This variation on the route was designed for people who want or need to shorten the itinerary by a day and get to Assisi without the stopover in Perugia.
The length of the ride is less than 25 kilometres and, with the exception of a bit of up and down hill, is not especially difficult, until you get to the final ascent to the Basilica of St Francis in Assisi. It’s a great way to enjoy the approach to the city of St Francis, to gaze out over the views and recover from the efforts of the past few days. You’ll leave Valfabbrica and, to begin with, follow the same route as those going to Perugia.
When you get to Pianello turn left towards San Giorgio along a small secondary road without traffic, it goes up and down a bit and leads to Petrignano d’Assisi. From here go towards Palazzo and then Bastia, where you will hook up with the final stretch of the Perugia to Assisi route. These last few kilometres are utterly gorgeous, you will be riding over roads without traffic and with all the medieval grandeur of Assisi rising before you in the distance. When you get to the feet of the city, ride upwards over the bricked via mattonata foot path to get into town without the hassle of traffic.
Ride your bike as far as you can, and then walk alongside it to get to the lower Basilica, the arrival point of the Via di Francesco. You have reached Assisi and you are nice and fit, so you could consider continuing upwards towards to the top of Mount Subasio, to the Eremo delle Carceri hermitage. It’s a gorgeous place, steeped in spirituality, and the ride up offers some stunning views of the valley below. To get there you will have to cover a few kilometres of uphill over gradients that exceed 10%. You really do need to be fit.