with a climb up to the village of Monte Rubiáglio, where we’ll have lunch. Thus fortified, we’ll head to the Antinori castle, where we’ll have a guided tour, then sample their elegant and creatively blended table wines. Once back in Orvieto, we’ll visit the enoteca, a regional wine museum and tasting bar, for an overview of the area’s wine varieties. Then we’ll inspect the Etruscan tombs nearby, remnants of the area’s first wine growers. Dinner is at Orvieto’s homey La Taverna Etrusca, which cellars its wine in another Etruscan cantina carved from the mountain stone. [25 miles] Day 3: THROUGH PERUGINO LANDSCAPES Cycling north of Orvieto, we’ll face a steady but rewarding climb up Montepeglia, which takes us through cool dense woods, past tiny villages, and onto ridges overlooking the bowl-like valleys of Umbria made famous by Renaissance painters like Perugino and Raphael. We’ll pass sloping vineyards, silvery olive groves, grazing sheep, fields of summer poppies, and plenty of stunning views of Orvieto. Along the way, we’ll stop at one of the area’s most innovative vineyards, Decugnano dei Barbi. In addition to a widely admired Orvieto Classico, they make a botrytised sweet wine from the same grapes, successfully exploring the wine’s historical roots, and a champenoise brut as well. After our return to Orvieto, we’ll have time for shopping in town, which is noted for its hand-painted ceramics and tasty salami. Dinner on your own, at one of the many fine restaurants in Orvieto. [30 miles] Day 4: MEDIEVAL FESTIVITIES Today we transfer from white to red, from the wine zone of Orvieto Classico to that of Sagrantino di Montefalco, Umbria’s finest red wine. We’ll bike the first part of the way, pedaling through soul-expanding landscapes, with high plateaus, sweeping vistas of lakes and valleys, and winding country roads. We’ll lunch outside the town of Todi, then continue on by shuttle to Torgiano. This fortified medieval borgo boasts a fine wine museum in a 17th century palazzo, filled with fascinating displays about wine as beverage, medication, and myth. The town is also home to Umbria’s first DOC wine, developed by the illustrious Cantine Giorgio Lungarotti. We’ll taste their wines, which range from dignified wood-aged reds to festive spumanti. We end the day in Bevagna, a unspoiled medieval town with beautiful carved porticos, charming piazzas, and narrow curved streets. After settling into our hotel, we’ll explore the town, being sure not to miss the wonderful Roman bath mosaics depicting sea creatures. During our June tour, we’ll immerse ourselves in the Mercato delle Gaite, a medieval festival that takes over the town with demonstrations of ancient music, dance, crafts, and gastronomy. [25 miles].
MYSTIC SAINTS Who cannot be charmed by St. Francis of Assisi, the gentle monk who preached to birds and plucked thorns from a lion’s paw? Among all the medieval mystics who flourished in Umbria, St. Francis was the most influential. We’ll visit Assisi and tour his church, the Basilicas of St. Francis, whose famous frescos by Giotto, Cimabue, and Simone Martini, severely damaged by the earthquake of 1998, are now restored and on view. After time in town, we’ll hop on our bikes and bike back to Bevagna following the old Roman Flaminia road, which passes by such spectacular towns Spello, clinging to its high rocky cliff. After a picnic lunch and more countryside cycling, we’ll devote the rest of the afternoon to an exploration of Sagrantino, a wine of power and personality. We’ll sample both the dry aged and sweet passito styles at two of the most important producers, Arnaldo Caprai and Rocca dei Fabbri. Dinner will feature more of the region’s specialties, such as homemake pasta with truffles, pork roasted with aromatic herbs, stewed rabbit, and all manner of game on griddles and spits. Regional desserts include torciglione, a turban-like treat made from ground almonds, flour, and sugar, and the golden wine of saints, Vin Santo. [25 miles] Day 6: FALCONS & FRESCOES Today’s bike ride takes us from Bevagna to Montefalco, a 12th century town known as "the balcony of Umbria" for its high perch. Strategically located, this town was an important Roman settlement, but received its name ("Mount Falcon") in 1250 after a visit by Emperor Federico II, who was a great admirer of its hawk hunting. After our bike loop through the wine country, we’ll return to Montefalco by van to spend some time in town and visit the famous church of San Francesco, which houses some wonderful Renaissance frescos by Benozzo Gozzoli and Perugino. We’ll then have our final tasting at the century-old estate of Antonelli, one of the most famous producers of Sagrantino and maker of a nice white Grechetto. Our farewell dinner will be in Montefalco’s Il Coccorone, known for its risotto al sagrantino, roasted game, and warm, convivial atmosphere. [25 miles] Day 7: BUON VIAGGIO A shuttle to Perugia and assistance with your travel plans.
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