“A harmonious blend of history, art and enchanting
landscape.
A land of condottieri, Popes, artists.”
An advert for the sale of a
Town House in Rotella at around £60k (currently not habitable) in The Marche
Region of Italy saw us on a Ryan Air flight (FR 124) out of London Stansted at
9.55am on 17th May bound for Ancona, to arrive at 13.10pm (the
flight was approx. 35minutes late in departing but made up time on the flight).
It was a 2.45hr journey (189
miles) from Sandiway, Cheshire leaving at 4am for London Stansted and with car
parking pre-booked (£44.80) we jumped on a bus that took us to the airport. After an enjoyable breakfast we booked our
bags in and went through customs which did prove an effortless task. The total cost of the flights was £156.22
made up as follows:-
· Total Fare 39.98
· Taxes, Fees & Charges 76.24
· Bags 24.00
· Airport Check In 12.00
· Debit Card Fee
4.00.
We had pre-booked car hire
through Holiday Autos (Europcar Italy) ref GBR 1178977 (tel 0039 071
9162240). This was a new compact 4 door Fiat
which proved very good. Armed with “sat.
nav.” (just a god send) we had no problems in getting from A to B each
day. At around 4pm (the expected time)
we arrived at our B&B ;( Casa Rusticana, Falerone) our hosts Angie and
Ralph Emery, were amazed!!
Location
We were staying at Casa Rusticana, which was an old farmhouse
purchased by Angie & Ralph (tel 0039
388 476 1710) www.ownersdirect.co.uk/italy/IT1353.htm ralph@casarusticana.co.uk
52 Via Faleriense A Monte, Falerone,
63020 (Ascoli Piceno) Le Marche – Italy.
They were renovating the property with Ralph doing all the work himself. We had the exclusive use of the B&B which
was two double bedrooms and a lounge and dining area for the total cost of
£243.75 which included a light meal on arrival.
We had a fridge, plasma TV, CDs and DVDs all of which we did put to use. Fresh flowers were also in our rooms. Our hosts proved to be lovely people and
helped us with property viewings and books/maps for our walking in the
Sibillini Mountains. It was quality
accommodation and food. Views all around
from the farmhouse were stunning.
Falerone the hill top town 2kms. away was a lovely place and we ate in
The Loggette, restaurant on three occasions, all times being very enjoyable. A couple of kms. further on was Piane di
Falerone and here the supermarket Coal was located with a good choice of beers,
wines and food.
Activity
Our time was split between
looking at properties and in walking in the Sibillini Mountains some 1/1.5hrs
by car from the farmhouse.
On Sunday we parked on the
edge of Foce 945m at 12 noon and we were bound for The Lake of Pilato. A good track through high pasture and trees very
soon got very steep as we ascended through a gorge. After an hour we reached the top and then a
gradual ascending narrow path took us beyond the tree line and into snow. A further hour of walking saw us stop for a
quick lunch. By now the path had vanished
under the deep snow. High mountains capped in cloud and covered in deep snow
were all around us as we made our way up the valley. At the meeting point of routes 151 and 153 at
1,800m
and 1km away from our planned destination we decided to call it a day (at
2.45pm) as we were in deep snow and temperatures were getting extremely cold.
It was an enjoyable walk back to the car, arriving there at 4.15pm. We walked approximately 11miles. The very interesting sight we saw high up in
the hills below the snow line was a massive dog all on its own herding
sheep. As the herd constantly moved as
they ate grass this intelligent animal
was watching their every move and keeping them moving as a complete herd. Any individuals falling behind or seen
wandering were soon rounded up – it was just fascinating to watch.
On Monday we were meeting
the owners of the town house in Rotella but the property was in a very poor
condition and the risks involved in renovating it were far too high. A lot of property in the village was in a
poor state of repair. After a walk round
the village and a second viewing of the property we were on our way bound for
the Adriatic coastal town of Pedaso.
Here we were lucky enough to find a fish restaurant – Risterante Tilt 2
tel 0734 931916 – and we enjoyed a great lunch with the food recommendations
made by the owners.
On Tuesday (there had been
an early morning thunder storm with heavy rain) we were walking once again at
10.30am having taken the car up a very steep and winding track to Rifugio M.
Sibilla at 1,540m. It took 1hr
15mins to drive. It was wet with low
cloud as we made our way to the top of Mt. Zampa at 1,791m at 11.10am. Rather than walk along the cloud covered
narrow ridge to Mt. Sibilla we decided to come back down to where our car was
parked and take a winding lower track to the col below Mt. Cima Vallelunga arriving
there at 1.30pm. Views all around were
just stunning. We had a short lunch
break and then it was up to the top of Casale della Sibilla at 2,178m
in deep snow. A short distance away was Mt.
Cima Vallelunga at 2,221m. (2.15pm). Both
were ascended in cloud before coming back to the col and then tackling the
narrow ridge that took you to the top of Mt. Sibilla at 2,175m. By now the cloud had lifted and Mt. Sibilla (the
mountain has two tops) was reached at 3pm.
From here it was a continuation along the snow covered ridge to the
point we had ascended earlier in the morning and down to the car at 4pm. A great day indeed and three large mountains
bagged. We were back at the B&B for
5pm.
On Wednesday we were picked
up by Vincent Sandford (of MarcheRustico, Via E. Divini 28, 62027 San
Severino, Marche (MC), Italy Telephone: +39 0733 645233. MarcheRustico provides turnkey solutions
and property sales in the heart of Le Marche, Italy.) and his wife and taken on a tour to view three
properties in the region. We stopped for
lunch at Il Giardino Degli Ulivi (Agriturismo) in Castelraimondo tel 0737
642121. Here we met the owners. Ever so enjoyable.
Thursday saw us visit another three properties around
Falerone. Then we visited the regional
capital of Ascoli Piceno and did get caught in a thunder storm with the streets
soon turning into rivers with the fierceness of the rain. This fascinating town has beautifully
preserved piazzas, narrow streets and churches.
Enjoying a cappuccino in one of the fine piazzas- is Italy at its best.
Our target for Friday
was to walk from the village of Rocca to Mt. Torrone at 2,117m
and if it was a clear day then perhaps along the ridge to Mt. Vettore at 2,476m
the highest mountain in the immediate area.
We had a clear view of this ridge from Mt. Sibilla on Tuesday and what
we thought appeared to be good tracks.
Our attempts to find a path to the ridge proved fruitless as we started
our walk at 10.30am. From the centre of
the village of Rocco we crossed a bridge and we were on the path (the route is
marked with white ribbons) from Rocco to Altino and on a couple of occasions we
were drawn of this path by tracks leading to areas of high green pastures
amongst the trees, thus wasting
valuable time. We reached the village of Altino (we should
have parked our car at this point) at 11.15am and then it was up to the mountain
hut at Prati di Altino at 12.45pm.
From here it was very steep
and the path vanished due to fallen trees (all around) and we did expect an
avalanche had occurred here earlier in the year. At 1.30pm we had at last got above the tree
line (we had been in this extensive forest for 3 hours). We did walk across the steep side of the
mountain but did not find a path. These
paths are clearly marked on the map we had.
At 2pm at a height of approx. 1,600m we decided to call it a day
as we were clearly not going to get to the top of Cama Della Prata at 1,850m
far less Mt. Torrone. We stopped for a
quick lunch and retraced our route back to the car at 3.30pm. On the way back to our B&B we did stop
for a coffee in Amandola (perhaps the base for our next visit?). Ralph had organised a viewing of a town house
in Matelica (here I could have the wrong name!) a small town that we found very
attractive as was the property we were shown round. On our return to Falerone we were to have a
beer with Angie and Ralph in their local bar and then on for a meal at The
Loggette. This proved a very enjoyable
evening. Here we had a very large bottle
of red wine between the four of us. Their
daughter also joined us.
Restaurants
The Loggette (Closed
Monday) 2km from B&B – Le Marche Cuisine
Pippo & Gabriella –
Pontano – Le Marche Cuisine
Bar Vittoria – Falerone –
Light Snacks
Del Corso - Ascoli Piceno
Da Vittorid - San Benedetto del Tronto (Bass Ravioli)
Locanda Rocco – Sirolo.
Key Attractions
Sibillini Mountains – Mt
Vettore highest point at 2,476m
- Mt
Sibilla – 2,175m
- The Lake of Pilato.
Frasassi caves
The Conero & Scrubland
Beaches:
- Gabicce
- Senigallia
- Sirolo (Picturesque)
- San Benedetto Del Tronto
Fortified Towns:
- San Leo
- Gradara (dominated by its castle)
- Corinaldo
Historic Squares:
- Ascoli Piceno & Fermo
Reading Material & Internet
The Marche – Touring Club
of Italy (Portfolio Books)
Kompass Monti Sibillini -
map
Sibillini.net
www.edizioniser.com
Goodbye
We found the region
extremely picturesque and so relaxing.
Good food, wines and beers in such relaxing atmospheres added to our
enjoyment. We had effortlessly travelled
across the whole region and enjoyed every minute of it. It reminded us of the UK some twenty years
ago where people left their properties and cars unlocked. There is little or no crime. We heard cuckoos making their calls everywhere
we visited and we woke to hear their “cuckoos…..” every morning. Alas Saturday 24th May came far too
quickly and at 10am we were bound for flight FR 125 departing Ancona at 13.35pm
and arrived in London Stansted at 14.55pm.
It took us an hour to get to Ancona airport. We were back in Sandiway for 7pm after a good
journey. A holiday organised at short
notice and all done over the internet.
Memories will always last of our short time here.
August 2008.
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