Start | Corciano |
Arrival | Corciano |
Distance | 25 km |
Total ascent | 500 m |
Difficulty | easy |
Surface | asphalt, gravel |
Recommended bike | hybrid, mtb |
Places to visit in the area | Corciano, Pieve del Vescovo, Mantignana, Capocavallo, Villa del Colle del Cardinale. |
Route 3 starts from the car park beneath the ancient walls of Corciano. This ride begins with the descent down towards Ellera, and after little more than a kilometre, you come to the junction with the main road, where you turn left and continue to ride downhill for a further two kilometres. At the end of this lengthy descent, carry straight on, with the attractive village of Migiana receding behind you, while to the left you can see the massive shape of the ancient castle of Pieve del Vescovo.
The route here follows the rolling countryside towards Mantignana, which you reach having cycled a total of 9 kilometres. When you get to Mantignana, turn right just after the bank, into Via Michelangelo Buonarroti. Another kilometre further on brings you to the church, and just past the church you turn right into a country lane running past fields and farm houses. At the junction with the SP171, turn left towards Castel Rigone, but another kilometre further on, you turn off this road to your right. This marks the beginning of a delightful section of gravel track (1.5 km. long), the first 500m. of which is a winding uphill section, followed by a straight downhill section running past fields, with a wonderful view of the Villa del Colle del Cardinale and the surrounding countryside
When you reach the surfaced road, turn right, and then at the junction with the SP170 (the Maestrello Road), cross this main road (taking special care when doing so as it is a busy road), and carry straight on towards Colle Umberto. Here, after crossing a small stream, you come to another junction, where you turn left towards Perugia. After 17 km. you come to Canneto, where you turn right towards Corciano, and a few kilometres further on you will be back at the car park lying at the foot of this small medieval town.
The climb up to Corciano begins at km.22 (this is the same road that you took leaving the town at the beginning of the ride), and represents the only really difficult part of the ride. When you get back to the starting point, having pedalled a total of 25 kilometres, you can enjoy the wonderful view as far as the distant summit of Monte Amiata in Tuscany.
The small medieval town of Corciano, with its ancient walls enclosing a labyrinth of streets, lanes, stairways and towers. The centre of Corciano features a number of interesting buildings, including the Porta Santa Maria Tower (torrione), Palazzo Comunale, Palazzo del Capitano del Popolo and Palazzo dei Priori, together with the parish church of Santa Maria Assunta, featuring the work entitled ‘La Tavola Assunta’ by Perugino (1513) and the Banner of Benedetto Bonfigli, painted in 1472. The town’s square, Piazza Coragino, also features a fine well dating from the 16th century. Pieve del Vescovo, a castle situated one kilometre from Corciano, is well worth a visit: this quadrangular-shaped building, featuring an inner courtyard and four corner towers, was built in around the 13th century, and was transformed into an aristocratic residence between 1560 and 1570. The extensive wooded area of Monte Malbe, situated above Corciano, is also worth visiting. Other sites of interest in the area include the fortified castles of San Mariano, Solomeo, Migiana, Mantignan, Chiugiana and Capocavallo, all situated just a few kilometres from each other, and all having conserved their original appearance.