What drives people to plan a walking holiday? It's the question I ask myself every time I head to the meeting point with the participants of the scheduled trek.
Generally, these treks last between 5 and 7 days and cover between 80 and 100 km; we move between Abruzzo and Molise, along trails and ancient drovers' roads full of charm.
The answer, or rather the answers, I find them along the way, when everyone relaxes and reclaims their own time, in the slowness of the hours that pass through the mountain passes, the valleys, the villages, the convivial dinners.
People decide to set out on a walk to step away for a while from an increasingly overwhelming daily life, made of queues, appointments, shifts and interlocking commitments that most of the time prevent any chance to stop or at least to slow down.
You set out to discover remote places, where time flows slowly, where even stepping into an old "grocery and tobacco shop" can become a moment to discover the land you are crossing and to grasp how alive the memory and pride still are of descending from an ancient and proud people who lived there more than 2000 years earlier and whom Rome struggled to subdue: the Pentri Samnites.
You set out to fully experience the wild side of nature among rugged mountains, or to move suspended over plateaus with a green horizon that slopes gently towards the south, across a system of hills dotted with villages perched on outcropping cliffs, like so many sentinels standing guard over your steps.
Between Abruzzo and Molise there are many options for those who choose to spend a walking holiday and give the spirit refuge, letting themselves be amazed at every step in places where time seems to have stood still and where nature offers enchanting views.
Walking between Abruzzo and Molise
Those who choose to walk a trail in Abruzzo or in neighbouring Molise are spoilt for choice among routes with different souls and stories, yet all equally fascinating.
Historic trails in Abruzzo
the Cammino dei Briganti – 100 km – difficulty level: easy/medium
A loop route through remote places and nature parks between the Marsica and the Cicolano, between Abruzzo and Lazio. Here you move among villages that evoke Dantean echoes and unspoilt landscapes, along a route between 800 and 1300 m in altitude.
the Cammino de Sanniti – 81 km – difficulty level: easy/medium
An all-Molise trek dedicated to discovering the places and historical traces of the ancient Samnite people. It is a route that winds through the heart of the Apennines, between 700 and 1400 m in altitude.
the Cammino del Parco in the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park – length 61 km – difficulty level: medium
This trail unfolds in the heart of the oldest protected area in Italy, realm of bears and chamois. Wild landscapes that nonetheless preserve traces of a rich past, with archaeological sites and ancient villages.
Trails along the drovers' roads
These routes run along the ancient transhumance ways, that is along the tratturi, the age-old grassy tracks that connected the pastures of the Abruzzo and Molise mountains with the Tavoliere delle Puglie.
the Pescasseroli – Candela – 83 km – difficulty level: easy/medium
It winds along one of the most ancient transhumance ways, active since the 4th century BC. This millennia-old history is witnessed by ancient Saepinum (Sepino), the arrival point of our trek.
the Lucera – Castel di Sangro – 80 km – difficulty level: medium
A trek in the heart of ancient Samnium. This route too lets you immerse yourself in ever-changing nature, from the Molise hills to the Abruzzo mountains.
the Celano – Foggia – 200 km – difficulty level: medium
by length, it is the second longest drovers' road in southern Italy, with a demanding course across three regions (Abruzzo, Molise, Puglia). This is perhaps the wildest of the recommended treks, because it crosses less inhabited territories than the others suggested in this list.
Along the Costa dei Trabocchi to the Tremiti Islands through part of the Tratturo del Re – 69 km – difficulty level: easy
a walk between L'Aquila and Foggia, slow and truly suitable for everyone, always poised between sea and land. This route lets you rediscover both the traditions linked to shepherding and the customs of the fishing world, thanks to the trabocchi that dot the way.
Trails of the spirit
Finally there are the trails of the spirit, itineraries that touch places with a particular spiritual meaning.
the Cammino di Celestino, the Pope of the great refusal – 80 km – difficulty level: easy/medium
the itinerary retraces the route of the royal procession that in 1294 accompanied the monk Pietro Angeleri from his hermitage on Mount Morrone, near Sulmona, to L'Aquila, where he would be named Pope. Along the trek, in the Aterno valley, you come across several sacred and deeply evocative places.
the Cammino degli Eremi of the Val Roveto – 93 km – difficulty level: medium/hard
the route, marked by a red VE, winds between Abruzzo and Lazio, in an area of wild beauty, rich in woods, meadows, waterfalls and springs. It is recommended only for expert walkers, used to hiking in unspoilt areas where urban centres are only rarely encountered.
the Sentiero dello Spirito – 73 km – difficulty level: hard
this trek traces a thread among the many hermitages of the Majella, many of them founded by Celestine V himself before ascending to the papal throne and for this reason called Celestinian hermitages. Some stages of the itinerary are particularly demanding in terms of gradients and elevation gain: for this reason, the walk is recommended for expert and well-trained wayfarers.
These are the ten walks truly not to be missed in the wild heart of Italy, for a holiday that is perhaps unusual but capable of leaving indelible memories and emotions. The trails in Abruzzo and Molise will truly leave you speechless!
Simone Barletta is a Middle Mountain Leader and Hiking Instructor registered with the Collegio Guide Alpine Abruzzo, an accredited operator of the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park Authority for environmental education and a Nordic Walking instructor. He personally and passionately curates the activities of Atropa Trekking.
