W_H

My wife and I will be in Italy this fall and would like to do some hiking and possibly horseback riding. We'll be staying in both southern Tuscany (Montepulciano) and Assisi/Spello areas.

We are looking for the most scenic area to do these activities in (hills, vineyards, not flat terrain). In your opinion, would both areas be nice for these activities, or is one better than the other?

Wade

Marilyn

Personally I find southern Tuscany a bit more scenic. I would be interested in hearing about your riding experience there if you do go.

Grinisa

We were in the Valnerina area of Umbria in October and the mountains their offer some spectacular hiking opportunities. If you have a car, it's about a half hour drive from Spello.

W_H

Thank you both for your help. But I'm still not clear since you have differing opinions.

Can anyone else weigh in here? How do the two areas differ -- is one flatter than the other? Fewer vineyards/castles/etc in one that the other?

Grinisa

Well, southern Tuscany has rolling hills and vineyards. Far eastern Umbria (the Valnerina) has mountains, forests, rivers and ancient fortified towns. Since you are going in the fall, I would think the Valnerina would be more scenic due to the changes in color on all the trees. The area around Spello/Assisi isn't all that "scenic" but off course the hilltowns offer their own diversions.

flygirl

I'd be interested to hear back from W_H about his experiences...

nessundorma

I'm with Grinisa on this. That area and the Parco Monte Sibillini is some of the most spectacular scenery in Italy. A trip to the Piano Grande is breathtaking.

You should do a google search for both "horseback riding Maremma" (which is in Southern Tuscany) and "horseback riding Sibillini" and see what you come up with. You can often find agriturismos in Italy that specialze in horseback riding. You might find one quite convenient to day trips to the art and historic sites.