Assisi-Monte Subasio-Assisi 18 km
Trail photos
Author
Trail stats
- Distance
- 10.91 mi
- Elevation gain
- 3,343 ft
- Technical difficulty
- Moderate
- Elevation loss
- 3,343 ft
- Max elevation
- 4,250 ft
- TrailRank
-
85
4.8
- Min elevation
- 1,442 ft
- Trail type
- Loop
- Time
- 6 hours 35 minutes
- Coordinates
- 2679
- Uploaded
- May 13, 2014
- Recorded
- May 2014
near Assisi, Umbria (Italia)
Viewed 21904 times, downloaded 549 times
Trail photos
Itinerary description
The hike starts in Assisi on Piazza Matteotti (payed parking, bus stop) and first takes you to the city gate Porta Cappuccini. Directly after the gate you turn left onto trail 50. This trail first steeply ascends through forests until a viewing point (Montarone, see waypoint) where you have a nice view across Valle Umbra, and the trail flattens off. Shortly thereafter, you arrive to an asphalt road which you then follow to the Eremo delle Carceri, a small hermitage erected on the spot where Saint Francis spent a lot of time praying in a small cave (see waypoint). You can visit the hermitage which is open most of the day; the trail actually takes you through the gate and onto the site. After you have visited the site, you follow a trail up into the woods from the little toilet building above the hermitage through the gorge, and then left up to the asphalt road (ignore the sign at the fallen tree). You go left and then directly right to continue trail 50 up along the little gorge. Just before Rifugio di Vallonica you exit the forest and turn right to continue through meadows up to Sasso Piano. This is a rocky outcrop marked with a cross where you have a beautiful view across the Umbra valley and down to Assisi. Still continuing on trail 50 you then go further up towards the observatory. You cross the gravel road just below the observatory to turn left and go the final meters up to the top of Monte Subasio. There is a viewing point with panoramic charts here, and if the weather is good you can see the snow-capped (in May) peaks of the Sibillini mountains. From here you follow trail 61 across the meadows north parallel to the gravel road until you come back to the edge of the forest at another forest road. During my descend I somehow missed some of the trail markers, so the track does not follow the exact trail but crosses the barbed-wire fence (for keeping the horses on the meadows) at the same spot as trail 61. Here you turn left and you arrive to the point where the asphalt road to the top turns into gravel, near Rifugio Stazzi. Here you go down, first across a meadow and then on forest roads to Assisi. You pass by a small water spring at Fonte Maddalene (see waypoint). When you get back to the city walls, instead of going directly back to the starting point, you follow a small trail outside the city wall down to Via Renzo Rosati, and then climb via asphalt and trails through the grass to the magnificent viewing point at the Rocca Maggiore (see waypoint), a medieval castle overlooking the entire city. From here you return through the city and past the cathedral back to the starting point.
There are no places to buy food or drink on Monte Subasio apart from a small kiosk at the Eremo delle Carceri (sandwiches, coffee, drinks, sweets). In Assisi, there is of course sufficient opportunity to buy something. The Rocca Maggiore castle can only be entered after paying an entrance fee (5 € summer 2014). It is worth it mainly for the views, not so much for the castle itself or the exhibits within. The entrance to the hermitage is free. The parking lot at the starting point charged 1.30 € per hour. On the day I did this hike in the beginning of May, it was very windy and overcast, and very cold at the top. The hike was inspired by, but not the same as, some hikes described in "Rother Wanderführer: Umbrien" by Rolf Goetz (in German), hikes 17 and 19.
Waypoints
Information point
0 ft
Eremo Delle Carceri
Eremo delle carceri is a small hermitage erected on the spot where Saint Francis of Assisi spent a lof of time in a small cave. You can visit the cave of Francis inside the hermitage, but also the Via Francisco (a road behind the hermitage with several points of interest), the surrounding oak forest, caves of other hermits and a few bronze statues. There is no entrance fee, and there is a kiosk at the entrance.
Information point
0 ft
Fonte Maddalena
This is a small water source here with a plaque and a little building and a water trough. Not much water to see though.
Summit
0 ft
Monte Subasio
This is the summit of the Monte Subasio with a plaque and panoramic charts.
Castle
0 ft
Rocca Maggiore
Here is the medieval castle with superb viewing of Assisi and surroundings. There are also exhibits on the castle itself and photos of a medieval spectacle. Entrance fee is 5 € for adults (summer 2014 rate). Do not forget to go to the octagonal tower on the northwestern edge where you have the best viewing. You need to go through a long dark tunnel in the castle wall to get there.
Photo
0 ft
San Rufino Cathedral
Here is the San Rufino cathedral. The other churches of Assisi are not part of this route. The most important one being Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi.
Panorama
0 ft
Sasso Piano
This is a rocky outcrop with spectacular views across the valley and towards Assisi.
Information point
0 ft
Trail 61
Around this point I wandered off the trail and followed a course closer to the road then intended. When going down I found back the trail where it crosses the barbed wire. The trail itself can be easily followed (red/white on stone markers). The meadows here can be crossed almost anywhere and horses roam around freely.
Comments (22)
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Belle Foto... Complimenti!
Grazie per i complimenti, jiva!
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great trail for a day long hike! highly recommended!
the view is beautiful, the trail isn't always the easyest to find but if you follow carefully and look for the turns you won't miss it. use a map or you phone fot it
Thanks, Ofirshifman, for your review. Glad you liked it and glad you recommend it highly!
Bel giro. Consigliato
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Bel giro. Consigliato
Grazie, Alessio, per la raccomandazione.
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Bel percorso, molto panoramico. Ben segnalato durante la salita, il sentiero di discesa manca di qualche segnale.
Grazie per la tua recensione, a.vellata!
Fatto, molto bello!
Grazie, savinam74, per la tua recensione. Bello che ti sia piaciuto
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Heerlijke wandeling met heerlijk niet al te warm weer en prachtige uitzichten. Variatie van Bos en open gebied is prettig. Eerst vanuit de camping richting Assisi gelopen en daar aangehaakt op de route. Heerlijke dag gehad.
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Fatto! Ottime indicazioni. Primi due chilometri abbastanza impegnativi, ma in completa ombra. Il resto estremamente piacevole.
Grazie, Nicola! Sono felice che sia andata così bene.
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Supermooie wandeling! Prachtige smalle paadjes naar klooster, door bos en naar de top van de Monte Subasio. Wel heel blij met onze gps device! Bovenop vanwege de wolken en wind en het weinige zicht (wel her en der lange-afstand-wandelpad markeringen) en meer naar beneden door het weiland vanwege het ontbreken van een pad en/of markering. In Assisi na het fort nog doorgelopen naar de basililiek van Franciscus van Assisi. Mooie dag!
Mooi dat het zo goed bevallen is, Corien! Bedankt voor de positieve recensie!
Beautiful walk, spectacular scenery. A highlight was the freely roaming horses towards the top. The first section up to eremo delle carceri was very steep.
Thanks Tully for your review and comments. Glad you liked it!
Aha dus hier ben je ook al geweest Tjaart. Heb hem vandaag gelopen als toetje van de Franciscus route. Prachtig weer, fenomenale uitzichten en een zee van bloemen. Top! Bedankt.
Inderdaad was ik hier ooit ook, Marcus! Fijn dat het top was, en bedankt voor de positieve waardering!
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Percorso effettuato in data 6 luglio 2023. Assolutamente eccellente con un buon grado di sforzo richiesto (almeno per una persona di quasi 60 anni) ma non esagerato.
Un paio di osservazioni valide per la data indicata:
- Il sentiero una volta raggiunto il punto più alto diventa un poco meno chiaro da seguire: ci sono pietre con la classica colorazione rosso-bianco-rosso ma non sono sempre visibili dalla distanza. Io ho preferito fare la parte centrale della camminata sulla strada bianca;
- In diverse brevi sezioni la vegetazione con arbusti e cespugli particolarmente spinosi copre quasi completamente il sentiero: consiglio pantaloni lunghi per evitare di rovinarsi le gambe.
I miei più sentiti ringraziamenti all'originatore.
Grazie per la tua recensione entusiasta e per i consigli, Luca!