The best walks and hikes around Monteleone D'Orvieto

Wonderful place

The village of Castel di Fiori is a small, well-preserved medieval Umbrian town. The statue of Saint Michael the Archangel dominating the central square is particularly distinctive. It was created in 1937 by sculptor Michele Perla, who was inspired by the one preserved in the sanctuary of Monte Sant'Angelo, in the province of Foggia.

Montegabbione is a characteristic Umbrian village. Its origins date back to around the 11th century. Over time, it belonged to various powerful local families until it became part of the Papal States.

The final liberation took place on June 19, 1944. https://www.pietredellamemoria.it/pietre/lapide-ai-caduti-di-citta-della-pieve-della-guerra-di-liberazione/

The village stands on these hills, embellished with bright red terracotta bricks. Once in the narrow streets of the old town, the atmosphere changes: it seems to go through a time portal to the Middle Ages, an era of knights and battles, in which the village was a faithful ally of Siena. However, the fact that cars can circulate in the historic center is a negative underline, as it does not allow its authentic splendor to emerge. In Città della Pieve there is the "vicolo Baciadonne", considered the narrowest alley in Italy due to its narrow width.

The "Vicolo Baciadonne" is one of the narrowest streets in Europe. The alley is so narrow that two people cannot walk side by side. The lords of creation are so close to it when passing through with their flame that when you turn towards each other you can't help but touch and kiss them :-)

There are a few small ponds at the foot of the mountain. Due to the low water level due to the drought, one could unfortunately not swim, but only cool one's feet.

Nestled on the hills, the village, red with terracotta bricks used for the construction of its ancient buildings, stands out on our horizon. We approach the town pedaling easily after a climb made difficult by the particularly intense heat of this end of June. As soon as we walk through the streets of the historic centre, we have the feeling of being immersed in another era, in a Middle Ages made up of knights and historical battles, a faithful ally of the city of Siena. Too bad the historic center is open to cars. A diamond that, in our opinion, is not well valued in this way. By bike we can only take a short break, a brief refreshment, a memory by buying some saffron skilfully cultivated here since the Middle Ages. It will come in handy at home around a well-laid table to remember this journey that fascinates us more and more day after day. We only have time to stock up on water, but Città della Pieve is also the cradle of the Renaissance, the birthplace of Pietro Vannucci known as "Perugino", one of the most famous painters of the 15th and 16th centuries. Right in his hometown he left some of his splendid masterpieces, all to be discovered during a pleasant and peaceful walk which, I am sure, we will take accompanied by our families as soon as possible. …. If nothing else here you will find the "vicolo Baciadonne", considered the narrowest alley in Italy due to its width. The alley of lovers… there are those who come here just for this! P.S. A nice interlude ... along the road, at a petrol station where we had stopped to fill the bottles, we met the actor VINCENZO SALEMME who kindly lent himself for a souvenir photo.