Tour - Destinazione Subasio

9 days to discover Umbria and its wonders! 9-day package tour with overnight stays in 3-star farmhouses or Bed and Breakfasts (depending on availability) with breakfast included.

Programme:

Day 1: Arrival at La Verna and accommodation in hotel, dinner and overnight stay.

Day 2: La Verna - Pieve Santo Stefano - 20 Km. High above the rock and shrouded in forest is the great complex of the Sanctuary, which within its massive and articulated architecture holds numerous treasures of spirituality, art, culture and history. A few kilometres from La Verna, in a valley in the silence of the mountains, lies Pieve Santo Stefano. The village was destroyed in 1944 and quickly rebuilt after the war. Free time for lunch.

Day 3: Pieve Santo Stefano - Sansepolcro (36 Km). Breakfast at the hotel and departure for Sansepolcro. This day is very demanding and the metres to climb will be, at the end of the walk, more than 1,000. There is also an alternative to this walk, which, passing near Lake Montedoglio, reaches Sansepolcro with a shorter distance of about 11 km and, above all, with a much smaller difference in altitude. Accommodation in a hotel/agritourism, dinner and overnight stay. In the afternoon we reach the village of Citerna, and the route is not very strenuous: the total number of kilometres to cover is about 13.

Day 4: Sansepolcro - Città di Castello (20 km) or Citerna - Città di Castello (20 km). The walk to Città di Castello is about 20 km and has a pleasant course. From the harsh Apennine landscape of the previous stages, we move on to the gentler landscape of the Alto Tevere valley. The climbs are not demanding and we walk through fields and small villages. Accommodation in a hotel/agritourism, dinner and overnight stay.

Day 5: Città di Castello - Pietralunga (29.5 Km). Leaving Città di Castello in a southerly direction, the route of the Via di Francesco moves decisively away from the Val Tiberina to reach Pietralunga and then Gubbio, and the landscape of the northern Umbrian hills is the backdrop for the next stages of the walk. After about 6 km from the start, we reach the locality of Il Sasso, a resting point and, above all, the last place to stock up on water and food. Accommodation in a hotel/farm, dinner and overnight stay.

Day 6: Pietralunga - Gubbio (24 Km). We continue our journey through the Franciscan places of Umbria, from the wonderful town of Gubbio, whose history is closely linked to that of St. Francis. According to the story told in Chapter XXI of the Fioretti, it was here that St Francis miraculously managed to tame a ferocious wolf that had been terrorising the inhabitants for some time. Visit to the town and break for lunch.Accommodation in hotel/agriturismo, dinner and overnight stay.

Day 7: Gubbio - Biscina- Valfabbrica (36 Km). Gubbio is one of Umbria's oldest towns. Here you can breathe history from every stone and there are many traces of its glorious past: the Roman Theatre dating back to the 1st century AD, the Basilica of Sant'Ubaldo which dominates the town and houses the remains of the saint, the patron saint of Gubbio, the Gothic Cathedral, the Church of Santa Maria Nuova which houses the fresco "La Madonna del Belvedere" by Ottaviano Nelli. Halfway between Assisi and Gubbio stands the castle of Biscina. From Biscina, a long descent begins with some ups and downs that takes us to the geographical area of Valfabbrica, between Gubbio and Assisi. St Francis is said to have stopped several times in Valfabbrica and should therefore be considered an important stop for pilgrims. We continue along the Via di San Francesco, also known as the Path of Peace, for a stop in the medieval centre of Valfabbrica. Accommodation in a hotel/agritourism, dinner and overnight stay.

Day 8: Valfabbrica - Assisi (15 Km). From Valfabbrica there are two paths leading to Assisi: a longer path that passes through the forest and another, described as shorter, but very difficult and tiring. Either one or the other, the fact remains that you will have to cross the hill and then see the magical town of Assisi on the horizon. Lunch break during the day. Accommodation in hotel/agriturismo, dinner and overnight stay.

Day 9: Guided tour of Assisi - Arrivederci! Assisi, a Franciscan place par excellence, not only in Umbria and Italy, but throughout the world. St Francis was in fact born in Assisi in 1182; in the place where it is believed his birthplace was located, today stands the Chiesa Nuova. It was in Assisi that he was baptised, in the Cathedral of San Rufino. It is here, where the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore stands today, in the Piazza del Vescovado, that he stripped himself, repudiating earthly goods for love of God and his brothers and sisters. It is still in Assisi, in the Church of San Damiano, that, praying before the crucifix, he receives the task of renewing Christ's Church; it is in the town square that he begins his preaching and his work of charity and peace, and it is finally here that he dies in 1226. His remains are preserved in the Basilica of St Francis. We stroll through its enchanting alleyways and visit the Franciscan sites together with our guide. Lunch in a restaurant.

GOODBYE! We bid farewell to Umbria, taking it into our hearts!

• Accommodation and overnight stay in hotel/agriturismo/BB 8 nights;
• Accommodation in single room or double room for single use depending on the structure - breakfast included: 1 night in La Verna, 1 night in Pieve Santo Stefano, 1 night in Sansepolcro or Citerna, 1 night in Città di Castello, 1 night in Pietralunga, 1 night in Gubbio, 1 night in Valfabbrica and 1 night in Assisi;
• Train/bus tickets from Arezzo to Chiusi di La Verna on the first day;
• Train tickets from Assisi to Arezzo on the last day;
• Guided tour of Assisi with private tour guide;
• Lunch in a restaurant in Assisi before departure - drinks included;
• Visit programme with itineraries.

• City taxes; tips, extras, and everything not mentioned under 'the package includes'.

Pilgrimage of St Francis divided into 10 stages, thanks to which you will have the opportunity to visit Umbrian and spiritual places and towns from top to bottom, with overnight stays in 3-star farmhouses or Bed and Breakfasts (depending on availability).