Trains and Buses: Public transport is a wonderful way to travel anywhere as it gives a privileged insight into a different way of life and facilitates encounters with the locals. While sometimes slower and less flexible than self-driving, it means passengers don’t have to worry about missing a turn-off and are free to enjoy the wonderful scenery. Services are reliable and fares reasonable thanks to state subsidies. Last, but definitely not least, it discourages visitors from introducing more polluting vehicles into the wonderful Italian countryside. Don’t believe anyone who tells you that public transport is not feasible – this guide was researched using it! While not every corner of the Sibillini can be reached in this way, remember that most villages have someone on hand to act as a taxi driver – ask at the local café or bar. Moreover don’t hesitate to request a lift from your hotel or rifugio, as most willingly ferry guests to and from bus stops and walk starts.
Generally speaking the Sibillini are pretty well serviced by buses, though sections wholly lacking in links are the central valley between Castelsantangelo and Castelluccio, and the key road pass Forca di Presta above Arquata del Tronto. Connections between the tiny villages on the eastern flanks are not especially straight-forward either.
Train is a good way to approach the Sibillini, followed by the inevitable transfer to a bus. The railway can be used in Umbria as far as Terni on the main Rome–Florence artery (then a bus to Visso), or to Spoleto, for a bus to Norcia. In the Marche there’s the Civitanova Marche–Fabriano line: get off at Castelraimondo for a bus to Camerino (10km), a key transport hub. Further south, another branch line on the Adriatic coast reaches Ascoli Piceno.
Italian railways (FS Ferrovie dello Stato) ( 892021 or www.trenitalia.com)Beneath Monte Castel Manardo (GAS, Stage 3)The Monte Vettore ridge (GAS, Stage 6)
Contram buses ( 800 037737 or www.contram.it (click on orari for timetables)) covers the north-eastern Sibillini with year-round lines branching out from Camerino to Visso, Castelsantangelo sul Nera, Fiastra, Bolognola. Midsummer extensions include Frontignano (from Visso) and direct services to the Adriatic coast and Pesaro. Moreover there’s a handy daily run via Visso to Rome.
Mazzuca 0736 402267 or www.mazzuca.it covers the Aso valley, Montemonaco and Amandola to Ascoli Piceno.
SASP 0733 663137 links Camerino with Sarnano and Amandola.
Umbria Mobilità 800 512141 or www.umbriamobilita.it is responsible for connecting Norcia with Rome, Spoleto and Preci, as well as the Thursdays-only service to Castelluccio.
Start 800 443040 or www.startspa.it links Balzo and the Montegallo district with Ascoli Piceno.
Important note: hardly any buses run on Sundays or public holidays except in midsummer.
These terms may come in handy: giornaliero (abbreviated as G) means daily, scolastico during school term, feriale Mon–Sat, and festivo Sunday or public holidays, while sciopero is strike.
Exploring the Sibillini
The way you travel around the Sibillini will depend on how much time you have and individual preferences for walking. Visitors with no time constraints will enjoy riding the buses and meandering around the park, criss-crossing it with a combination of walking routes and staying at different places. The multi-day GAS trek is easily accessed with public transport. However, those with limited time are best using their own vehicle to cover as much ground as possible. The following notes explain the layout of the Sibillini and the facilities for visitors.
The Sibillini are embraced by an inter-connecting web of narrow valleys settled with small townships and villages. All have accommodation in the shape of welcoming hotels and cosy B&Bs as well as a restaurant or two, and make a good base for forays into the rugged mountainous core.
Beginning in the east, in the rural atmosphere of the Marche region, historic settlements dot the gently rolling slopes that begin at the foot of Monte Vettore and Sibilla and continue all the way to the Adriatic coast. The attractive red-brick town of Amandola, named for an ancient almond tree (mandorlo), is a handy gateway to the park from the northeast. It enjoys good transport links and tourist facilities, not to mention excellent mountain views from its belvedere. A short distance inland is Campolungo and Walk 5, while another detour leads to Rubbiano for Walk 9. Not far south is quiet, walled Montemonaco, founded by pioneer Benedictine monks in the very early middle ages. It stands at the foot of Monte Sibilla, at whose rifugio Walk 10 begins. The GAS trek passes close by, while a narrow side valley climbs to the mountain hamlet of Foce and Walk 15. The next notable settlement is Montegallo, actually a scatter of villages that go by this collective name. Here, beautifully situated Balzo is low key but well equipped for visitors, and acts as an alternative stopover for the GAS.
Now a winding road climbs south, high above the turrets and colonnades of landmark Arquata del Tronto on the ancient Roman artery, the Via Salaria. Veering west, this strategic road passes Forca di Presta, whose rifugio is a transit point for the GAS and start for Walks 17 and 20. A separate branch from Arquata del Tronto leads to Forca Canapine with accommodation and access to both Walk 21 and the GAS. Forking north from here, a minor road traverses the wondrous and unworldly Piano Grande to Castelluccio. This jumble of tumble-down houses occupies a hilltop belvedere that swarms with visitors during the fiorita in early June, when the lentil fields explode with wildflowers. Advance booking for accommodation is recommended then. It does have a bus service – on Thursdays – when the gregarious Castelluccio housewives ride down to Norcia for the weekly market. Walks 14, 16, 18 and 19 start at Castelluccio.
Preci cascades down a hillside (Walk 13)
Norcia is another key gateway to the Sibillini and has fine tourist facilities and good bus links. Sometimes called Nursia in English, the town’s name comes from Northia, Goddess of Fortune, venerated by the Etruscans. This relaxed, charming town is set amidst vast farming plains on the easternmost edge of Umbria. Best known as the birthplace of high profile St Benedict, founder of the Benedictine monastic movement, for Italians it is also famous for norcineria or the noble art of sausage and salami making. Shop fronts are draped with strings of tasty specimens and even family names reflect the ancient trade (such as Ansuini, from ‘swine’). Though a little out of the way for the bulk of the walks, Norcia is handy for Walk 14.
A minor road via Forca d’Ancarano goes to peaceful Preci, on the park’s western edge, where lovely old houses cascade down a steep hillside. With good accommodation and bus links, it is the base for Walk 13. From Preci drivers can loop via canyon-like Nera valley to Visso (see below).
From Castelluccio a road continues northwest to the pass Forca di Gualdo, aka Madonna della Cona, where a detour east terminates at Monte Prata and its hotel, the start of Walk 11. The pass marks an entrance into the inner heart of the Sibillini, a dramatically contrasting world of dense woods of beech, oak and chestnut which provide cover for many animals. Here, deep, plunging valleys are surrounded by bare-topped mountains. The road drops in tight zigzags to the valley floor and Castelsantangelo sul Nera. Quite central to the park area, this charming place has a heritage of monasteries and castles whose fortifications straggle up the mountainside forming an inverted ‘V’. Nera may derive from narici or nostrils,