ViviTortoreto

80 km route – Recommended duration: 2 days

in the last path: Walking - Mountainbike - Horse

Starting from Tortoreto and, passing through the SP8, in just 30 minutes we arrive at a fantastic Abruzzo village perched on a cliff,  Civitella del Tronto. Listed as one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, Civitella del Tronto is characteristic for its perched position and for the majestic and imposing Bourbon fortress that dominates the entire village and valley. Kept among the narrow stone streets and between the ancient walls of the houses, we find a pearl of this village, the “Ruetta”, the narrowest street in Italy. A real challenge to undertake with friends and family is to try to walk the ruetta without getting stuck. Among its ancient streets and walking in the historic center, we find architectural beauties such as the Fountain of the Lovers, built in 1863 and known for its romantic aura, the Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli, inside which the wooden sculpture of Christ is kept Dead and climbing along the rocky spur the Bourbon Fortress. One of the largest strongholds in Europe, inside it is possible to relive and discover the lives of the soldiers of the sixteenth century, their lodgings, stables, prisons and squares. 

Inside the Fortress is the Historical Museum of Weapons and Ancient Maps, guardian of real relics of times long gone.

From Civitella del Tronto, we move towards the locality of  Ceppo, in the municipality of Rocca Santa Maria, in the heart of the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park. Once we arrive in the large clearing of the Ceppo we can decide whether to continue our itinerary by moving on foot, by mountain bike or on horseback. That of the Ceppo is an area rich not only in natural and scenic beauty but also in history and culture. Unmissable stop is definitely the Bosco Martese, a symbolic place of the Resistance and scenario, in 1943, of the first battle between the Germans and the Partisans, then won by the latter.

Absolutely worth seeing are the beautiful Morricana Falls, an immersion in the woods between waterfalls and streams that is good for the soul. Another beautiful destination is the Bear Lake, which can be easily reached with a splendid walk among silver firs and beech trees that lead to a clearing from which you can admire the summit of Monte Gorzano and the Monti della Laga chain.