Colfiorito

Santa Maria Plestia

Situated on a high plateau between Umbria and Marche Colfiorito Park has a number of spectacular natural and man made features. Word heritage listed for its mountain wetlands the region also contains evidence of thousands of years of human habitation with archaic pre Roman  hill settlements and  the remains of a Roman  site at Plestia.

An ancient trail the Via Lauretana winds up through the mountains and eventually to Colfiorito and  Abbie and I planned to hike it but first needed a detailed map, which could only be obtained by visiting the park office/natural history museum at Colfiorito. As it is only 26 kilometres from Foligno, not a big deal in the car and what a little gem it is! The lady in museum gave us an excellent map with the trail clearly marked and also other interesting booklets about the park and surrounding towns. We were also surprised to learn found fossils of giant hippopotami and elephant from before the emergence of the Italian peninsular millions of years ago have been found in the park region. 

We spent a good hour exploring the natural history museum, completely free of charge, with excellent displays of the animals and birds found in the region- the wetlands in particular are a bird watchers dream, with also badgers, deer wolves, foxes and hedgehogs.

 

source of our wonderful coffee

perfect cornettos

Interior museum

Map in hand we set off at 6 am the following morning to the little town of Belfiore where we began our hike on the via Lauretana, but first stopped for a most excellent coffee and delicious hot cornetto at Bar San Marco in Belfiore. Parking near the trailhead we set off upwards on a very long sustained climb through oak and beech forest to the spectacular Menotre falls and then to the lovely village of Pale, where there is interesting restoration work after the recent earthquakes. Nearby there is an isolated monastery clinging to a rocky outcrop but to visit requires 3 days  advance pre planning so on we marched up to the village of Sostino, where the main climb finished and spread out before us was a fertile mountain  plateau surrounded by the magnificence of the Subiaso moutnains. The most incredibly breathtaking vistas and no one else around.

 

Menotre falls

We feasted on apples and figs picked as we walked and noticed the large expanses of lentil fields and fenced plantations of young oak trees seeded with truffle. Wild flowers are abundant; tiny cyclamen, snapdragons, cornflowers and miniature daisies, violets with the sweet scent of penny- royal, sage and fennel and accompanying birdsong-a sensual delight as we marched on!

 

vista from the top

truffle plantation

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the valley

leaving village of Sostino

view over Belfiore

Now on the down hill section we could see before us the extensive wetlands of the Colfiorito lagoon and through my inadequate binoculars, wading birds and ducks. Even though close to our destination we took a short break adjacent to a restored 16C communal fountain to soak in the scene below us. The walk into Colfiorito proceeds along a shaded a path next to the lagoon, home to many species of water bird with also massive clumps of white floating water lilly and reed banks where terns nest.

 

Water lily bank Colfiorito

view over the Colfiorito Wetlands

 After 18 kilometres of  at times very strenuous effort we were certainly ready for a break and plonked ourselves at a small restaurant/bar in the centre of town- outside naturally given our state. After a quite delicious mixed salad with tuna and mozzarella and white wine of course we found ourselves quite revived and ready to walk the last kilometre to Plestia, the remains of a Roman town  from the republican era, plundered to  construct the 11 C church of Santa Maria. The outline of the town is clear from the remaining foundation stonework, now partially undercover and the church is also lovely in its simplicity.

 

lunch break at Colfiorito

With rain threatening we hurried back into town, past stalls with local red potatoes, garlic, onions and lentils. We made it back just in time, taking shelter in the portico of the archeological museum as the deluge descended. Sadly the museum didn’t open until four and very tired now we called a very expensive taxi from Foligno to take us back to our car in Belfiore.  

 On the way home and near to Spoleto we stopped to look at a small church, Tempiette di Clitunno, which as a crumbling Roman temple was repurposed as a church in the 12C. Utilising Roman materials it is a stunning fusion of stylistic elements with strong characteristics of both church and temple.

 

Tempiette di Clitunno

interior of temple 

What diversity in natural environment and cultural heritage is available in Umbria particularly Spoleto, and how fortunate are we for the opportunity to  discover and explore such environments!