Italy's Sibillini National Park. Gillian Price
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at the base of the spring where the eponymous river rises. Adjacent Valle Infante is fast becoming a favourite haunt for both deer and elusive wolves. Nearby Nocelleto and its guesthouse is the start of Walk 12. A minor road climbs to the modest ski resort of Frontignano. Dominated by Monte Bove it has hotels and Walk 8. The road then descends to Ussita.
From Castelsantangelo, the steep-sided, poplar-lined Valnerina proceeds northwest, alongside the river which feeds a mineral water bottling plant and trout farm. The next landmark is attractive Visso, which has a well-preserved historic centre and is the HQ of the Sibillini National Park. Old castles stand out on the surrounding mountainsides while stern, carved stone gateways open onto the town’s late medieval heart with its lovely Romanesque churches and paved alleys. Set at the confluence of three valleys and consequently three gushing rivers, Visso was repeatedly flooded and in the mid-1800s an expert engineer had to be called in – from Venice, no less. Torrente Ussita, the offending watercourse, now flows obediently through an artificial channel, which makes for a curious sight. Visso is the official start of the GAS trek, and has decent bus services, shops and tourist facilities.
Off to the east in a river valley with dizzy cliffsides stands Ussita, reachable by bus. The road continues up the valley to Casali, a pretty hamlet with accommodation, at the base of Monte Bove Nord and a convenient base for Walk 6. A motorable lane climbs to Forcella del Fargno and Walk 7.
From Visso a busy road climbs north towards Camerino, with branches soon turning off for Fiastra and its lake. This scatter of hamlets, including low-key lakeside tourist facilities, serves as a stopover on the GAS, as well as the start of Walk 2. Walk 1 can be accessed from Monastero, a short drive northeast.
Penetrating the inner Sibillini, a winding road leads southeast to Bolognola with its decent tourist amenities. Its name is believed to derive from Bologna, as it was founded by three exiled families from the north. Another theory claims links with Bona, worshipped by the ancient Sabini people as protector of fertility for land and women alike. Now a small, sleepy settlement, it was once immensely important for the wool trade. Walks 3 and 4 begin in the village itself, while up a dirt road climbing south, at Forcella del Fargno, is the start of Walk 7.
From M Vettore to Pizzo del Diavolo and Lago di Pilato (Walk 17)
Information
In addition to the website for the Parco Nazionale dei Monti Sibillini (www.sibillini.net), Visitors’ Centres (referred to as Case del Parco) operate through the summer months. Information is on offer at park headquarters at Visso (
Norcia also has a general tourist office (
How to Use this Guide
The headings for each walk give:
Walking Time: this does not include pauses for picnics, admiring views, photos and nature stops, so always add on a couple of hours to be realistic.
Difficulty: Grade 1 means a straightforward route on mostly level ground, with no difficulty. Grade 2 is suitable for reasonably fit walkers with minimum mountain experience. (The long-distance GAS is rated Grade 2.) Tackling a Grade 3 route is inadvisable for beginners as it may entail exposed passages and/or orientation problems. That said, everyone should bear in mind that adverse weather such as mist and low visibility, strong wind or rain, can increase difficulty making even a Grade 1 path downright dangerous. Common sense is the best rule.
Above Fonte delle Cacere (GAS, Stage 6)
Ascent/Descent: those accustomed to alpine terrain will appreciate the importance of this figure, especially when it is taken into consideration alongside timing and distance. For instance an ascent of 300m in 1hr is fairly leisurely, whereas 600m in the same time means you can expect to be puffing hard up a pretty steep slope.
Distance: an approximate measure of the walk length.
In the walk descriptions ‘road’ means the way is surfaced and used by cars, while ‘track’ and ‘lane’ are unsurfaced and traffic is limited to farm or forestry vehicles. ‘Path’ always refers to a pedestrians-only route.
Compass bearings are given (N, SW, NNW and so forth), as is right (R) and left (L). Useful landmarks appear in bold type and these are shown on the sketch maps. Their altitude is given in metres (100m=328ft) abbreviated as ‘m’, not to be confused with minutes (min).
Emergencies
If an accident happens or an emergency arises, if possible phone soccorso alpino (mountain rescue) on
‘Help’ is aiuto in Italian (pronounced eye-yoo-toh) and ‘I need help’ is Ho bisogno di aiuto. The general emergency telephone number in Italy is
The following arm signals could be useful for communicating with a helicopter:
If you need non-urgent medical assistance ask at your hotel for the guardia medica (24-hour doctor), or go to pronto soccorso (emergency) at the nearest ospedale (hospital).
Insurance is strongly recommended. Those from the EU need a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), which has replaced the old E111. Holders are entitled to free or subsidised emergency health treatment in Italy. UK residents can apply online at www.dh.gov.uk (‘EHIC and health advice for travellers’ section). Travel insurance to cover a walking holiday is also a good idea as rescue operations incur hefty charges. Members of alpine clubs are usually covered by insurance