Andrea Caprarelli on 16/05/2025

Civita – Ariola path

From the Paleolab to Ariola, a trail among vertical rock faces, autumn foliage, and breathtaking views over the Titerno gorge. A short, intense, and evocative walk. The path starts a short distance from the location of Le Cavere and the Paleolab. The first section, running downhill, follows the path right alongside the face of Civita, about 60 metres of vertical rock. You carry on along the dirt road for about 300 metres, a pleasant walk amongst rows of trees with the bright colours of autumn foliage. At Ariola, the landscape changes. Here you walk between the mountains, continuing to the point beyond which there is just the Titerno gorge. From here on, the empty space seems to swallow up even your breath. Rocks that emerged from the waters millions of years ago now dominate the area. Everywhere you can see the marks left by the passage of time. Behind you is the colossal mass of Civita. Geological sedimentary strata that draw your gaze upwards, towards the edge of the sky. This is a…

A Andrea Caprarelli

Andrea Caprarelli on 16/05/2025

Civita of Pietraroja

From the village to the Civita, through alleys, fossils, canyons, and karst landscapes. A short route rich in history, nature, and breathtaking views over the Titerno gorge. Dal centro del paese al belvedere sul canyon del Titerno, passando per il borgo e il Trabucco. In pochi chilometri, circa 6 andata e ritorno, si incontra un patrimonio storico e naturalistico che impressiona. Partenza da Piazza Vittoria, nei pressi del Municipio. Si cammina nei vicoli del borgo tra antiche dimore, portali di pietra, scalinate e botteghe del prosciutto, fino alla Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta, annunciata dal suono della campana che conta le ore. Una breve sosta per visitare l’interno e poi su verso il Paleolab e Parco Geopaleontologico, presso l’area de “Le Cavere”, giacimento cretacico in cui si conservano numerosi fossili. Qui fu trovato il primo dinosauro d’Italia, Scipionyx Samnticus, fossile unico al mondo, la cui scoperta ha rivoluzionato la ricostruzione della paleogeografia…

A Andrea Caprarelli

Andrea Caprarelli on 16/05/2025

Mistletoe Path – Tholos Shepherds’ Hut

A trail among mistletoe bushes and quiet nature leads to the tholos, a dry-stone shepherds’ hut. A short, romantic walk rich in pastoral memory. Symbol of love and prosperity, mistletoe has always been considered a plant that brings good luck. Like a baby in the womb, its life is tied to that of its host. It is nourished by its long shoots. Along the track starting from the “Sannitica” road, SS 87, in the section from Sepino to Morcone and running close to a quiet stream, the trees are covered in smaller and larger mistletoe bushes. After about 1 km from the watering hole, which also provides refreshment for horses, the rough road becomes a track. The Tholos shepherds’ hut is the destination: a dry-stone structure once used as a shelter, built without cement, in a series of successive layers right up to the dome-shaped top. Parts of local history and culture, places of pastoral tradition, tholos shepherds’ huts evoke ways of living in harmony with nature. Important note for…

A Andrea Caprarelli

Andrea Caprarelli on 16/05/2025

Monte Palombaro

From the rosy-coloured Pesco Rosito to the summit of Monte Palombaro: a panoramic trail through woods, rocks, and silence, leading to 1,552 metres of beauty. A mountain reaching a height of 1,552 metres, with a name linked to the sea: palombaro, meaning a diver clad in a deep-sea diving suit. The route – six kilometres out and back, with a total ascent of 350 metres – is ideal for people who love hiking. Start from Pesco Rosito at a height of 1,200 metres, a massive pink-veined rock that was once quarried and that is perhaps the origin of the town’s name, Pietraroja (red stone). Follow a country road and you reach a small stream, where the path begins. Some sections free of obstructions offer fine views. White rocks emerge from the ground, as if to warn you that from here on, you will be walking in the forest. The path runs through beech trees and climbs gently to a fork: the track descending leads to the Guardiareggia forest, the other continues toward the destination. After 2…

A Andrea Caprarelli

Andrea Caprarelli on 16/05/2025

Vallantico waterfall

A short trail through canyons, woods, and waters dancing among the rocks. The Vallantico waterfall surprises with its shimmering reflections and the peaceful nature surrounding it. To reach the start of the track, take the road leading to Pietraroja: 10 kilometres uphill following the rounded, solemn profiles of the surrounding mountains. A strip of concrete that cuts across the brown earth sculpted into fragments of cultivated fields, stone houses with smoking chimneys, large piles of logs and bundles of twigs, revealing the tough mountain life that accompanies the enchantment of unspoilt nature. The track runs along the ancient sheep trail linking Sepino and the historic location Cerreto Sannita, a path that is also used as a transhumance way for flocks and shepherds. It is a distance of about three kilometres with a gentle slope making it easy to walk. After the first steps in relative silence, you begin to hear the sound of the stream named Vallantica or Vallantico, a tributary of…

A Andrea Caprarelli

Andrea Caprarelli on 16/05/2025

Pedalling amongst the silent mountains of Pietraroja

A circular route through stone, silence, and lunar landscapes. Ride through Pietraroja, Fontana Maruccia, the panoramic tholos, and old rural hamlets. Welcome to an area that resembles a lunar landscape, on a circular route running from Pietraroja to Fontana Maruccia and the Tholos shepherds’ hut, then back to Pietraroja. The first part of the loop features an alternation of large and small ridges separated by many open fields. Once you have left the town, cycle on the Morcone road where, a world apart from motor traffic, you pedal in the silence of Pietraroja’s unspoilt nature. In the second section, you will be travelling along a dirt road. On the way, large mistletoe bushes are a prominent feature in the vegetation, and they offer a good excuse for romantic cyclists to take a brief pause. The destination is the Tholos shepherds’ hut, with its panoramic view. Restoration work has made it possible to visit the interior of this small shelter. A steep descent puts cyclists’…

A Andrea Caprarelli