The best traffic-free bike rides around Vallo Di Nera

The bike path is poor. The asphalt is torn up and bushes are growing in it.

Even under a grey sky, the outing filled my eyes with its beautiful varied landscapes (hilltop towns, fortified castles, abbeys, towers, vineyards, sunflower fields, yew trees, etc.) And above all, a cycle path away from vehicles!

Beautiful village in excellent recovery

Of course, he must be honored with a monument in the city where he was born: Benedict of Nursia, the father of Western monasticism and one of the patron saints of Europe.

It's worth a trip!

Statue of Saint Benedict blessing in the square of Norcia.

Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, Spoleto Cathedral Cathedral: the symbol of the city of Spoleto With its magnificent façade, Spoleto Cathedral provides a kind of backdrop to the Piazza Duomo, which is home to many other buildings. The cathedral was built in the 12th century on the remains of an earlier religious building named after Santa Maria del Vescovado, which in turn stood on an older church dedicated to the martyr Primiano. The crypt of Santa Primiano, accessed through the rectory, dates back to the 9th century and represents the only original part of the old cathedral, which was rebuilt at the end of the 12th century. Adjacent to the facade of the cathedral, on the left side, is the imposing square-shaped bell tower. The façade also features an elegant portico with five rounded arches supported by Corinthian columns, a marvelous work by the master Ambrogio Barocci dating from 1492. The upper part is divided into two levels separated by a cornice supported by blind arches: the lower part is decorated with five beautiful rose windows, the central one being larger and surrounded by the symbols of the four evangelists; the upper part features three rose windows and three pointed-arch niches, of which the central, larger one is decorated with a wonderful mosaic depicting Christ enthroned between the Madonna and Saint John the Evangelist. The decorative elements are further emphasized by the use of blocks of local white and pink stone, which highlight the architectural details. Inside, the space is divided into three naves with a central apse, and the plan is a Latin cross with a transept. The building houses numerous works of art by artists from various eras: the bronze bust of Urban VIII was made by Gian Lorenzo Bernini in 1640; the cross with the iconography of the Living Christ (Triumphal) is a work by Alberto Sotio from 1187; and the cycle of the Stories of the Virgin, which adorns the central apse, was painted by Filippo Lippi between 1467 and 1469. Finally, two chapels are particularly admirable: the Chapel of the Santissima Icona, which houses a 12th-century Byzantine panel that, according to tradition, was given to the city of Spoleto by Frederick Barbarossa as a sign of peace; and the Chapel of the Reliquies, which houses one of the only two surviving letters written by Saint Francis himself. It is a small rectangular parchment (13 x 6 cm) made of goatskin, consisting of nineteen lines, addressed to Fra Leone. The other handwritten letter is the so-called Chartula, kept in the Basilica of Assisi and, according to tradition, written by Francis in 1224 after his stigmatization on Mount Verna. The interior of the building, as it appears today, is the result of a decisive intervention in the 17th century that gave it a Baroque style. Text / Source: Exploring Umbria srl, https://www.exploring-umbria.com/de/entdecke-spoleto/gehenswuerdigkeiten-in-spoleto/kathedrale-santa-maria-assunta-dom-von-spoleto/#:~:text=Die%20Kathe Drale%20 was%20 built%20 in the%20tw%C3%B6th%20th century%20 on%20, a%20%C3%A4older%2C%20%20%20%20M%C3%A4rtyr%20Primiano%20%20%20house%20dedicated to the%20M%C3%A4rtyr%20Primiano%20.

The Park - Fonti del Clitunno, Ristorante Pizzeria, Campello Sul Clitunno A body of water with a circumference of just over 400 meters and an area of almost 10,000 square meters, this small lake is home to numerous plant species that contribute to the fame of the Fonti del Clitunno. Moss, seagrass, water horsetail, sedge, curled brosca, giant shrimp, marsh forget-me-not, and water nasturtium, also known as watercress, are just some of the plants found in the pond. Around the banks are the trees that characterize the surroundings, most notably the cypress poplar, covered in dense foliage in summer. Then there's the weeping willow, whose spread dates back to the fashion that spread this plant in Paris in the 1840s, which is said to have shaded Napoleon's tomb on Saint Helena. Text / Source: Fonti del Clitunno - Ristorante Pizzeria, Campello Sul Clitunno https://www.fontidelclitunno.it/