Let it snow !

December brings cold, wind and snow… well bring it on, Father Winter, because that is not going to stop me from hiking! Ok I might have exaggerated a bit… because in reality I am not that hard core and I really don’t take cold temperatures that well (cold feet and loss of sensitivity in my fingers) but a walk in the snow with clear skies and the sun up high is truly magical.

A walk in winter theme, however, needs to be planned well:

(1) correct footwear, if possible snow boots,

(2) correct clothing: thermal pants and t-shirt, thick gloves and socks, a woolen hat, a fleece sweater and a windproof coat

(3) a thermos with warm drinks (tea, coffee or soup),

and

(4) a cabin or other type of retreat with a fireplace to warm your hands and feet during lunch.

As far as (4) is concerned I am lucky to have a friend who is quite the hiking expert. He took us from below the Tabernacolo di Gavigno up to the Eremo di Viandante, following hiking trails 62 and 00:

(Please don’t mind the small detour to the left:  even great hiking guides can get lost if the snow hides the hiking trail indications :p).

Starting point of this rather short hike of about 10 km is Gavigno.

 

The snow may have melted on the first picture but the other pictures clearly show that higher up there was more than enough. We continued up the snowy trail 62 until the Tabernacolo di Gavigno:

 

to then switch to the famous trail 00 which crosses the whole of the Tuscan-Romagnol part of the Apennine mountains.

This part of the hike (approximately 2,5 hours with stops) is more intense since the trail goes up the mountain following a rather steap pathway:

 

On the way to the Eremo del Viandante, the cabin where you can eat your lunch by a warm fire (if you are able te start it… I needed some help of a friend who came along), you pass by the Poggio Roccomaio and the Monte Scalette.

Feel free to take a break once in a while and admire the wonders nature gives us in this period of the year:

 

 

Cherish these images because the next time you do the same trail the views may be very different…

These winter scenes kept us going but at a certain point our stomach also wanted something. Luckily we soon reached the Eremeo del Viandante (or more or less :p)

and gave into our hunger.

Given that the sun already goes down around five o’clock it is important to keep track of time so once our stomachs were filled with a good old sandwich, hot tea and home-made chocolat pie we headed back down.

Nah but we couldn’t leave without a group pic:

Going down all this snow tempted first one and then another… one snowball led to the next and we got ourselves into a classic snowball fight in which it is important not to loose your hat:

Head and head reunited we could go home to enjoy well-deserved hot shower to wash the last snow flakes away…

Reaching higher grounds

In what follows I wish to share with you two beautiful hikes, one planned the other by accident (I’ll explain later :’) ). You do not need professional gear… though wearing good walking shoes (also good running shoes) will only make the walk more pleasant. I do recommend doing these hikes in the morning, at least in summer time, because with the sun walking uphill becomes more challenging and you’ll need to take more breaks.

OPTION 1: Up Mount Epomeo

duration: a 4-5 hour hike (including the lunch break)

starting point: Bar Epomeo (Fontana)

map:

itinerary:

From the bar (across the street from the bus stop) you need to walk Via Francesco Trofa in the direction of the church and take Via Epomeo which you will find at your right hand side (shortly after having passed the corner). Here it all begins, though I have to say the first part of the climb is not that impressive since you walk up a rather steep asphalted road with little to see. Once you pass the restaurant A Cuieta the road will become sandy and you can start to enjoy the surroundings:

When the sandy road starts to get rockier and the real climbing begins you know that you are almost there:

And then, there you are at 789 metres above the sea level (“KING (QUEEN) OF THE WORLD”)

and what a view:

Since the space on the top is quite limited you cannot stay long so off you go again after 10 min. Having reached the top at lunchtime my stomach started to protest at that point. Luckily there is a restaurant near the top, La Grotta da Fiore, which I, unfortunately, had not expected to find at that height… leaving me to eat the lunch I had packed that morning but in a nice spot which I recommend you to see. Enter the restaurant (don’t worry the personnel is used to it), walk through the dining area, open the door at the end and you will find a beautiful sea view (which you can admire without any time pressure).

To head back to the civilised world you go down the sandy road until the sandy road splits in two. If you go to the left you will return as you came. If, instead, you turn right you will descend passing by the Pietra dell’Acqua (as you see on the map).

I have to add that it did get tricky at a certain point: it got really steep and I did slip a few times. Important to add, however, that during the last part you are protected from the sun by high natural walls of sand covered by bushes and trees.

OPTION 2: Sant’Angelo: up close and from high above

duration: 3 hour hike

starting point: Bar/Gelateria Ridente

map:

From Bar Ridente in the port you walk towards the Provinciale Succhivo Sant’Angelo, turn left and after a few meters right. At the end of the street you turn left and keep climbing… for a whooooooole while, no kidding. The road might not seem long but it is very steep, making it a quite intense hike (given also the heat at that period of the year). I say this because I started this hike in search of a church square which offers a marvellous overview of the coastline of Sant’Angelo, not knowing that how far (up) this church was, as in that it was the main church of another town, called Serrara Fontana, at 360m above the sea level. This rather unexpectedly long search for a mysterious panoramic point would have been a bit easier had I worn good walking shoes instead of silly sandals… I also suggest to take some food along: for example, in Sant’Angelo (the first part of the walk) you will pass some grocery shops where you could buy a snack or a tasty sandwich. Silly me had to go all the way to Serrara Fontana to eat something (I was starving at that point) and the only place still open was a rather strange looking bar. Luckily someone gave me instructions on how to reach a supermarket (walk through the gateway, go to the right and walk for about 50 metres and you will find it on your left hand side) where I bought an oh so tasty sandwich for only 2,5 euros which I ate looking at this beautiful scene: