Stage 15 · Sant'Antimo → Orvieto
- Distance
- 112 km
- Elevation gain
- 2,170 m D+
- Suggested days
- 2
- Difficulty
- Challenging
- Surface
- 70% asphalt, 30% gravel · 71% on cycle routes
- Terrain
- Siena Hills, tuff
- Hospitality
- Hotels
GPX 1.1 file with the track, elevation and the abbeys as waypoints. Tracks are calculated on real roads and cycle routes (OpenStreetMap): check them on the ground before you set off.
Gravel variant: 115 km · D+ 2,330 m · 44% unpaved (main track: 30%)
Calculated with a profile that prefers gravel roads and dirt tracks (BRouter on OpenStreetMap data): more natural surface and less traffic, sometimes slower. Check it on the ground, especially after rain.
Stage map
Map of the stage Sant'Antimo → Orvieto: track, start, finish, places to stay and abbeys
Hover the profile to see the spot on the map
Tracks calculated on real roads and cycle paths (OpenStreetMap); elevations from SRTM data — to be checked on the ground
Main climb: 5.2 km at 7.7% (up to 598 m)
Other climb: 8.2 km at 4.5% (up to 776 m)
This stage on Komoot
The same track is on the project's Komoot profile: save it in the app and ride it with voice navigation.
Overview
From the Val d'Orcia to Orvieto along the old Via Francigena corridor. The route climbs to the fortress of Radicofani, rolls down towards Acquapendente and Lake Bolsena, then enters Umbria at the foot of the tufa cliff.
Notes from the road
The climb to Radicofani is the hardest of this stretch of Francigena. Past Sant'Antimo the clay hills stay exposed and short on services for long stretches. The Cassia then offers villages at regular intervals to Acquapendente. Orvieto on its tufa cliff arrives well at sunset, with light warming the stone.
What to see
Abbey of Sant'Antimo, Rocca di Radicofani, villages of the Via Francigena, Acquapendente, Lake Bolsena, the rock of Orvieto, Orvieto Cathedral, St Patrick's Well
Where to sleep
Hotel in central Orvieto (80-120€); B&B Orvieto (70-100€); agriturismo between Bolsena and Orvieto (60-85€)
Where to eat
Umbrichelli alla campagnola, Lake Bolsena whitefish, spit-roasted pigeon, Orvieto Classico DOC
Tips
A long, undulating stage, 112 km: the climb to Radicofani is the toughest of the day. Arrive in Orvieto at sunset, when the tufa glows. Whether bikes travel on the funicular needs checking with the operator: otherwise plan to ride the climb or descent on the road. On the real track it is 112 km and 2,170 m of climbing: better over two days, stopping at Acquapendente (around km 70).
Water & supplies
Fountains in Radicofani, at the top of the climb, and in Acquapendente at mid-stage. Between Sant'Antimo and Radicofani about 25 km of exposed clay hills with almost no services; the Cassia then brings regular villages. A rolling, sunny finale; every service in Orvieto.
Places to stay on this stage
- Camping Scacco Mattocampsite
SS448 km 3,7, Lago di Corbara, Baschi (TR)- Price:
- n/a
- Open:
- seasonal (check ahead)
- Facilities:
- hot showers, swimming pool, restaurant, shaded lakeside pitches
- Source:
- scaccomatto.net
Small family-run campsite on Lake Corbara, ~6 km east of Orvieto on the way to Todi.
Abbeys on this stage
- Start abbey: Abbazia di Sant'Antimo
An amateur, non-profit project. The tracks are indicative: everyone rides independently, at their own risk.