With its distinctive environment and highly diverse morphology Umbria is the ideal place for numerous outdoor activities. A perfect region if you want an active and fun-filled holiday, with unforgettable experiences far removed from everyday life. In fact, it offers the chance for endless activities: woods, lakes, rivers, gently rolling hills, mountains reaching more than 2000 meters high and the uncontaminated landscapes form the perfect setting for a vast range of outdoor sports.
Water? Earth? Air? Which sign are you? The wide variety of rivers enable doing sports like rafting, canyoning – an unusual way to travel down the mountain through the gorges the rivers run through, hydrospeed – swimming following the current using a bob-like float, canoeing, kayaking and sailing. The tourist-excursion area of the Marmore Waterfalls and the Nera Fluvial Park are particularly suited to these sports. The Marmore Waterfalls are the highest in Europe and a must for anyone wanting to observe the natural beauty of the region. The River Nera flows fast down from the waterfalls to the valley, passing through the natural fascinating setting and luxuriant vegetation, and creates the ideal rapids for these sports. We should also mention the lovely Lake Piediluco, the second largest in the region after Lake Trasimeno, and which was chosen by the Italian Canoeing Federation as the headquarters for the National Federal Centre. A number of associations also let children and non-swimmers try the “gentler” sports, and there is something for everyone’s needs.
With all its nature trails and rocky faces, in Umbria visitors can enjoy some fantastic excursions and climbs, choosing to go on foot, horseback – thanks to the several stables and schools in the region, or on mountain bike cycling through the gentle hills in the Umbrian countryside. Professional and amateur climbers alike find the perfect setting to fully enjoy their sport: there are around 250 climbing itineraries ranging from Perugia to the Monti Sibillini National Park. To these are added the many karst caves for speleology enthusiasts, or anyone who wants to enter this fascinating world for the first time to explore the core of the Umbrian mountains.
The more audacious can try exhilarating free flight off the beautiful slopes of Monte Cucco or the Castelluccio plateau, with delta plane or paragliding assisted by expert instructors and pilots, approaching specific lessons for motorized flights, like planes, helicopters and motorized delta planes. And if you want a very special and unique experience, perhaps to celebrate a truly significant occasion, why not book a balloon ride and romantically fly over the “green heart” of Italy.
Umbria is a magical region of undisputed beauty which, along with the artistic and cultural attractions, also offers numerous opportunities for outdoor activities so that your holiday becomes much more, it becomes a truly unforgettable experience.