Historic rental house in Umbria Italy

What to do in the area

Parco del Monte Cucco

Mt. Cucco (1566 m, or 5138 ft) is part of the ridge of the Appenines, between Umbria and Le Marche.  Gualdo Tadino, which is 15 minutes away, and Gubbio are the most important nearby towns to the Mount Cucco Park.

In the territory of the Park Municipalities you can  visit several small handicraft and manufacturing activities and some welcome structures and restaurants.

There are subterranean waters and mineral springs, uncontaminated watercourses, intact big beech tree woods, karst caves, historical centers, minor but rich in cultural and artistic ruins, and charming hermitages of the Benedictines.

Some of the activities in the park:

cross-country skiing

fishing

horseback-riding

walking

hiking

rock climbing

mountaineering

canyoning

mountain biking

hang gliding

paragliding

caves

spelunking

bird-watching

waterfalls

fossils

eco-tourism

picnicking

For more info about the park, check out their website: http://www.parks.it/parco.monte.cucco/Eindex.html   

Also check out the Gruppo Speleologico Gualdo Tadino:  www.gsgt.it

Frasassi Gorge

On a rainy afternoon explore the incredible plunging Frasassi Gorge (40 km.,25 miles, from Gualdo Tadino).  Take a "journey to the centre of the Earth" through the Grotte di Frasassi, one of Italy's largest and most famous complex of caves.

Some 13 km of limestone caverns have so far been explored and it is thought that they may run for up to 35 km. Only one and a half km of this crystalline wonderland is open to the general public. Equipped with walkways and theatrical lighting, it includes the awesome Grotta Grande del Vento, Europe's largest single cavern, so vast that Milan Cathedral would fit comfortably inside, and some of the most extravagantly fanciful stalagmites and stalactites you are ever likely to see. Even claustrophobics shouldn't find it too challenging.

The guided tour lasts for around an hour; dress up warmly as the temperature inside is a constantly low 14 degrees C. Be warned that it can get quite crowded in high summer.

From November to February there are tours daily at 11.00, 15.00 and 16.00; from March to September daily tours at 9.30, 11.00, 12.30, 15.00, 16.30 and 18.00 with continuous tours in August from 8.00 until 18.30. For information, telephone +39 0732 97211 or fax: 0732 972001.

Even if you don't have time to see the caves, stop to admire the splendid backdrop of the Frasassi Gorge and the Romanesque church in the little spa of San Vittore delle Chiuse (right by the cave ticket office and car park). This tiny, perfectly square chiesetta was built in the 12th century on chastely simple lines and is one of the prettiest of its kind in the Marche. (To see inside ask for the keys at the tobacconist's opposite.)

Furlo Gorge

If you're travelling along the modern SS3 superstrada turn off at the signs for Furlo (68 km., 42 miles from Gualdo Tadino) rather than taking the 3 km tunnel. You will now be on the old Roman Via Flaminia and in for a treat as you drive through the gorge.

This is a place for lovers of gothic scenery - sheer naked limestone cliffs rise up on either side of the bright green waters of the Candigliano River, leaving just enough room for the narrow road to pass.

At one point the ancient highway passes through a tunnel hewn by hand through the hard rock. The work was ordered by Emperor Vespasian in 76 AD - a remarkable feat of Roman civil engineering. You can still see the chisel marks in the rock - if you dare risk being run over in the process.

The small village of Furlo at the mouth of the gorge is a good place to eat truffles in season. Or you might hunt out a picnic spot by taking the strada panoramica from the village and climb up to the top of the gorge. But be warned - it's a rather long and twisting drive.

The area is now a natural park and home to rare flora and fauna; you may even see a golden eagle wheeling overhead. If you're coming from the west, the gorge ends abruptly as the road enters a wide, wooded valley where the Candigliano flows into the Metauro.

Well worth a visit is the tiny Romanesque Abbey of San Vincenzo, on the Acqualagna side of the gorge. Built before 970, it is one of the oldest Benedictine monasteries in the Marche region.

To one side of it are the vast blocks of a viaduct which supported the ancient Flaminian Way, with six sturdy buttresses to protect it during times of flood

A small kiosk by the abbey also sells delicious piadina, or flat bread, filled with sausage, cured meat or cheese, which make an ideal lunch-time snack.

Ussita

This compact winter sports center (70 km., 44 miles) lies at the heart of the Monti Sibillini National Park below the high slopes of Monte Bove.  With 11 ski lifts, cable cars, 25 kms. of runs, and a well-appointed ski school, it is one of the best winter sports resorts in the central Appennines.

But even in summer the glorious surrounding countryside and low-key treasures in its old churches make this a delightful spot for lovers of wide-open spaces.

Check out http://www.ussita-frontignano.com/.

Other Activities

Beaches

• Ancona: 60 miles (96 km.) to the east in the region of Le Marche, on the Adriatic Sea                   
• Lake Trasimeno: 40 miles (64 km.) to the west, in Umbria

Nearest golf course: Golf Club Perugia http://www.golfclubperugia.it/

To the east:  Due Sorelle Beach in Ancona

To the west:  Lake Trasimeno

Youtube videos of rockclimbing in the gorge of La Rocchetta near Gualdo Tadino (turn off sound at bottom of page before viewing)

Youtube video of cycling near Gualdo Tadino (turn off sound at bottom of page before viewing)

Town Sightseeing

See "Nearby Towns"

For an extensive list of events happening in the area which would make good day trips from Gualdo Tadino, please email us the time you are interested in, and we will be glad to send you a list for that time period.