Difficulty: E
Distance: 13.5 km
Height difference: + 340 m
Duration: 4 hours and 30 minutes (excluding stops)
Starting point: Basilica of Saint Francis
Number of Stages: 1
Suited to Families: Suitable for families with children aged 8 and up with walking ability.
Activities to do: Trekking
Accessibility: Starting point by own means or public transport. The route is not suitable for wheelchair users.
The itinerary starts from Assisi, the seraphic city, which deserves not only to be passed through but also to be ‘experienced’, and the same goes for the charming village of Spello. Considering that the itinerary is half a day, one can plan to visit the town of Assisi before setting off for Spello and, once at the destination, dedicate oneself to visiting the main sites of the Splendidissima Julia colony.
The itinerary is very pleasant: the walk along the Mount Subasio coast, among coppice woods and olive groves, offers beautiful views of the plain below and is rich in springs. The arrival at Spello, from above, offers a beautiful view of the city. Throughout the route one can follow the yellow and blue signs of the Via di Francesco or the red and white ones of the Franciscan Way of the Marches.
From the Basilica of San Francesco, one ascends along Via San Francesco and Via Portica to Piazza del Comune. Cross Corso Mazzini to reach Via Santa Chiara and continue along Via Borgo Aretino and Via Properzio, until exiting the ancient walls through Porta Nuova. Continue slightly downhill along Via Madonna dell'Olivo, cross a roundabout and continue straight on towards Viole. After about 200 metres, we come to Via San Benedetto on the left, which starts on a steep incline at a shrine containing a small Lourdes grotto.
Follow Via San Benedetto for about two and a half kilometres. Leave it on the left to continue along the coast along via Fosso delle Carceri and via Borghettaccio. Continue along the coast along via Fonte l'Abate, which becomes a dirt road. After about two kilometres, we meet, on the right, the junction for Capodacqua (via Gabbiano: sharp right bend downhill). After about 150 metres, turn into another sharp bend, but to the left, taking a steeply downhill dirt track. We follow this road to the group of houses where we take a small downhill dirt road on the left that crosses the Renaro ditch.
After about 500 metres, when the asphalt road descends sharply to the right, we continue straight downhill along a small dirt road, which in 200 metres leads to via degli Ulivi, a narrow asphalt road, which we take to the left and in four kilometres takes us to the village of Spello. At the end of Via degli Ulivi, turn left into Via Poeta, which leads to the gates of the town. One enters Spello through Porta Montanara.
