A 120-km loop through the most picturesque villages and landscapes of the Sibillini Mountains Park
A 120-km hiking route that contours the Sibillini mountain range at an altitude varying between 560 and 1794 m asl and connects little-known minor centers, but rich in traditions and legends. The Great Sibillini Ring is a closed hiking infrastructure, a sort of container within which you can find the best that nature and history have to offer, as long as you are willing to seek it out according to the rhythms of the path, just as its inhabitants have always experienced the territory of the Park. A path to be taken without conditioning, without feeling obliged to carry it out entirely, you can walk one or two stages, or even just a section of them. The official circuit, in some sections, is not usable due to the damage caused by the 2016 earthquake swarm, so the route is adapted to ensure safety on the trail. Part of the shelters and accommodations related to the Great Loop are currently uninhabitable, the logistics are adapted to the current tourist use of the area.
Travel itinerary
Arrival day in the Sibillini Mountains National Park – Visso (MC)
Overnight stay in Visso planned place for departure the next day. Meeting to be arranged with a person from Passamontagna Viaggi for a welcome and technical briefing at 7 p.m. (dinner is not included in the price)
Services included (overnight stay in double room with linens, breakfast)
Day 1 - Stage Cupi – Fiastra
The route crosses the pastures of Monte Val di Fibbia and the Campobonomo Valley, to climb further along the ridge of M. Coglia and finally descend on Fiastra. Along the first part of the trail it is impossible not to be attracted by the multiplicity of colors of the blooms. Looking up it is easy to spot birds of prey, such as kestrels and buzzards, searching for rodents and other prey living in the meadow pastures, or to experience the intense thrill of watching a partridge fly
away. Further on, the gaze wanders to the fertile basin of Camerino and the breathtaking view of Lake Fiastra, set among fertile hills dotted with small churches and rural villages. On the hill of S. Paolo, clearly visible to those descending from the Coglia, stands the ancient Castrum Fiastrae, now the Castle of the Magalotti, the remains of whose solid perimeter walls and central keep are still clearly visible. Here the population escaping enemy invasions took refuge with food and livestock.
Route characteristics
Length: 11.5 km
Walking time 4 h 30
Height difference ascent 500 m
Height difference descent 700 m
Overnight stay in Fiastra at Rifugio in half board.
Services included (overnight stay in double room with linen, dinner and breakfast)
Day 2 - Stage Fiastra - Pintura di Bolognola
The route winds along the ridge that from Punta di Ragnolo and Pizzo Chioggia descends into the Fiastrone Valley. Along the first section one is accompanied by the spectacular view of Lake Fiastra, while further on, from the highest points the deepest part of the Fiastrone Valley is visible, with the gorges carved by the river into the massive limestone and the crags of red flake. Continuing on, the hike crosses one of the most spectacular places in the park: the mountain pastures of Prati di Ragnolo, with their breathtaking views reaching all the way to the sea, and which give spectacular blooms in spring. Prominent in the myriad of flowers that color them are the greater gentian, poets' narcissus, Eugenia violet, officinal peony and several species of orchids. Leaving the plateau, the trail continues downhill and enters the woods on the slopes of Mt. Castelmanardo.
Itinerary characteristics
Length: 16.3 km
Walking time 5 h 30
Height difference ascent 942 m
Height difference descent 335 m
Services included (dinner, overnight stay in double room, breakfast)
Day 3 - Stage Pintura di Bolognola - Rubbiano
Descending from Pintura di Bolognola toward Garulla, one crosses a beech forest suspended over the wild valley of the Three Saints to reach the reliefs that slope from Mount Castel Manardo toward Amandola and the Tenna valley. Upon reaching Garulla, the itinerary crosses the striking Ambro and Tenna valleys overlooked by the imposing mass of Mount Priora (2332 m asl) and Balzo Rosso. Beyond the ridge of Mount Priora looms the elegant silhouette of Mount Sibilla, kingdom of the mythical Godness.
Itinerary characteristics
Length: 15.7 km
Journey Time 5 h 30
Height difference ascent 450 m
Height difference on descent: 910 m
Services included (dinner, overnight stay in double room, breakfast)
Day 4 - Stage Rubbiano - Colle di Montegallo
The route crosses the eastern slope of M. Zampa, an offshoot of M. Sibilla, to descend to Tofe, in the Aso valley; it then climbs to Altino to continue at the foot of the long ridge leading to M. Vettore (2,476 m). We are in the "Slope of Magic" the heart of which is Mount Sibyl on which is the cave from which, according to legend, the kingdom of the mythical Sibyl is accessed. The cave was reached in the Middle Ages by scholars and knights errant, who came from all over Europe to unravel the mystery that still shrouds the fairy mountain. Along the route one encounters chestnut groves, whose presence, on the Sibillini, is limited to a few areas, especially on the eastern slope, since it is bound to the presence of marly - arenaceous soils. Chestnuts, have represented, in the past, one of the basic foods for the people of these mountains.
Route characteristics
Length: 12 km
Journey Time 4 h 30
Height difference ascent 850 m
Height difference on descent: 750 m
Overnight stay and dinner at Agrimusicismo B&B, the only facility that allows you to stay in the Montegallo area in place of the Colle hiking refuge currently unfit for use due to earthquake and an official stopover point of the Great Sibillini Ring. Bungalow or log cabin exclusively for the group.
Services included (dinner, overnight stay with linen in room for exclusive use, breakfast)
Day 5 - Stage Colle di Montegallo – Castelluccio di Norcia
Travel along the "reapers' trail" at the foot of the eastern and southeastern slopes of M. Vettore, the highest peak in the Sibillini Mountains, to Forca di Presta; then continue along the ridge of M. Macchialta (1,751 m) and reach Castelluccio di Norcia. The variant excludes Colle Le Cese as it is impossible to stay overnight. The "path of the reapers" was traveled by laborers, often with children in tow, who went up from the coastal areas to the Apennines to offer labor in harvesting, following the wheat ripening cycle. The reapers would move from village to village to "make the Piazza" that is, to wait in the village for the landowners who would come by at dawn to hire them. The last grain to ripen was that grown in the Piani di Castelluccio, visible from Forca di Presta, the trail's arrival point. The first section of the trail offers magnificent views of the steep gullies and rock faces of Mt. Vettore and, beyond the Tronto Valley, the Laga massif, included in the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park.
Route characteristics
Length: 18.5 km
Walking time 5 h 30
Uphill elevation gain 650 m
Height difference on descent: 200 m
Services included (dinner, overnight stay in double room, breakfast)
Day 6 – Stage Castelluccio di Norcia - Campi
The route winds along the ridge that surrounds the Catelluccio Basin to the south and west, until it reaches Forca di Giuda (1,794 m), the highest point touched by the GAS, from which it descends into the Campiano Valley and then to Campi Vecchio. The Catelluccio Basin is the result of slow movements of spreading of the earth's crust and sedimentation of debris in the bottom of a lake that has now disappeared. Three areas are recognizable in it: the Pian Grande, dominated to the east by the imposing "Carrier Shores," the Pian Piccolo, and the Pian Perduto. The Plains offer one of the most striking landscapes of the Park, the result of the action of nature, but also of the work of man, who has beencultivating lentils here for hundreds of years. The wide expanses of the plateaus, the scene of spectacular blooms in the summer, are dominated by the solitary village of Castelluccio, set on a hill at an altitude of 1,452 m. Continuing toward Campi, the landscape changes completely and the lonely expanses of the Piani give way to the scenery of the Campiano Valley sprinkled with villages, castle ruins and interesting churches.
Route characteristics
Length: 19.5 km
Walking Time 6 h 30
Height difference ascent 450 m
Height difference on descent: 1100 m
Services included (dinner, overnight stay in double room with linen, breakfast)
Day 7 - Stage Campi di Norcia - Visso
The route crosses the Acquaro Hills and then descends to Visso along the valley of the same name located between M. Moricone and M. Cavolese. This itinerary retraces an important historical communication route between Norcia and
Visso crossing some of the less frequented environments of the Park, but of great beauty and naturalistic interest. Along the Visso Valley, the route skirts one of the many streams that feed the Nera River. In its clear waters it is easy to see brown trout swimming. The prairies of the Acquaro Hills are dotted with farmhouses, some of which are still used for pastoralism. Traditional agricultural activities are still alive in these areas, which at these altitudes, well over 1,000 m, are based on the cultivation of lentil, wheat and fodder.
At the end of the stage private transfer from Ussita to Visso
Route characteristics
Length: 9.5 km
Walking Time 4 h
Height difference ascent 350 m
Height difference on descent: 600 m
Services included (breakfast, transfer from Visso to Ussita)
End of Trip
Individual trip fee without luggage transport and with gpx tracks and assistance: € 530
Technical organization:
Passamontagna Viaggi - Via Madonna del Sasso Bianco, 10 – 62035 Fiastra (MC)
Info and reservations: info@passamontagnaviaggi.it – Tel. +39.333.4310165 (Marta)
Deadline for reservation: one month before departure
Services included:
- 1 night in Visso (first night) in B&B
- 6 nights' half-board accommodation
- Private transfer from Visso to Cupi di Visso (first day)
- Daily telephone assistance
- Medical and luggage insurance
Price does not include:
- Lunches
- Luggage transportation
- Anything not mentioned in the included services
Booking
A deposit equal to 25% of the participation fee including the practice fee must be paid at the time of booking, after signing the travel contract. The balance must be paid 30 days prior to departure. For registrations made within 30 days prior to the departure date, the full amount must be paid at the time of registration.
