Passions & Places

Trekking


Gentle hills…this is the first memory of Le Marche for sure. The county is rich also in areas of wild life, caves, woods and breath-taking mountains though… Le Marche offer numberless routes perfect for those who love Trekking, Caving or quiet walks surrounded by unspoilt Nature. 

The most striking route ever is the one in Grotte di Frasassi for sure. It is the largest system of caves in all Europe (1.5km the route open for excursions, 30km total length of the passage). Along the way there are caverns, see-through ponds, stalactites and stalagmites  that trim magic sceneries in the caves

The caves are comprehended in a Regional Park that includes, together with the Frasassi Gorge, also Gola della Rossa. The latest is characterized by a deep gap striped with red limestone. It has been formed by the never ending erosion operated by the Esino River and Sentino. Within the park there are more than 30 routes to choose. It is possible to reach to the Hermitage of Grotta Fucile, going down the gorge following “sentiero della Rossa” (from Poggio Dan Romualdo), or climbing Monte Murano in quest of mushrooms after visiting the Santuario San Vittore alle Chiuse.

The Anona district is also famous for the Monte Conero area and its Natural Preserve. The promontory, with its vertiginous height and white sheer can be seen while having a walk along the path that links Poggio d’Ancona to Stirolo. Here and there belvedere opens on the sea underneath. If you are a good walker you can’t miss the descent to the Due Sorelle, the famous rocks emerging from the Adriatic Sea.

In Parco Nazionale dei Monti Sibillini (70.000 ha), the extraordinary richness of wild life and plants adds wonder to the mysterious legends told about the place. Monte Sibilla can be reached following the “Guerin Meschino” path. It is named after the novel by Andrea da Barberino (1410). An homonymous knight, the story tells, passed that way to get into the Sibilla cave, in quest of a prophecy.

Starting then from Forca di Presta or from Foce the legend will take you to the place where the corpse of Pilato (the man that wanted Jesus to be crucified) was thrown after his death: Lago di Pilato (1949 above sea level). An other beautiful path stretches from mount Sibilla to Gola dell’Infernaccio. Passing wonderful mountain streams enriched by shining rocks a little church will finally appear in front of you. It has been entirely built by Frà Pietro, an hermit that has lived there since 1971.

© 2005 Liberation Ventures Ltd.