Meals

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.

Others

Highlights Experience rewilding in action. Dramatic natural landscapes Italian hospitality and some of the finest local food and wine

Accommodation

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 is available on request for the hotel only.

Transport

We use a minivan for most of the trip. Some experiences can be supported by off-road vehicles on dirt or secondary roads.

Guide

Group normally 6 to 8, plus leader. Min age 16 yrs

Not included:

Flights

Flights are not included

Optional

Other activities and services are not included

Insurance

Insurance is not included

Others

— Travel insurance — Single accommodation (available on request for hotel only) — Visas and vaccinations

Start planning your experience

Day 1 Day 1: Travel To Pescasseroli (Dinner)
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 1: Travel To Pescasseroli (Dinner)

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)
Day 2 Day 2: Visit Bear Smart Community (Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner)
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 2: Visit Bear Smart Community (Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner)

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)
Day 3 Day 3: Sunrise Wolf And Wildlife Tracking; Hike To The Mountain Refuge (Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner)
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 3: Sunrise Wolf And Wildlife Tracking; Hike To The Mountain Refuge (Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner)

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
Day 4 Day 4: Mountain Experience And Wildlife Tracking (Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner)
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 4: Mountain Experience And Wildlife Tracking (Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner)

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)
Day 5 Day 5: Wildlife Tracking (Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner)
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 5: Wildlife Tracking (Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner)

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)
Day 6 Day 6: End Rome (Breakfast)
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 6: End Rome (Breakfast)

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel, and perhaps one last Italian coffee at the village square in Pescasseroli, before we transfer back to Rome. We have two drop-off points today. If you have time before your flight, you can get out at Roma Termini rail station, where you can store your baggage (additional cost) and explore the Eternal City a little more. Alternatively, we can take you to the airport for your onward flight home.

6 days tour

Italian Apennines: Walks & Wildlife

This tour includes:

Not included:

Start planning your experience

Itinerary of your trip Italian Apennines: Walks & Wildlife

Day 1: Travel To Pescasseroli (Dinner)

Day 2: Visit Bear Smart Community (Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner)

Day 3: Sunrise Wolf And Wildlife Tracking; Hike To The Mountain Refuge (Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner)

Day 4: Mountain Experience And Wildlife Tracking (Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner)

Day 5: Wildlife Tracking (Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner)

Day 6: End Rome (Breakfast)

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