Technical Sheet
Start and Arrival: Paciano
Distance: 33km
Height difference: 850 metres
Difficulty: hard
Surface: 70% dirt, 30% sealed
What to see: Paciano, Città della Pieve, Panicale, Monte Pausillo
This route,which goes through the westernmost part of Umbria, can be classified as medium-hard because of its height difference (850m), but it is also very satisfactory from a naturalistic and cultural point of view because it goes by villages of great interest such as Paciano (member of the Borghi più Belli d’Italia club), Città della Pieve and Panicale.
The start is from the centre of Paciano in Piazza della Repubblica, where the trail descends downhill.
Leaving the sealed road, it turns into a dirt road which goes under the railway and the main highway before returning to the sealed road below Villastrada.
It continues straight ahead up the short climb towards the “Le Coste” estate and after a quick descent, it meets the SS 71 at km 11,1 where it turns right towards Chiusi. The trail soon leaves the main road (km 11,4) and turns left up the first climb of the route: a wonderful dirt road first through the woods, then through fields and grapevines to San Litardo, where it picks up the SS 71 Nord and continues its climb towards Città della Pieve.
At Città della Pieve, a town of etrusco-roman origins, it is worth stopping at km 18,5 for a visit to the historical centre. From here the trail goes towards the sports ground and continues along a rather uneven dirt road after the sealing ends. At the bottom of the descent , it goes along a narrow valley until it crosses over the SP309 (km 24), into the dirt road on the other side and begins the second, hardest climb of the route. The first 200 metres are very steep and rocky and may cause bikers to dismount , but the rest is not as rough. It continues through the woods for several kilometres , but towards the summit, the forest opens out onto breath-taking views that can reach as far as Mt. Abetone on clear days. The climb ends just a few metres from the top of Mt. Pausillo (km 29,5) where the trail starti descending towards Paciano. After a short deviation along a narrow, exciting single track, it returns to the main dirt road leading back to Paciano in a few kilometres.
What to see
The whole area around Lake
Trasimeno is of great interest.
The lake is 126 sq.kms, making
it Italy’s fourth largest, and it is
protected as a Regional Park. Its
rounded shape, gentle hills, olive
groves and cultivated fields make it
a natural attraction and a favourite
destination for foreign tourists.
The start and arrival of the route
is at Castigione del Lago, the main
centre of the lake area and a beautiful
town to visit. The historical heart is
surrounded by medieval walls and
three gateways and beautiful views
over the lake can be seen.
Leone, a pentagonal medieval
fortress, one of the best examples
of military architecture in the region,
Palazzo della Corgna, an estageant
Renaissance aristocratic residence
built by Ascanio della Corgna In 1560
to plans created by Vignola
or Galeazzo Alessi.
At Tuoro, not far from the start, is the
“Battle of Lake Trasimeno” historical
route, which reconstructs the battle
between the Romans and the
Carthaginians in 217 B.C., when the
Romans were soundly beaten
by Hannibal’s army.
Passignano is also worth visiting,
as it has preserved many of the
characteristics of an ancient
fortified village protected by walls
and a fortress. The church of San
Cristoforo, the 15th century church
of San Rocco, the church of San
Bernardino and the Oratorio di San
Rocco are also interesting.
Don’t miss a trip on the boat to visit
the Maggiore and Polvese islands.
The Castle of the Knights of Malta at
Magione is one of the most beautiful
in Umbria. It has a square shape
with circular towers at the corners.
The present building is the result of
the enlargement of an earlier castle
that was built over an ancient 12th
century Benedictine abbey, where
the Knights Templar are thought to
have resided, and an early hospice
founded in the 12th century by the
Knights of Jerusalem.
Around the lake, it is worth visiting
the ancient villages of Castel Rigone,
Montecolognola and Monte del Lago,
where there is a beautiful view of the
lake, the old fishing villages of San
Feliciano and Sant’Arcangelo, and
the hamlets nestling amongst the
hills between Tuscany and Umbria,
such as Gioiella, Villastrada, and San
Fatucchio.
