LE STRADE DEI PARCHI - Naturainviaggio.It

Tratto VICOVARO - VARCO SABINO
Collalto Sabino Varco Sabino
From Collato Sabino to Varco Sabino
From Collalto one begins to go down toward Carsoli and, after a couple of kilometres,
there’s a turn on the left along the way to Collegiove and Marcetelli. Once
down the valley floor, after two kilometres more, a flat stretch of land precedes a
bridge on a ditch and, just after that, a junction with two country roads is met.
The one on the left leads to the ruins of
an ancient water mill, where parking is
possible and one can go hiking down for
a long tract by the sides of the Riancoli
ditch bed, searching for its most secret
spots. The route along the ditch is
bumpy and it’s an ideal representation
of the water power that sculpts, digs and
smoothes the hard calcareous rock. One
finds many and different surprises: isolated puddles inhabited by amphibians
and insect grubs, cyclopean boulders, rocky walls, natural pools, waterfalls. It’s
necessary to use caution because during the winter the rushing current forces people
to stay on the slopes which can hardly be walked over for themselves.
Back on the asphalt road, that begins to go up among oaks and maples woods, until
we get, after about five kilometres, to Collegiove.
The name of the village is probably the result of a nearby cult place dedicated to
Jupiter (Giove). The area, in fact, was populated since the Roman era as witnessed
by the finding of a great ancient bowl made of streaked red marble, nowadays used
as holy-water font in the local parish church. The village is a great starting point
for hikes on the ridge and the peak of the Cervia Mountain from which boundless
and attractive views can be seen.
Almost two kilometres beyond, a dirt path on
the left enters an extended forest of chestnut
fruit trees, well-kept and rich in secular exemplars.
The chestnut tree, also known as “bread tree”,
has been for centuries a primary source of feeding
during the cold winters, not only for
mountain populations but also for their livestock,
especially for pigs. Pork meat was in fact
better when pigs were nourished by chestnuts.
After two kilometres and a half more along the way, just by a right sharp bend,
on the left side a trail starts leading to the Obito ravine.
Just like the one of Riancoli also the Obito’s ditch cuts from east to west the
mountain ridge, separating the Navegna range from the one of Cervia and generating
a narrow deep ravine cut into the solid limestones.
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