ETRUSCAN TREKKING - ITALY

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This is a point to point horse riding holiday through the the Etruscan region of Italy with camping en route. Western saddles are utilized on this holiday. The natural environment is varied and impressive with        mountain pastures, the wilderness of the Fiora river valley and canyons in tuff-rock.

You will ride along the pastures of Montevitozzo, through the Etruscan necropoles of Poggio Prisca and across ancient Etruscan cavern roads. You will pass by the most famous monument in this part of Etruria, the Tomb of Ildebranda and ride through the Lamone Forest Natural Park before camping on the shore of the volcanic Mezzano Lake, an absolute paradise. You will explore medieval villages and Etruscan necropoles.

For a nature loving rider this horse riding holiday is a wonderful way to discover the nature and culture of the area.

Trip length 8 days / 7 nights Ride only price 2009: £819, B&B trail £1,099 Departure dates 2009: 18 Apr*; 5 Sep; 3 Oct; 10 Oct* * B&B trail Approximate riding time per day 5 - 6 hours Riding ability required Walk, trot and canter. Group size 4 - 8 Meeting point (getting there) Chiusi Train Station or Rome/Fiumicino Airport Transfer From Chiusi Train Station on Saturday - €30, other days - €60, from Rome/Fiumicino Airport - €200 Flight guide London to Rome/Fiumicino Airport return from £60 Single supplement none if willing to share, otherwise £119

SAMPLE ITINERARY - ETRUSCAN TREKKING

Day 1
Arrive and transfer to accommodation. In the evening meet with the guide and the other guests to chat and get to know each other.

Day 2
The entire day is spent on horseback, getting to know your horse and ensuring that horse and rider are completely compatable.  Lunch is a picnic.

Day 3
We head out along the pastures of Montevitozzo to the banks of the Fiora River, where we stop for a picnic lunch and a swim. Afterwards we ride through the Etruscan necropoles of Poggio Prisca and across ancient Etruscan cavern roads, passing the most famous monument in this part of Etruria, the Tomb of Ildebranda. After riding across Inferno Valley and admiring the Colombaia Tomb, dug out of the rock overlooking the valley, we ride next to the ancient wall of the medieval village of Sovana. From there we go on towards Pitigliano until we reach the camp situated on a beautiful plateau.

Day 4
From the Pitigliano campsite we take the ancient St. Joseph cavern road, crossing the Fiora River and continuing towards Poggio Buco and then to the campsite of Scarceta on the river Fiora.

Day 5
We continue our journey downstream, crossing the river many times before coming to the Olpeta cavern road (the only one in the area that contains the remains of Roman Construction). Then we cross the Olpeta River and take a break near the ancient city of Castro to have our picnic. In the afternoon we enter the Lamone Forest Natural Park where we come to the campsite surrounded by woodcutters' cabins. We cross the forest to reach our camp on the shore of the volcanic Mezzano Lake, an absolute paradise.

Day 6
We take leave from the camp to visit the Lamone Forest whose abundant vegetation is home to flora and wildlife unique to the area. During our ride we will encounter cattle of the Maremma, living in the forest clearings. In the afternoon we will come out of the forest and cross rolling hills with spectacular panoramas, returning to our camp on Lake Mezzano where we have time for a swim.

Day 7
From Mezzano Lake, along field tracks we reach first San Quirico, then Vitozza, a village rich in medieval treasures. Its original habitations were made up of numerous caverns that served as houses until the end of the eighteenth century. From there we descend to the springs of the Lente river, then continuing towards Pratolungo, Castell'Ottieri, and Montevitozzo, before returning to our first location.

Day 8
Depart.

Please note: This itinerary is given for your guidance only and it may be altered in accordance with the prevailing conditions by the organising team.

The weight limit for this ride is 16 st/220 lb/100 kg, please enquire if you are an experienced rider exceeding this weight.

WHAT IS INCLUDED
Full board (breakfast and 2 three course meals including wine), accommodation as described, riding, horses and tack, luggage transfer and camping equipment.

WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED
Transfers from/to station/airport (payable on site), items of a personal nature and gratuities. Optional extras include a full service bar and availability of rain gear for rent.

FURTHER DETAILS
As we are specialists in our field we have extensive knowledge of all our products from details of accommodation and meals to number/size/type of horses to pace of riding ... and much more.

Should you wish to receive further details of this ride please click here.

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