The Sibillini Mountains National Park

This is a world of enchanted glades frequented by sorcerers or necromancers (who were once prohibited from entering these woods), wind beaten mountains and towering peaks (50 of which are higher than 2000 m), rock faces, morains, sinkholes and huge expanses of rocky slopes swathed in acres of mountain flowers that attract hundreds of butterfly species. The most curious of these, the Sooty Ringlet, flies as high as Mount Vettore, which at almost 2500 m is the highest peak in the Sibillini massif. Perhaps this dramatic setting is how this butterfly got its scientific name: Erebia pluto belzebub. The Sibillini mountains reveal the Appenines as a mature limestone massif leading to the highest peaks in Abruzzo. Here, the mountains are more rugged and craggier than the marl and sandstone rock faces found in Tuscany and Emilia. The landscape is harsher, almost forbidding, with a rich diversity that accompanies the visitor as they admire the breathtaking views. Excitement fires the imagination, taking you by the hand as you wander through the first national park in Italy that is also a protected site of myth and legend.

With this incredible assortment of natural vistas opening up before your eyes, you won't get tired of discovering the many facets of this beautiful natural park, starting from the valley bottoms of the Nera, Fiastrone, Tenna and Ambro rivers. The valleys seem like treasure troves, concealing unknown stories. Nearby there are large beech forests such as the Macchia Cavaliera or Frondosa, where young trees alternate with luxuriant shrubs almost like monuments to botany. In these woods you can still hear the call of the eagle owl, or catch a glimpse of the elusive marten or alluring wildcat. The wide expanses of valley floors sculpted during the Ice Age can be seen beyond the treetops.