Southern Umbria: Todi, Montefalco and the Marmore Falls

Route description

From Perugia, take the free E45 dual carriageway south for about 45 km to Todi, a hill town whose Piazza del Popolo is one of the best-kept medieval squares in Italy. Park below and take the lift or funicular up. Then cross the Martani hills eastward on minor roads to Bevagna, a flat walled town with Roman mosaics and two Romanesque churches facing each other on its square.

Montefalco, a few kilometres south, is called the balcony of Umbria for its view over the Spoleto valley. It is the home of Sagrantino, a dark red wine, and the old town has frescoes by Benozzo Gozzoli. Continue to Spoleto, where the Ponte delle Torri, a medieval aqueduct bridge, crosses the gorge below the fortress; a flat path leads to it from the Rocca.

Follow the SS3 Flaminia south over the Somma pass to Terni, then take the SS209 to the Marmore Falls. The Romans cut a channel here in 271 BC and the falls now drop 165 metres in three steps. Water is released at scheduled times, more often in summer and at weekends, so check the calendar. Paths link the lower and upper viewpoints.

From Terni it is 15 km to Narni, a hill town above the Nera gorge with underground rooms beneath the old convent of San Domenico. Below the town, near Narni Scalo, a single enormous arch is all that remains of the Roman bridge of Augustus on the Via Flaminia. The route suits motorhomes, though Todi and Montefalco have narrow approach roads.