The ninth leg features the Forca di Cerro pass and marks your arrival in the Valnerina. The leg is short and the climb moderate, but the long steady ascent does require a good level of fitness, considering the distances already covered.
Surface
tarmac - dirt road
Water sources
yes (Spoleto, Sant’Anatolia di Narco, Scheggino)
This part of the route takes you out of the Umbrian valley and into the Valnerina over a landscape that is more rugged, more mountainous. While those walking the route get to the Valnerina from Monteluco over a steep trail, the cycle route goes back over the last bit of yesterday’s leg to Spoleto and then heads over the Forca di Cerro pass or over the old and now converted Spoleto-Norcia railroad tracks.The most difficult part of the leg is the ascent to Forca di Cerro, the old road that connected the Valnerina to Spoleto and is now almost completely free of traffic thanks to the brand new Spoleto-Sant’Anatolia tunnel. This makes it ideal for cycling. The climb is 9 km long and although there are no especially steep parts, you have to approach the ascent with great respect, also because by now your legs will have already been put to the test over the past few days.If you have good lights and a bike that can handle rugged trails then you can skip the Forca di Cerro ascent and go over the old Spoleto-Norcia train track, an extraordinary feat of railroad engineering that dates to 1926 that was finally closed down in 1968. It is now a hiking/cycling track that links Spoleto with Sant’Anatolia di Narco. It is probably one of Italy’s loveliest bike paths and will certainly give an added touch of adventure and excitement to your journey, it’s an experience you won’t soon forget…Once in the Valnerina you will travel southwards far from traffic along the Greenway of the Nera river until you get to Sant’Anatolia di Narco, and from there to the charming little mountain town of Scheggino, cut through by the clear cool water of the Nera.
