Current as of: September 1, 2024 - 02:06
Current as of: September 1, 2024 - 02:06
3 out of 7 - Moderate
Embark on a walking adventure in the Abruzzo mountains, joining expert nature guides from our partners Rewilding Apennines to learn about the essential conservation work they do here. During this six-day experience, we witness the intimate relationship between humans and animals, visiting bear corridors, waking before sunrise to track wolves, and spending a night in a remote mountain refuge. The expert insight of the nature guides, plus a chance to explore one of the more remote regions of Italy, will undoubtedly leave you with a deep connection to the rugged landscapes and extraordinary wildlife of the wild Apennines.
This trip visits the area that is being rewilding in partnership with Rewilding Apennines, through our Nature and Carbon Corridors project. All profits from the sale of this trip will go to Rewilding Apennine’s vital biodiversity restoration work.
Highlights
This trip is graded Activity Level 3 (Moderate). For more information on our trip gradings please visit the Activity Level Guidelines page. If you have any queries about the difficulty of the trip please do not hesitate to contact us.
Walks: There are four days of walking in mountainous terrain with transport to and from the start/end points of the walks. Some days are quite long, sometimes involving an ascent of 2,295ft (700m) followed by a similar descent. The paths are rocky and steep in sections but generally well maintained.
Activity hours: Walking hours stated are given as approximates only and include lunch and photo stops and vary depending on the group’s pace. Typically, days average about two to five hours and up to 8mi (13km).
Weather: Some walks take place at altitudes up to 7,220ft (2,200m), where temperatures can be cool and there are high levels of humidity. Please ensure you pack appropriate clothing.
Heights: This trip is not advised for severe vertigo sufferers.
Adult min age: 16
Min group size: 4
Max group size: 8
Arrive in Rome, where your transfer awaits. We are driven east; in around three hours, we arrive in the quaint mountain town of Pescasseroli and check in at the Villino Quintiliani Hotel.
After settling into our rooms, we enjoy a special presentation on rewilding in the area by the Team Leader of Rewilding Apennines, Mario Cipollone, and will be introduced to our Nature Guide for the trip, Valeria Roselli or Andrea De Angelis.
Accommodation: Villino Quintiliani Hotel (or similar)
After arriving in Rome, transfer (three hours) to Pescasseroli, a quaint mountain town in the Abruzzo mountains. Here is our home for the adventure: the four-star Villino Quintiliani Hotel.
After settling into our rooms, enjoy a special presentation on rewilding in the area by the Team Leader of Rewilding Apennines, Mario Cipollone. His passion for wildlife and expertise on the local nature (and particularly the Marsican brown bear) make him the ideal person to kickstart our trip. We are also introduced to our Nature Guide for the adventure, Valeria Roselli or Andrea De Angelis, and go on a short hike in the area to get to know each other and the region a little better.
Accommodation: Villino Quintiliani Hotel (or similar)
Today is dedicated to an icon of the Abruzzo mountains: the critically endangered Marsican brown bear. It’s thought there are only around 60 left in the wild, and today we learn about the vital work Rewilding Apennines is doing here to protect their numbers.
Our adventure takes us to one of the Bear-Smart Corridors, part of a network of ‘coexistance corridors’ in which the local communities, businesses and individuals are educated on reducing human-bear conflict.
We get a chance to visit one of these communities, where we see some of the excellent work that was already been done, including the installation of about 100 electric fences, along with the deployment of bear-proof waste bins. We also see how and why these corridors are vital to the protection of the local community as much as the bears themselves.
Accommodation: Villino Quintiliani Hotel (or similar)
Before sunrise (and after a coffee), we head onto the mountain slopes with our Nature Guide to search for wolves and other wildlife. This particularly scenic part of the Apennines is also home to wild boar, red deer and chamois, plus there are plenty of opportunities to learn more about human-wildlife conflict, before returning to the hotel around mid-morning for a hearty breakfast.
(Three-hour walk; 3mi/5km; ascent: 985ft/300m; descent: 985ft/300m)
Refreshed, we head back into the wilderness, walking to the Terraegna Mountain Refuge, where we stay tonight. Our journey takes us through a forest of beautiful beech trees, with mosses and lichens, and along a wild valley where we can spot the wild fauna.
We get to the shelter in the evening, arriving under a starry night sky and hopefully seeing dancing fireflies in the woods.
Dinner is a showcase of regional cuisine. Local dishes include: maccheroni alla chitarra, which is made with a tool that resembles a stringed musical instrument; orapi (wild spinach) and bean soup; gnocchetti with wild spinaches; barbecued meat; and local cheeses, such as pecorino, sheep’s milk ricotta, cow’s milk caciocavallo, and a rare goat’s milk cheese called marzolina.
(Two-hour walk; 5mi/8km; ascent: 1,310ft/400m)
Accommodation: Terraegna Mountain Refuge
Wake up surrounded by the rugged peaks of the Apennines and enjoy an early morning mountain experience: hiking and wildlife tracking. We have breakfast back at the refuge before we leave for a midday hike and remote picnic lunch. There are always beautiful views and if there are good weather conditions you can see the peaks of Gran Sasso d’Italia, Monte Velino and the Majella Massif. During the walk, we hear tales from local history going back 1,000 years. Arriving back in Pescasseroli, enjoy a late afternoon coffee and time to explore. In the evening, it’s normally possible to enjoy a short wildlife-watching session near the village.
Accommodation: Villino Quintiliani Hotel (or similar)
After breakfast, we go on a hike that offers sensational national park landscapes, with rocky walls, deep glacial valleys and beech forests. Walking silently and respectfully, we are likely to see one of the most important populations of Apennine chamois grazing between pastures and rocky walls. After a packed lunch, we return to the hotel for time to relax. In the evening, we have our last wildlife-watching session, heading to a panoramic terrace at sunset when the bears and wolves are most active. After, we have a delicious dinner at a local restaurant, an excellent chance to relive our adventures together.
Accommodation: Villino Quintiliani Hotel (or similar)
Breakfast at the hotel, enjoy one last Italian coffee at the village square in Pescasseroli, and we start our transfer back to Rome.
Pescasseroli: Villino Quintiliani Hotel (nights 1-2 and 4-5)
Occupying a 1920s mansion, this four-star hotel is just outside the centre of Pescasseroli and in the heart of Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park. It has an art nouveau style, including in the 11 bedrooms, and a peaceful location, away from the touristy areas and close to the national park visitor centre. The village itself is surrounded by ancient woodland and soaring mountains, while the old town is a picturesque combination of traditional stone buildings.
In the mountains: Terraegna Mountain Refuge (night 3)
Stay in the wilds of Italy, a land shared with bears, wolves and wild boars, but with a few home comforts. The refuge is high in the peaks, on the saddle between Pescasseroli and Bisegna, and has a wood-burning stove for heating and cooking, electricity supplied by solar power, and a communal seating space for meals. Accommodation is in a comfortable dorm with bunkbeds for eight people and shared bathroom facilities.
Worth knowing
Single supplement from £ 220
Each morning, enjoy a hearty breakfast of cakes, biscuits, cereals, fresh bread and jams, plus eggs and cheese for extra energy on the mountains.
Packed lunches (sandwiches with local breads or focaccia, vegetable, fruit, snack) from the guesthouse or local shops and bakeries are provided each morning to take with you on the day’s adventure.
Each evening, tuck into traditional Italian dishes including maccheroni alla chitarra – a special type of spaghetti, soup with orapi (wild spinach) and beans, gnocchetti, and grilled meat. The region has a strong sheep-rearing culture, so plenty of local dairy products are available such as pecorino, ricotta, caciocavallo and a rare goat’s cheese called marzolina. Vegetarians, vegans and other dietary requirements and allergies can be catered for.
We use a minivan for most of the trip. Some experiences can be supported by off-road vehicles on dirt or secondary roads.
The climate in the highest section of the Apennines is continental (as found in the interior of Europe) but made more pleasant by Mediterranean influences. Snowfalls are frequent, with cold winters and hot summers. Average summer temperature is 24C-35C (75F-95F) and average rainfall is 39in-78in (1,000mm-2,000mm) per year, which is higher on the Tyrrhenian slopes than on the eastern, or Adriatic, side of the Apennines.
Start hotel: Villino Quintiliani Hotel, Viale Santa Lucia, 1, 67032 Pescasseroli AQ
Phone: +39 0863 910755
Airport: Rome Fiumicino (FCO)
The start hotel is approximately three hours’ drive from the airport. Exodus provides one group arrival transfer from the airport, which is timed to coincide with the arrival of a chosen flight from London, UK. Due to the distance between the airport and hotel, we highly recommend you join the group transfer.
You may join this transfer at no extra cost, provided you can be at the airport before the transfer leaves. Speak to your sales representative for the group arrival transfer times or to arrange a private transfer.
If you would like further information on joining this trip, please speak to your sales representative.
There’s a group departure transfer to the airport for customers who Exodus booked onto a chosen flight to London, UK. Please speak to your sales representative if you wish to join. If the group departure transfer does not suit your flight time, speak to your sales representative to arrange an alternative transfer.
Full joining instructions including local emergency numbers will be sent to you as part of our Final Joining Instructions. If you do not receive these at least a week before departure, or require them earlier please contact our office or your travel agent.
Location start: Rome
Location end: Rome
In addition to your normal daily clothes, you need the following:
Travellers from the UK, US and EU normally do not need a visa to enter Italy. Please note, visa requirements often change and it is your responsibility to obtain any required visas for this trip. Therefore, we recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through.
Some local governments provide guidance on what visas their citizens need. To help, we’ve gathered a selection of useful links below.
• Australia: www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/europe/italy
• Canada: www.travel.gc.ca/destinations/italy
• United Kingdom: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/italy/entry-requirements
• USA: www.travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Italy.html
Please note: it is compulsory to carry ID with you at all times in Italy.
There are no required vaccinations. However, you may want to consider vaccinations for tetanus, rabies and tick-borne encephalitis. Please confirm with your doctor or travel clinic.
Italy's time zone: Europe/Rome (UTC +02:00)
Italy's electricity: Plug types C (two round pins, European standard), F (two round pins), and L (three round pins in a row) – 230V, 50Hz
Italy's currency: Euros (EUR)
We work hard to create trips that improve life for the people and places we visit and look after the planet we explore. To read more about our sustainable travel ethos and practice, click here, and to find out about the work of the Exodus Travels Foundation click here.
Some sustainable travel highlights of this trip include:
People: How this trip helps improve life for local communities.
Places: How this trip helps protect and conserve local landscapes and nature.
Planet: How we seek to keep the carbon footprint of this trip low.
Tips for sustainable travel on this trip
Your safe participation
When booking this trip, you should be confident in your ability to participate in all activities described in these Trip Notes. If you have any doubt about your suitability, please call the Exodus office and ask to speak to one of the experts on this itinerary.
Although our leaders are well trained to deal with different capabilities, if they have any concerns about someone’s ability to safely take part in an activity, or their impact on other people’s enjoyment, we authorise them to take necessary action which, in some circumstances, may involve asking someone to miss that activity.
By booking this trip you agree to our Booking Conditions which clearly state that our leaders have the authority to do this. In these rare instances we will ensure anyone sitting out is safely provided for and offered alternative options where possible. Refunds will not be provided for activities missed and customers may be liable for additional costs incurred.
When you’re ready to book, go to our website for online bookings, book over the phone or you can complete a booking form (available online or on request by calling us). We accept all major credit and debit cards, or you can pay be cheque.
After booking
You will receive your booking confirmation letter and invoice, which includes extra information and guidance about your travel arrangements.
Full joining instructions, including local emergency numbers and details of how to reach the start point, will be sent to you approximately two to three weeks prior to departure. If you do not receive these at least a week before departure, or require them earlier, please contact our office or your travel agent.
Trip Note validity
These Trip Notes are valid from the “Current as” date on page one. They will occasionally be updated after booking and before departure; if there are any updates that significantly impact the inclusions or itinerary, customers will be written to separately. They will also receive a link to the most up-to-date Trip Notes with their Final Joining Instructions before travelling.
The information in these Trip Notes is given in good faith. Where differences exist between the Trip Notes and our current brochure or website, the Trip Notes supersede the brochure and website. All holidays can be subject to unexpected changes; to enjoy them you should be prepared to be flexible where necessary. Occasionally, it may not be possible to follow the itinerary as planned. This may be for a variety of reasons – climatic, political, physical or other. In these circumstances we will make the best-possible alternative arrangements that maintain the integrity of the original itinerary.
Licensing
Exodus is fully licensed and bonded as a tour operator. We hold Air Traffic Organisers Licence (ATOL) number 2582, issued and bonded with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). We are also bonded to the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and we are members of the Federation of Tour Operators (FTO) and ABTA – The Travel Association. This means you can book your Exodus holiday with confidence, as all money paid to us for your trip is fully protected.