Welcome to Rome, globetrotters! Hopefully you’ll have flown in a day or two early and had a good look around this most famous of cities by now, because today you’re leaving the city for the dramatic hills and plains of Umbria. The transfer departs Rome Fiumicino Airport at 11am sharp, so make sure you’re at the meeting point nice and early. It’s about a 3.5 to 4-hour drive, and you’ll take in some truly gorgeous countryside en route.

Arriving at your accommodation, Villa Tardioli, in the afternoon, you’ll be greeted by your guide, Emiliano, and his friendly team, who will welcome you to their homeland and brief you on the week ahead. You’ll then be shown to your rooms and have a chance to freshen up before being driven to the ranch at 5pm. Try to keep your jaw attached as you take in this incredible setting! Emiliano and his team will match you with one of their impeccably-trained horses and lead an hour-long trail ride around the ranch so you can get acquainted. It’s summer, so the days are long and you’ll be bathed in beautiful evening light.

Having said good night to your new equine friend, you’ll share a welcome drink with your guides and fellow guests, toasting to what’s sure to be an incredible week ahead. Then it’s back to Villa Tardioli for the first of many Umbrian feasts. Italians eat quite late (dinner is served between 8-10pm), so prepare for late nights and sleep-ins!

After a decadent breakfast featuring such delights as pastries, slices, yoghurt, ricotta and honey, you’ll pack your bags and don your riding gear, mounting up at 9:30am. From the village of Castelluccio di Norcia, you’ll ride about 30 kilometres, passing through the magnificent valleys of the Pantani di Accumoli – a series of serene mountain ponds carved by glaciers.

A packed lunch will be served overlooking the hundreds of cattle and horses drinking and grazing by the Pantani.

Finally, after about 7 hours in the saddle, the ancient town of Norcia will appear on the vast plain. Alongside its beautiful architecture and surroundings, Norcia is known as the birthplace of Saint Benedict, founder of the Benedictine monastic system, and his sister, Saint Scholastica. The ride ends at Casale nel Parco, a farm near Norcia. Here, the horses can graze to their heart’s content while you tuck into dinner in the farmhouse. With a long day’s riding under your belt, your cosy glamping teepee will seem all the more welcoming.

Waking up to the peaceful sounds of rural life – birdsong, stomping hooves, rustling leaves, occasional moos – you’ll emerge from your tent for breakfast at 8am. Then it’s time to pack up camp and get ready for another extraordinary day in the saddle. It’s a slightly shorter route today, at around 25 kilometres, but there’s a greater elevation gain, so the horses’ stamina will come to the fore.

First, Emiliano will lead you towards the Valley of Mount Patino, then you’ll come to the Passo dell’Inferno (Hell’s Pass), which is a lot less alarming and more scenic than the name suggests! Keep your eyes peeled for wolf tracks on the ground, hares on the hills, and golden eagles in the sky – while mostly reclusive, the wildlife in this area is unique.

Emerging from the pass, you’ll refuel with a hearty lunch at a nearby refuge, then ride on to the Canatra Valley, with its fertile summer pastures and shady beech forest. Here you’ll find your camp set up, ready for you to wash off the day’s dust before slurping up a tasty, filling bowl of soup made with lentils grown in the fields you rode past today.

This morning, you’ll once again have breakfast at 8 and mount up at 9:30. Having ridden in the shadow of Mount Patino yesterday, this is your chance to see the view from the top of that imposing peak. It’s a relatively short but tough climb to the top, and you’ll pause several times to allow the horses to rest. Finally, the ascent is rewarded with a windswept, panoramic view across the Valley of Norcia, where you began riding yesterday morning, and the spectacular Sibillini Mountains.

Returning to camp for lunch, there’s time to relax and take in the beauty of the towering beech trees surrounding you while the horses doze. Once everyone is feeling refreshed, the horses will be tacked up once again for a ride to nearby San Lorenzo Valley, riding along a pass that leads to Pian Perduto (‘Lost Plain’), one of Castelluccio’s three famous plains. No matter when you visit, the flat plains butting up against huge, rolling mountains are a sight to behold. Tonight, your hosts will rustle up another delicious dinner at your forest campsite.

An early start sees you in the saddle at 9am for the two-hour journey back to Emiliano’s ranch. After riding along the edge of the mighty Mount Vettore, the highest peak in the Sibillini massif, there may be chances to trot or canter as you traverse the gentle, rolling hills and smooth pastures of the Pian Grande (‘Big Plain’). This infamous plain is covered with lentil, poppy, cornflower and mustard flowers from mid June to mid July each year.

On arrival at the ranch, the horses will be tended to while you’re driven the short distance to Villa Tardioli, where you’ll be served a tasty lunch.

In the afternoon, you can choose to head out on another ride, relax and unwind at the hotel, or be driven to the Valnerina, a picturesque valley where you can go white water rafting on the Nera River (at your own expense). Whatever you choose, the day ends with more fabulous food at Villa Tardioli.

Today begins in a more relaxed fashion, with breakfast at the hotel at 9am, after which you’ll be driven back to the ranch and reunited with your horse. The ride sets off at 10:30am, visiting the last of the Castelluccian plains: Pian Piccolo (‘Small Plain’), before climbing to the scenic summit of Mount Guaidone, which looms over both Pian Grande and Pian Piccolo. After about three hours in the saddle, you will descend to Emiliano’s cow camp in the northern part of Pian Grande, where a buffet lunch will be served. The afternoon will be spent relaxing and having fun here, and Emiliano and his crew will teach everyone the basics of roping.

At around 5:30pm, you’ll mount up again, as Emiliano has a job for you: rounding up the cattle and guiding them to their pens for the night! And it doesn’t end there: shortly afterwards, you’ll also round up the ranch’s herd of around 60 horses and lead them across the prairie to their night pasture. Yep, you’ve just done a cattle drive AND a horse drive in one day!

Returning to Villa Tardioli, you’ll have worked up a good appetite for tonight’s Umbrian specialities.

After breakfast at 8am, you’ll once again head to the ranch for one final, spectacular day of riding. First, you’ll ride into Casotto Valley, where the beloved Italian movie ‘Brother Sun, Sister Moon’ was filmed. From here, the route veers towards Mount Ventosola and Monti del Sole, which dominate Pian Piccolo. You’ll dismount for a packed lunch at a nearby refuge, then return to the ranch through the Macchia Cavaliera, a pristine beech forest home to eagle owls, martens and wildcats, and finally the oddly-named Valley of the Customs Tower.

You’ll have some downtime and drinks for about an hour this afternoon, while the horses remain saddled and ready for the nightly horse drive. Now that you know the drill, be sure to savour the experience all the more as the rumble of 280-odd hooves rolls across the plains!

Back at the ranch, a farewell dinner will be cooked up barbeque-style under the starry sky, then you’ll return to the hotel for a good night’s sleep.

After one final Umbrian breakfast, you’ll say arrivederci to the wonderful team who’ve made this extraordinary week possible and be transferred back to Rome Fiumicino Airport for your onward travels.

Transfers to/from Rome Fiumicino International Airport are available at an additional cost on the first and last days of the ride (€170 round trip). You MUST have cash for this on the day.

We recommend flying into Rome a day or two early to account for any delays and give yourself time to recover from jet lag and see the sights.

If flying in on day 1, you MUST ensure you arrive with plenty of time to collect luggage, clear customs and meet the transfer before 11am. The transfer departs at 11am sharp. It’s about a 3.5 to 4-hour drive from the airport to the ride location, so if you miss the transfer, the only option will be to hire a car and drive.

On the final day, departing flights can be booked anytime after 3pm (8-day itinerary) or 9pm (4-day itinerary).

Self-drive is also an option. Please ensure you arrive at your accommodation, Villa Tardiolo, by 3pm on day 1. The address is Villa Tardioli, Via Sibilla, 45a, 06046 Castelluccio PG, Italia. Click HERE to view on Google Maps.

Globetrotting is happy to provide a competitive quote on international flights, travel insurance and accommodation before and after your ride.