Here is the route
What you will see
At a glance
Up and down
Description
The route starts in Petrara, the first village you encounter when traveling from Frontone toward Serra Sant'Abbondio. Parking is easy near the first houses.
Take the only road through the hamlet of Petrara. After about 600 meters, you'll find signs on the right for the Madonna del Grottone, an imposing rocky amphitheater, reachable on foot and absolutely worth visiting. However, for this route, take the left, where the paved road turns into a gravel road.
A climb begins, initially gentle, then more steep, along the Palombara Valley. After passing a large, now disused quarry, the road bends left, then sharply right. Here, there's a saddle that opens onto a meadow and a fork with the mule track that descends to Pianello, but you continue uphill.
A straight stretch and a series of curves will lead you to a beautiful meadow with six oak trees lined up in a row. On the left is the junction with the dirt road that descends to Serra Sant'Abbondio; continue right, following the six majestic trees. Here, enjoy the view, which opens in all directions, dominated by Monte Catria and the steep walls of Corno del Catria. Beyond, you can see the peaks of Monte Cucco.
Continue to reach and pass the colorful Rifugio della Cingualdese, preceded, on the lower left, by the Fonte della Cingualdese. After passing a small watering hole, the easy dirt road ends.
Don't worry, right in front of you is a comfortable trail that initially winds through meadows and woods. The trail then turns left, becomes a mule track, and after crossing a small ditch, it takes you near a watering hole made of five concrete cylinders. Don't go down toward the watering hole, but instead, once you've passed the ditch, look ahead to the left to find the trailhead.
After a short stretch through the woods, the trail opens onto a charming meadow and then dives back into the woods, becoming a downhill mule track. At the first bend to the right, the climb begins again, and after two more bends and a short straight stretch, the mule track joins the dirt road that leads from Frontone to the La Forchetta Pass, near the Fonte Avellana Monastery.
Stay on the dirt road, which you won't leave again. First, you'll face a slight climb, then a descent, passing by the Campomiele and Monte Roma peaks, until you reach the Monte Roma refuge. Along this stretch, you'll be able to admire Monte Acuto and the Balze della Porta cliffs, immediately to the left of the cut in the forest where the cable car to the Cotaline refuge runs. Further away, the peak of Monte Nerone with its distinctive antennae can be seen, while to the lower left, a view opens up of the village of Caprile, which lies before the cable car's departure station.
You're almost there. A steep descent takes you to the Frontone-Serra Sant'Abbondio provincial road. Turn right and return to the town of Petrara in less than a kilometer. The road is wide and traffic is light, but always remember to walk in the opposite direction to the traffic.
Notable places
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