A long route including ups and downs and running through a pleasant itinerary along the ancient Roman Vie Consolari, the Via Vecchia Nomentana and the Via Salaria Vecchia. Both are ancient Roman roads running through villages and landscapes with farmhouses and castles and leading to Rome.
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| Distance 28,86 Km | Travel time 9 ore | Water sources yes |
|---|---|---|
| Increase in altitude + 50 | Degree of difficulty Hard | Resting Areas yes |
| Loss of altitude – 200 | Surface Tarmac, dirt road and path | Road Sign yes |
Leave Piazza Madonna delle Grazie in Ponticelli di Scandriglia, go near the washing fountain at the top of the provincial road and cross a group of houses and then a dip in the road to go back up to the opposite side along a white road. After about 1 km cross the Provincial Road SP 40, keep walking on the white road, which becomes paved, until you get to the village of Poggio Corese. Continue for a short time on the provincial road, pass a bar trattoria, get into another white road on the left. Cross the bridge on the bottom of the valley until you encounter to the road to Nerola. Here you might find it interesting to visit the Orsini Castle on a steep rock part of the Lucretili Mountains, about 50 km from Rome.
Continue through the olives groves until the hamlet of Acquaviva di Nerola. Turn into the road on the left (>>after about 600 m on the right hand side, the last part of the Farfa diversion) through the countryside descending to the bottom of the valley and then climb back up towards Montelibretti, where you can see the Barberini Palace in the medieval centre. At this point in the walk the olive groves of the Alta Sabina hills stop and endless fruit orchards take their place. Leave the town following Via Vignacce descending towards Selva Grande and then turn left into Via Nomentana Antica. Continue on it until you come across the Strada della Neve (The Snow Road) and continue towards Molino and Torre della Fiora (a variation to the current paved path through the municipalities of Moricone and Palombara Sabina, near the Terme di Cretone Spa, has been planned).
The scenery changes again and it becomes golden because of the wheat and forage cultivations covering the hills. Walk over a hill and a creek and climb again towards Via di Grotta Marrozza and then Castelchiodato. From here, take the Via Salaria again to reach Monterotondo. To the west rises the Orsini Barberini fortress, which dates back to the 11-12th century, over the eastern hills in the Tiber valley.
Useful information
Along the way we can find bars and fountails
Intermediate stops
Stop areas wehre to take a break or accommodation facilities.
Not to be missed
An interesting visit to the Marcigliana Natural Reserve, with its naturalistic and archaeological beauties.