Walking Historic Umbria & Hidden Tuscany

We did two walks back-to-back: Hill-Top Towns of Tuscany and then Historic Orvieto and Hidden Tuscany. Both walks highlight the rich heritage of Tuscan towns and countryside. The walking routes through interesting and scenic mixed landscapes were easily manageable and still allowed us ample time to explore the towns after each walk. Each town, with its stone-paved streets and narrow lanes, medieval towers, and grand civic buildings, conveyed a sense of history.

Volterra served as a great introduction to the hill-top towns. We recommend visiting the Etruscan Museum there to gain an understanding of the remarkable Etruscan history of the towns and countryside. In Volterra, we enjoyed dining at La Carabaccia and at Porgi l'alra Pancia and having  coffee at Pasticceria Migliorini with slices of their homemade panforte. Walking from Volterra through the Castelvecchio forest, we met mushroom pickers with their baskets filled with an abundance of mushrooms that had grown after recent rains.  Approaching San Gimignano, which still retains its medieval charm, we were treated to wonderful views of the town and its towers. San Gimignano is very popular and busy and best explored before breakfast for unobstructed views of the streets and piazzas.

Colle Val d'Elsa was a real surprise—a small, linear town that tourism seems to have bypassed. The route to Siena starts at the small walled town of Monteriggioni, worth a quick visit before continuing to Siena through mixed countryside and passing by castles. In Siena, we stayed at Palazzo Ravizza, which has the advantage of being within the city walls and has good views of the surrounding countryside. Siena is a wonderful, busy city, but one day is not enough to enjoy all it has to offer. On our second night, we thoroughly enjoyed dinner at Osteria Quattro Venti.

We took the train from Siena to Orvieto to begin our second walk: Orvieto and Hidden Tuscany. In Orvieto, we booked the Palazzo Piccolomini ourselves. It is an excellent contemporary hotel within the restored palazzo. The staff was helpful and informative. Unfortunately, our day in Orvieto was interrupted by frequent rain although there was still plenty to see and do in the bad weather. Dining out in Orvieto, we really enjoyed Osteria da Mamma Angela and Trattoria la Palomba.

Entering Bolsena through the fortified historic centre marked a stark contrast to the new lakeside part of the town and the Holiday Hotel, which has a sleepy seaside resort quality. On our second night in Bolsena, we ate at Agriristoro Bottiglieria Bolsena, which we can recommend but do book as it is small.

The most challenging walk was from Bolsena to Sorano. The route passes through the ancient hillside settlement of Vitozza with its ruins and tufa caves, crosses the River Lente, and after passing through dense forest, opens onto the extraordinary town of Sorano perched on the edge of a valley with the Hotel Della Fortezza in the fortress high above. It was an incredible experience to spend a night in this medieval fortress overlooking the town. The hotel-related restaurant in the town is excellent.

In Sovana, the Duomo and small village church are remarkable examples of Romanesque architecture and well worth a visit. On our second night in Sovana we enjoyed dinner at Pizzeria Il Sileno, a popular family-run pizza restaurant.

On the second day in Sovana, due to heavy rain, we arranged with the hotel to get a ride to and from Pitigliano. Pitigliano is a remarkable town —it would have been good to spend a whole day there in better weather.

Overall, we experienced two remarkable scenic walking holidyas, but Historic Orvieto and Hidden Tuscany, with its quieter, less-traveled towns, suited us better and feel the itinerary could be improved by trading one night in Bolsena for a night in or near Pitigliano to truly experience this unique tufa town.

This is our second holiday with inntravel and would highly recommend it. The attention to all the details was outstanding. We added an extra night which was easily sorted. Thank you.

Wonderful countryside and some brilliant walks. The hotel in Sovana was our favourite, just so restful and their restaurant in the village was superb.  In Bolsena weather was grim so rather than go walking we took a taxi to Civita di Bagnoregio, fascinating place well worth a visit and terrific views. Taxi was arranged by the hotel, it cost 90 euros which was a little steep. Nobody, including the hotel, knew anything about the phantom buses that allegedly go there and back once a day in the summer months. 

Loved Orvieto, two great places to eat - Ristorante Al Pozzo Etrusco - very friendly service and excellent food, and Febo. 

Lovely interesting walks with amzing sights.

in bolsano if you consider going to the hilltop town aboslutely essential to check the timetable- as we went to catch the bus only to find that it went 30 minutes earlier than in the timetable. however our boat trip as the alternative was great. 

We seemed to have had several issues on this holiday however the walking aspect of the holiday (apart from the dogs) was certainly an enjoyable challenge and some of the towns so beautiful.

This was a lovely itinerary. We particularly enjoyed exploring Orvieto and the small towns of Sorano and Sovana. The walk took us through beautiful countryside with plenty of views but also shady, wooded walks which were welcome in the hotter part of the day. The Etruscan ruins around Sovana were a highlight. Mid-June was a great time of year for wildflowers and butterflies as well as many song birds including turtle doves, orioles, hoopoes and nightingales. Later in the season would probably be too hot to enjoy this itinerary. 

HIGHLIGHTS: Visit to Civita di Bagnoregio. Antica Enoteca wine bar and restaurant in Rome was absolutely fabulous, super atmosphere, welcoming, vibrant. Delicious food. Great young staff. We ate there both nights. Worth going back to Rome just to eat there again!

INNTRAVEL NOTE: These customers combined our walk Historic Orvieto and Hidden Tuscany with our Rome City add-on

We really enjoyed both walks in Italy and Germany, the grading was good for us and we enjoyed their differences.  Hotel della Fortezza was a wonderful place to stay and Hotel Imbery was a great experience, lively and friendly.

INNTRAVEL NOTE: This customer enjoyed our walking holidays 'Historic Orvieto and Hidden Tuscany' followed by 'A Walk in the Black Forest'

We really enjoyed this walk through a part of Italy that we hadn't visited before. We rarely saw any other walkers, with the routes taking us through olive groves and vineyards as well as along the fascinating via cave, cut into the rock, in the area. The walk notes are extremely good, we occasionally referred to the GPS route just to check but didn't need to use the maps at all. The towns and villages we stayed in were charming and picturesque with a good assortment of bars and restaurants. We are already pondering where to go with Inntravel next year.

The 'lost city' underground tour at Orvieto is a 'must do'. We had an excellent English-speaking guide. We enjoyed the Orvieto town tour, especially the old church with the frescoes. Our evening at the Tavernetta was the best dining-experience of the week. The vie cave were terrific, fascinating, as were the caves and cave homes en route. Worth taking poles, as advised, as some of the sections can be slippery, even in dry weather, and steep! We loved the plaques which told us of the former inhabitants of the cave homes, presumably taken from church records. They brought the history of the place to life. The old town of Bolsena is lovely to wander in, full of good places to eat and drink. The lake-side part is a pleasant, if somewhat staid, resort. Not much activity on the lake. Sovana is a gorgeous little village of honeyed stone, with a beautiful and unusual church, a cathedral, several bars and an ice-cream parlour. The hotel's gardens are a haven of peace after a busy day. This was one of the best trips we've ever made with Inntravel, in spite of the blips with the meals. We learnt so much about the Etruscan history of the places we passed through, and marvelled at their road-making. The old fortified villages, likewise, gave us an awesome view of a past age.

This was an excellent holiday with the walks appropriately graded. Much easier walking than my ‘training’ walks in the English Peak District during a wet and muddy March and April! The walking notes were excellent, with gpx as a very useful addition for reassurance. The countryside is mostly undulating through farmland, but increasingly broken up by interesting ascents and descents caused by erosion in the soft volcanic tufo rock. In May the poppies and other wild flowers were lovely. I much appreciated that visits to the archaeological cave dwellings and Etruscan tombs were included in some of the routes. The towns and villages were all great places to explore – much of it harking back to the medieval period. We booked an extra day in each of Bolsena, Sovano and Sovana which worked well for us. At Bolsena we especially enjoyed visiting Civita di Bagnoreggio, for which the taxi (booked by the hotel) fare covering both ways was €60. 

Lessons Learned:

1. Best to avoid starting or ending the holiday on a Sunday or public holiday because train travel is so restricted. Without thinking about that we booked to finish on a Sunday and engaged Inntravel to make all the arrangements. But much later it was discovered this wouldn’t work and we finished up having to extend the holiday to the following Monday in order to be able to travel home. However, we did enjoy that extra day in Orvieto.

2. The train from Rome Termini to Orvieto may leave from Platform 1EST or 2EST. These are not versions of Platforms 1 or 2. You need to walk right along Platform 1 in order to get access to them as separate platforms.

3. If sorting something out with Inntravel by email it is best not to treat it as a conversation because usually someone different will deal with your response. For the avoidance of misunderstandings fully summarise in each email what problem you are trying to solve.

Excellent customer service. Be prepared to do a bit more than a UK country walk. Overall Hidden Tuscany was really rewarding.

We thoroughly enjoyed our walking journey through this quiet area of central Italy. The highlights for us were the beautiful hilltop towns and villages, all steeped in history. The hotel in Bolsena is at the foot of the village but a walk back up into the old town was well worthwhile, particularly as the sun gradually set over the lake, with many backstreets to explore. The walks were enjoyable, including through the mysterious vie caves, but the landscape in October was dominated by ploughed fields and the walks were generally overshadowed by the enjoyment of the village destinations. Some lovely restaurants, and great local food and wine - highlights were Antica Trattotia del Corso in Bolsena, Fidalma in Sorano (an included dinner) and Taverna Etrusca in Sovana.

Orvieto was lovely, bustling with toursits but plenty of opportunity to get away from the crowded centre and enjoy the beautiful city and visit the astonishing Duomo; we were lucky enough to arrive when a medieval pageant and competition was being held. 

You enter Bolsena down a long flight of ancient steps to the town and a huge lake which fills a volcanic caldera, no boat service was available. Sorano is was built for defense with a massive fortress (in which we stayed) and a town crammed into steep streets amongst the crags; the restuarant was great.  Sovano hotel and resort looks very small and discreet on the outside but is huge inside, set in extensive grounds (olive grove) with an amazing marble-paved swimming pool. The cave dwellings and Etruscan necropolis the ritual paths form part of the route and are amazing. We enjoyed this walk very much

We had a great time. Orvieto is fascinating and worth staying an extra night. The " vie cave" aren't easy to walk (underfoot) but they are unique and made for a sense of adventure. The variety of terrain and the scenery were both very good. We heard wood larks and a firecrest. The woods were awash with pink cyclamen. We had not expected so many lovely wild flowers at the end of September/early October.

Every town/ village is different and full of character. It's worth buying the book (on sale locally) on Pitigliano/Sorano/Sovana and their tuff-rock cultures. Don't miss the Jewish museum in Pitigliano - it's unique.

The Etruscan tombs outside Sovana are well worth a visit. Note that in October the last tickets are sold at 5pm and the gates are locked at 5.45 .... get there by 4.30 to enjoy it to the full.

The resturants in Orvieto are good -  we recommend La Pergola and particularly the Labirinto D'Adriano - the mixed starter was just amazing - the best food of the holiday.

The "artisan" gelateria on Via Cavour, near the Pozzo di San Patrizio, is excellent and good value.

In contrast the Fidalma in Sorano where we had our evening meal (it was a Sunday) was a disappointment. The food was okay but I had to send my main dish back because it was barely warm and went cold very quickly. And they served the red wine very cold (from an ice bucket!), which was frankly ridiculous. They explained that serving it at room temperature would make the wine go off. This was nonsense. We were not impressed.

The Tuscany trip was really beautiful, the hotels, the walks, and even the transport. Indeed many of the hotels were just amazing.

The Peloponnese trip had really great hotels, lovely drives, and some very nice walks--although a few of the walks were really difficult and there were some places where the walk descriptions seemed not fully accurate. But mostly fine.

INNTRAVEL NOTE: These customers combined our 'Historic Orvieto and Hidden Tuscany' walking trip with the 'Journey through the Peloponnese' driving trip.

A fantastic holiday in a beautiful part of the world.  This holiday combined lovely hotels, fantastic food and wine, history, architecture and culture with interesting and varied walks.  I can't think of a single thing that could be improved.  In fact, I could happily do the same holiday again next year

Towns and cities were very enjoyable and interesting. The Etruscan remains, especially the Via Cava were amazing. However the walks were not particularly scenic or interesting. Couldn't compare with the Hilltops of Tuscany walk which we did some years ago.

We would thoroughly recommend accommodation upgrades, and at least one extra night at the Sovana Hotel and Resort. A visit to Civita di Bagnoregio is certainly not to be missed. Eating in Orvieto: For fine dining I Sette Consoli is outstanding; for a simple cheap lunch - La Cantina di Arianna. We would definitely NOT recommend La Pergola restaurant in Orvieto; the food may be interesting but the service when we visited was appalling. In Bolsena, we recommend for seafood fare and a lovely garden, Trattoria da Picchietto.

It was our first holiday with Inntavel and we had an amazing week. The two days in Orvieto were good and we made full use of the Carta Unica. We particularly enjoyed our meal in the Ristorante Al Pozzo Etrusco. The upgrade to a lake view room at the Hotel Holiday was definitely worth it. The hotel in Sovana had amazing grounds and a lovely relaxing pool. We enjoyed two excellent meals at the Taverna Etrusca (which is also owned by the hotel). Walking on the Via Cava's was very enjoyable, but there was more road walking than we would have liked.

We thoroughly enjoyed all the walks and appreciated the variety of wild flowers on display as we walked through the beautiful countryside. We particularly appreciated two nights at both Orvieto and Lake Bolsena so that we had time to explore both places. The routes were good with good paths and very straightforward instructions. We did download GPS which was reassuring if we needed to double check but we could probably have managed without it. The variety of accommodation was good and we will be happy to continue booking with Inntravel for hopefully a good few years to come!

Orvieto is wonderful and a great start to the holiday. The Carta Unica (Citypass) is well worth getting (pre-purchasing) though some of the historical sites are closed on Monday/Tuesday. All the destination towns/villages were spectacular and beautiful. it was nice that Sovana was a little smaller and quieter for the final two nights. In Sovana, the little wine bar (also does great craft beer) across from the museum and next to the gelateria is lovely, La Sileno pizzeria was great, as is the Taverna Estrusca (bookable at the Sovana Hotel & Restaurant).

The walking was wonderful too - beautiful and varied with the hills, olive groves, vineyards and all the via cave/ancient history. The wildflowers, butterflies and other wildlife were also a real treat.

We had particularly enjoyable meals at Ristorante Al Pozzo Etrusco (Orvieto), Antica Trattoria del Corso Pizzaria pizza (Bolseno), and the restaurant of the Fortezza Hotel.

Walking routes, instructors and background information were excellent. Luggage transfers and transfers to start point of walks were also excellent. Unfortunately two of the hotels and the dinners provided were not up to Inntravel's usual standard and were disappointing. 

The highlights of our holiday were walking through magnificent fields of wild flowers, the via cave walks and the vittozza village. All accommodation was good, really enjoyed the balcony at Bolsena and the view from our room in Sorano. The final hotel in Sovana was just perfect.

Well planned and detailed holiday, comprehensive notes supported with the gpx routes.  Good walking distances, beautiful and varied countryside. Late May was a good time to go, carpets of wild flowers and loads of birds. 

HIGHLIGHTS: The Via Cavas and Via Francigena. Tuscan countryside - they've had lots of rain so the wild flowers and poppies were amazing.  The history of the Etruscans. Hotel della Fortezza (their restaurant was very good too) and Hotel Sovana and Taverna Etrusca.

p77 of your walking notes: 'Turn R diagonally and cross the stream on a modern concrete and metal bridge, with r/w waymark. On far side, turn L (not R) ascending woodland path.' If you turned right it was a less distinct path.

Generally a very good and well organised holiday.  We loved the medieval hill towns and lack of tourists in the area and particularly liked the fortress accommodation in Sorano

Arrival into Sovana was lovely, the sun came out and we were able to sit in the square and have our packed lunch before going off to visit the necropolis as we had got ther quite quickly.

I would say that we walked a lot quicker than the notes suggest, but we did have quiite a bit of rain with  thunderstorms so some days we did not stop to exlpore caves etc as it was too wet.

On the drop down from Vitozza, the path effectively became a stream full of slippery vegetation and was a bit hazardous. Would suggest caution in bad weather. We went in early May in full knowledge of the weather at this time of year so this is not a complaint!

A very interesting and varied trip, with a good combination of walking in very quiet green countryside and arriving in dramatic  hill towns. The route made good use of the Etruscans' enigmatic vie cave. We found the instructions good but were very pleased we had downloaded the gpx files in advance- this saved us a few errors. We very much enjoyed a boat trip on Lago di Bolsena. The temperatures in early May were perfect for walking, and the variety and in most places abundance of wildflowers was striking. Red poppies were everywhere the ground had been disturbed, including the railway tracks. The food was another attraction, especially wonderful icecream, and we didn't eat pizza once!

We stayed in Orvieto for three nights which allowed us to see all the sights at a sensible pace (there's a lot to see!).  We also stayed three nights in Bolsena which gave us time to have a good look round as well as have a day trip to Civita da Bagnoreggio (50 euro taxi round trip).  There was plenty of time to visit the necropolis outside Sovana on arrival - well worthwhile.

We enjoyed eating at La Pergola and Le Grotte del Funaro in Orvieto.  The latter is in an Etruscan cave later used for rope-making.

This was a memorable trip exploring some of Umbria and Tuscany's history. Orvieto is a lovely place to discover with history all around, stunning views and wonderful restaurants. We enjoyed hiking thourgh the rolling hills and fields and then exploring the amazing Via Cave. Spring time is an excellent season to enjoy this walk, with pleasant walking temperatures and lovely spring flowers in the woods. We also saw wildlife including hares, deer and foxes on our routes. We enjoyed some lovely meals especially at Trattoria la Palomba in Orvieto (booking recommended), Trattoria da Picchietto in Bolsena for its lake fish and Taverna Etrusca in Sovana for its delicious pasta. The views from from our balcony overlooking Lake Bolsena were stunning and worth the upgrade. 

The hotels were consistently very good with high quality rooms, facilities and helpful staff. The dinners, whether in the hotels or at local restaurants were excellent. The walking was sometimes quite challenging along steep declines, for example on the "via cave", and the routes involve more road walking than we are used to. The route notes need to be followed very carefully in places, as not all the signage is maintained and the maps often don't offer the detail that, for example, is found on OS Explorer maps in the UK. The small towns and villages were at times extraordinary and a delight to visit.

A wonderful walking holiday taking in some magical historical small towns. The routes along Vie Cave provided unique experiences. All the hotels were really lovely, relaxing and comfortable. The only thunderstorm we encountered was when we were staying at the Hotel della Fotezza, and the surrounding scenery provided a dramatic backdrop. We really enjoyed the Agriturismo Santa Croce which was in a beautiful setting - the included dinners were especially good. I recommend the Trattoria del Moro Aronne in Orvieto - amazing local food. You might need to book. I would also suggest an extra night in Bolsena to give you enough time to explore this equisite medieval town and take in views across the lake.

We had a fabulous holiday. The paths were good, and the maps and gpx files were first-class. The walks were really off the beaten track. We only met one other tourist/walker in the whole five days. We felt we were experiencing real rural life. A farmer stopped us by the wayside and gave us two branches laden with cherries. We joined a thanksgiving for the harvest procession as it made its way down country lanes. We visited ancient caves, tombs and beautiful churches. The food was heaven, the hotels (as usual with Inntravel) were comfortable, and all but one had air con. Highly recommend.

A fantastic holiday in such a varied area! A real mix of walks from easy to challenging, especially the vie cave routes. Masses of beautiful wildflowers, cuckoos galore, colourful butterflies, bright green lizards, a snake plus of course wonderful scenery and hilltop villages. We had an extra night at Orvieto and Bolsena giving us the chance to explore those two places more. If you like walking without hardly meeting a soul and then staying in interesting places and you love Italy, then try this!

From beginning (booking) to end (flying home) a lovely and enjoyable, well planned holiday. Please send suggestions for the next one!

The scenery was outstanding. Wear long trousers as you will get scratched if you don't. There are several steep uphill climbs so be prepared. We speak Italian and understand Italian and it is very helpful as most people in the small towns (apart from the hotels) do not know much or any English.

All of the towns visited were prettier and older than we expected and merited some time for exploration. We were glad to have allowed an extra night in Orvieto. The countryside was beautiful and greener than expected.

HIGHLIGHTS: Get to the Pantheon early to avoid the crowds. Wandering in the garden at Sovana Hotel and Resort, the Cathedral in Sovana with Plainsong playing. So many glorious wild flowers, an orchid-lover's paradise! The joy of hearing several cuckoos on our travels. Excellent local food and beverages too.

INNTRAVEL NOTE: These customers combined our walk A Stroll through History with our City add-ons in Rome and Turin