85 – (ITA STAGE 37) – Citta’ della Pieve – Ficulle
| Place of Departure | CITTA’ DELLA PIEVE |
| Place of Arrival | FICULLE |
|
Length – KM
|
21,5 |
| Nation of the route | Italy |
| Region | Umbria |
| Uphill Gap |
310 m
|
| Downhill Gap |
380 m
|
| CAI (Diff. Escurs.) | E |
| Praticability |   |
Stage 37 – Città della Pieve-Ficulle – Short and easy stage. First you descend from Città della Pieve and take a beautiful tree-lined cart track. Then you get to Fabro and go up Ficulle, to the top of the hill.
You leave Città della Pieve at Porta Orvieto. A gravel road going downhill leads to the valley of the Chiani stream. Underpassed the SP 308 go down for about 4 km. Halfway there, the Madonna degli Angeli church is worth a visit. At the end of the descent you pass under two railway lines and follow a nice level road. Thus we arrive in the small village of Santa Maria, a hamlet of Monteleone d’Orvieto. (cyclists stay on the SS 71 up to Fabro Scalo). On foot, take a gravel road that leads to the equipped path of the artistic park and you reach Fabro Scalo.
1 – TO VISIT: here you can go up to Fabro capital (the castle is interesting, today the town hall)
2 – TO VISIT: or go up to the fortress village of Carnaiola. The center as a whole is suggestive, the Palazzo dei Conti Marsciano is very beautiful.
After a break, the journey can resume from Fabro Scalo, passing under the fortress of Carnaiola. Follow the SP 52 for Parrano and then cross the Chiani stream. (cyclists continue on the SP 52, Via del Molino, up to Ficulle for about 3km). Take a gravel road (here cyclists go straight on as far as Ficulle), then turn on to a road that runs alongside a wood. In Via del Molino continue for a few kilometers to reach Ficulle.
OLEVOLE VARIANT: alternatively, after crossing a small bridge after leaving the SP 52, follow the embankment and after a few detours you cross the road that descends from Olevole. We arrive at the Badia San Nicola which we can visit. Then go up to the crossroads with the SS 71 which leads to the center of Ficulle.
37- Points of Interest
The Val di Chiana – Fabro and Monteleone d’Orvieto are the last two municipalities of the long and narrow valley of the Chiani River which begins in the province of Arezzo, crosses the province of Siena and ends with the two Umbrian provinces of Perugia and Terni. It is very likely that the ancient Via Cassia passed through Monteleone, today replaced by the A1, while the Via Romea is now the SS 71. Parrano instead remains further ahead in the mountains on our left. The Castle dominates the town of Parrano, and was the nucleus around which the village developed. Built in a strategic position on Roman ruins, it had the role of sighting, a function highlighted by the two high crenellated towers with a square plan that are located at the ends of the building. At the base of the relief on which the village is located, there is a labyrinth of karst cavities, the “Tane del Diavolo” (Devil’s dens) where thermal waters flow in a pool at a temperature of about 28°C.
Badia San Nicola – L’Abbey, founded in 1007, was rearranged by San Romualdo; in fact, a white marble capital with the coat of arms of the Camaldolese congregation was found in this place. In the Abbey, in the first years of the twelfth century, the Camaldolese monk – the illustrious jurist and founder of canon law, born in Ficulle – took the monastic habit Magister Gratiano Gratiano, the Camaldolese monk – an illustrious jurist and founder of canon law, born in Ficulle – whom Dante places in the fourth heaven, among the wise spirits, in the company of Saint Albert the Great, Saint Thomas Aquinas and Peter Lombard. The Abbey has recently undergone a conservative restoration.
Ficulle – Its roots go back to the time of the Etruscan civilization, as the caves of the Madonna della Maestà, considered by archaeologists to be rural burial grounds, would seem to demonstrate. The most eloquent traces of Ficulle’s history, however, date back to Roman times: here the Romans had an observation post overlooking the Via Traiana, or Cassia Nova, one of the most important lines of communication between Rome and the north of the peninsula. Testimony of this period is a marble cippus dedicated to the god Mithras, found near the village a few centuries ago and today preserved in the Church of Santa Maria Vecchia. During the Middle Ages the Castrum Ficullensis was fortified and during the long years of the feudal struggles it suffered frequent looting and devastation while remaining the most important castle in the Orvieto area. However, the two fortresses and the walls were saved from destruction and still give the town the typical structure of a medieval village. The High Middle Ages brought also to the construction of the Camaldolese Abbey of St. Nicholas.
please, see the Official Guide of the Via Romea Germanica (www.guidaromea.eu)
Bold type for structures we already used
Red type for structures we have an arrangement (with Credential*)
(*) Prices might change for special situations: please book early and ask for confirmation
How to arrive
| From airport (ROMA CIAMPINO, ROMA FIUMICINO) to Roma/Termini FS Railway Station | TRAIN – (www.trenitalia.com) Roma FS Railway Station – Chiusi FS Railway Station or Castiglione del Lago FS Railway Station | BUS/LOCAL TRAIN – bus route (www.umbriamobilita.it/public/resources/linee//E109.pdf) Castiglione del Lago – Città della Pieve; (www.umbriamobilita.it/public/resources/linee//E014.pdf) Chiusi – Città della Pieve |
Where to eat
 |
Typical Dishes = Tipicamenteumbria | Typical Dishes = Buonissimo | Typical Dishes = Gambero Rosso | |
| Conad | Largo Della Vittoria,5 – 06062 CITTA’ DELLA PIEVE | |||
| Ristorante La Gumera | Via Sottofossi Vecchio,33 -05016 FICULLE-TR | 349-3884941 | metallicaficulle@gmail.com | Arrangement |
| Circolo Ricreativo Il Vecchio Frantoio | Via Botanica 21 – Loc. Fosso Colonna – 05017 MONTELEONE D’ORVIETO-TR | 0763-835278 / 342 3958273 / 338-8736205 | info@circolovecchiofrantoio.it | www.circolovecchiofrantoio.it |
| Trattoria Mennula | Piazzale della Stazione, 2 – 05015 FABRO-TR | 0763-832493 / 320-9740601 / 329-2089802 | cirobaiardi@libero.it | |
| Pizzeria Ristorante Le Fontane | Strada Fontane, 2 – 05016 FICULLE-TR | 0763-86512 / 340-8512245 |
Where to sleep
| Casa Vacanza Il Gufo e Le Rondini | via Castelmaggiore,2 – 05016 FICULLE-TR | 347-1004122 | guglielmina.bambini@gmail.com | Arrangement |
| Affittacamere Fratini | piaggia Cola di Rienzo,53 – 05016 FICULLE-TR | 377-2464575 / 329-1158901 | camere.fratini@libero.it | |
| Hotel il Focolare | Contrada della Stazione, 57 – 05015 FABRO SCALO-TR | 0763-832482 / 0763 832483 | info@hotelilfocolare.it | www.hotelilfocolare.com |
| Affittacamere Relax | Corso della Rinascita,46 – 05016 FICULLE-TR | 328-4921620 | casaficulle@virgilio.it; mariarosapg2@gmail.com |
Bike Service
Horseway-Service
| A.S.D. Equimania La Casella | Strada Casella,4 – 05016 FICULLE – TR | 392-1568212 / 335-8434495 | centroippicoequimania@gmail.com | www.equimania.it |
Pilgrim Service
| COMUNE DI FICULLE | Via Castel Maggiore,1 – 05016 FICULLE TR | 0763 86031 – 86292 | www.comune.ficulle.tr.it | |
| Associazione ACQUA (guides, museums, archeology) | Via Marconi,2 , 05010 PORANO -TR | 329-0706607 / 328-5430394 (Pacioni) | associazioneacqua@libero.it | www.facebook.com/Associazione-ACQUA-371478749640584/; www.poranoturismo.it; www.museolubriano.com; www.turismobaschi.it; www.orvietovie.it |
