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5 Day Short Break in The Saddle Horse Riding Holiday in Spoleto, Umbria
La Somma, Frazione Montebibico, 40, Montebibico, Spoleto, Perugia, Umbria, Italy
Breathtaking Horse Riding Holiday Italy
This listing has one of the 10 most popular offers available in in Italy
You are exclusively invited to this short break horse riding program in Italy. You will enjoy rides through breathtaking paths that you never imagined before and you will be enchanted by this country's beauty. Saddle up and enjoy the views!
Key Information
- Rider Weight Limit: 100 kilograms / 220 pounds
- Horse Height Range: 15 to 17 hands
- Tack Type: English and Western tacks
- Horse Breed: Anglo-Arabs, Argentinians, Arab-cross, and sure-footed Maremannos
Meet the instructors
Clare, Andrea, & Agostino
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Highlights
- 3 days of horse riding
- Approximate daily riding time: 5 - 6 hours
- Ride through a beautiful Romanesque church
- 2 wonderful day rides with memorable picnics in shady groves
- Half-day ride through the Butterfly Park
- Train station pick-up and drop-off
- 4 nights accommodation
- Daily meals
Skill level
- Beginner
- Intermediate
- Advanced
Styles
3 days with instruction in English
The organizer also speaks: Italian
Group size: 2-9 participants
Accommodation
Facilities
- Horse riding
- Table tennis
- Bar
- Fireplace
The center has a range of sleeping accommodations available, including eight chalets or apartments and bedrooms, all with en-suite bathrooms and furnished to a high standard in traditional Umbrian style. Some have kitchen areas. All of them look out onto spectacular views of the surrounding woods and mountains, and all have central heating in winter. Some have fireplaces.
One sleeps two to four, while the larger one sleeps four to six people. Both have fireplaces. The stables' clubhouse is a large airy room, with beams and terracotta floors and magnificent views from the bar area. A huge fireplace provides the perfect spot to enjoy a drink after a long day's ride.
La Somma has a good-sized open air swimming pool, with amazing views over the surrounding hills and valleys.
Program
In spite of its breathtaking setting, La Somma Equestrian Center is surprisingly accessible and thanks to low-cost flights, many of their guests are finding that they can visit them for a short break to do some serious riding, eat some memorable meals, and recharge their batteries. La Somma has designed an action-packed short break that will take you through one half-day and two full-day rides.
They have even thrown in a free one-hour lesson to help you develop your technique or do some jumping. Ryan Air and Easy Jet both fly into Rome, an easy drive or train ride from Spoleto, where they will send a car to pick you up. Ryan Air also flies into Perugia, which is just 30 minutes away.
Itinerary
Here is a sample program, but you can tack on extra days or rides as required, so please inquire.
Day 1 - Wednesday: Arrive Spoleto
Pick-up at the train station and transfer to stables. Three-course dinner with wine is served in the clubhouse. Accommodation in comfortable chalets.
Day 2 - Thursday
You will start off with a half-day ride that will take you through the grounds of a magnificent 600-hectare private estate called La Tenuta dello Schioppo but known locally as Il Parco delle Farfalle, the Butterfly Park. There are wide avenues that are perfect for cantering for those who want to and trotting for those who do not and splendid views of mountains, valleys, and hill villages in all directions.
You will ride back for lunch with a free afternoon to relax or go exploring nearby Spoleto (transport can be provided at a reasonable cost). Alternatively, you can have a free one-hour lesson, doing flatwork or jumping, depending on your level. Dinner will be served at a local trattoria.
Day 3 - Friday
Pianella will be the destination for this day-long trek of five to six hours (35 kilometers), a gloriously peaceful spot in the heart of the Umbrian countryside. To get there, you will ride through woods and trails and down into a hidden valley where you will pause to admire the exquisite little village of Castagnacupa whose old stone houses have all been recently restored. From here, you will ride past a beautiful Romanesque church and into more woodland before reaching the shady meadow where you will have lunch, tying the horses to a post and rails and sitting at wooden tables and benches thoughtfully provided for picnickers.
After lunch, you will head on through the old village of Pompagnano, close to Spoleto, and back over the hills via Catinelli, a village poised spectacularly on a rock outcrop and home to just two people, an old man and a woman who can often be seen tending to their animals.
Day 4 - Saturday
Today’s ride will be spectacular and fun. The terrain and scenery are very varied on the 35 kilometers the riders will spend in the saddle. Winding through woodland trails, you will come to the hamlet of Torrecolla before passing a delightful stone church and heading along some wider paths. Then, it is time to begin the long but gentle climb up to Monte Fionchi, a huge alpine meadow at the top of a 1300-meter-high mountain, where riders can refresh themselves with a drink from an ice-cold mountain spring.
A leisurely picnic lunch will be served in a meadow close to another lovely Umbrian country church, the Chiesa di Sant'Antonio. The return leg will take you through the wild and staggeringly beautiful Valnerina, past abandoned villages stuck to the side of the mountain, through other inhabited hill villages, and back to the stables. Dinner will be served at a local trattoria.
Day 5 - Sunday
You will savor breakfast and depart.
Horses
The stables have more than 70 horses including Anglo-Arabs, Argentinians, Arab-cross, sure-footed Maremannos, and smaller ponies for children. All of them are well-schooled and responsive so that experienced riders can be sure of finding a good mount, while novice and nervous riders will also feel safe and comfortable.
Instructors
Clare Pedrick
Clare Pedrick is an experienced English guide, though she has lived in Italy for many years. She organises the horse riding holidays and will accompany riders on many of the rides.
Andrea Bevilacqua
Andrea Bevilacqua is in charge of riding tuition. With a string of show-jumping successes to his name, Andrea gives riding lessons to novices and experts alike. He is a FISE instructor and regional show jumping champion with years of experience teaching show jumping and dressage.
Agostino Bevilacqua
Agostino heads the trekking side of the business and was born and brought up in these hills. What he doesn't know about horses is probably not worth knowing.
Location
The holiday will take place in Spoleto, Umbria, Italy. Situated in some of the loveliest countrysides anywhere in Europe, La Somma offers riding holidays exploring rolling mountains, hidden valleys, and medieval hill villages in this unspoiled corner of Umbria where time appears to have stood still. The stables are just a 15-minute drive from Spoleto with its Roman, medieval, and Renaissance treasures and an enticing array of shops and restaurants. The area is also an excellent base for walking, cycling, and even rafting. Rome is an easy train journey away, making it perfect for a day trip or as an add-on to your visit.
Distances
- Spoleto - 15 minutes
- Perugia - 30 minutes
Features
Activities
- Cycling
- Horse riding
- Mountain walking
- Swimming
- Swimming pool (outdoor)
- Table tennis
- Wine tasting
General
- Bar
- Fireplace
Food
Full board meals will be served, including breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Food is high on the agenda in this part of the world, and you will eat well and heartily during your stay, with home-cooked dishes prepared with the best Umbrian ingredients and accompanied by excellent local wine. Alcoholic beverages are included at meals (but drinks taken at the bar at other times must be paid for). They also cater to guests with allergies and food intolerance.
The following meals are included:
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
- Drinks
The following drinks are included:
- Alcoholic beverages
The following dietary requirement(s) are served and/or catered for:
- Regular (typically includes meat and fish)
- Other dietary requirements on request
If you have special dietary requirements it's a good idea to communicate it to the organiser when making a reservation
Things to do (optional)
You may visit nearby Spoleto, a Roman-Renaissance gem, Montefalco with its wineries, frescoed churches, and exquisite piazza, or do some white water rafting on Corno River. All can be arranged for a supplement. In warmer weather, guests can use the outdoor swimming pool, which has spectacular views.
What's included
- 1 half-day ride
- 2 full-day rides
- 1-hour riding lesson to develop your technique
- 4 nights accommodation
- Full board meals including wine
- Pick-up and drop-off at Spoleto railway station
What's not included
- Airfare
- Airport transfers
- Extra drinks from the bar in the clubhouse
- Optional activities
- Rafting
How to get there
Recommended Airports
CIA
Ciampino–G. B. Pastine International Airport
95 km
Transfer not provided
FCO
Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport
103 km
Transfer not provided
PEG
Perugia San Francesco d'Assisi – Umbria International Airport
51 km
Transfer not provided
Driving directions from Spoleto
- Take the main road from Spoleto towards Terni / Rome.
- You will see a tunnel right on the brow of a hill after approximately 6 kilometers.
- Get into the left lane and turn left immediately after the tunnel and a bar called the Bar Belli.
- Find the turning which is signposted Montebibico.
- Take another sharp left immediately and then left again (following signs for Montebibico).
- Follow the winding road up the hill for about 1 kilometer until you see a stone house with wooden shutters on the left.
- Turn left here.
- Drive up the unpaved road until you reach the stables (about 400 meters).
Arrival by airplane
Please book your flight to arrive at Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport (FCO), Ciampino–G. B. Pastine International Airport (CIA), or San Francesco d'Assisi Airport (PEG). Transfers from and to these airports are not provided. Ryan Air and Easy Jet both fly into Rome, an easy drive or train ride away from Spoleto where La Somma will send a car to pick you up. Ryan Air also flies into Perugia which is just 30 minutes away. Many of the guests add on an extra day or two to visit Rome.
Arrival by train
Pick-up and drop-off at Spoleto railway station are included in the price. La Somma will send a car to pick you up.
Cancellation Policy
- A reservation requires a deposit of 18.15% of the total price.
- The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.
- The rest of the payment should be paid on arrival.
For this organizer you can guarantee your booking through BookHorseRidingHolidays.com. All major credit cards supported.
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