LE STRADE DEI PARCHI - Naturainviaggio.It

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Tratto VICOVARO - VARCO SABINO
Varco Sabino Ascrea
Three kilometres beyond, just before crossing
from shore to shore, the view opens out on the
Castel di Tora hill, on the left, and the Antuni
one on the right.
The ancient village of Antuni stands on the top
of a cone-shaped rocky peninsula that rises 120
metres above the lake waters. In far-off times
this castled and secluded fortress strategically
overlooked a wide stretch of valley. Populated
by several families since the thirties of the past
century, after decades of neglect the village is today
involved in various refurbishments. It is
possible to enter only by walk and the climb is
abundantly recompensed by the incredible views on the lake and the surrounding
mountains.
Like Collalto Sabino, Castel di Tora is also included in the list of the “most beautiful
villages of Italy”. The settlement, dominated by a polygonal tower dating back
to the XI century, has a mediaeval historical centre well-kept and preserved, ending
into a small panoarmic square. On the first Sunday in Lent the Polentone’s Feast
is celebrated, with polenta cooked outdoor on the fire in a big pot.
After about two kilometres it is possible to turn on the left going up to Ascrea, an
authentic natural terrace with a view on the valley and the lake. The central square
with its lookout is one of the
best places to picture in one’s
mind a reconstruction of
the valley landscape before
its flooding.
Along the shores of the Turano
Lake frequent variations
of the water level do
not allow the presence of a
riparian vegetation such as
willows, poplars, cane
thickets, etc. This prevents
the refuge and the nest-building of several species of aquatic birds, typical of natural
lakes, like for instance herons and many ducks.
Nevertheless in the lake there are some characteristic diving birds, big fish eaters
such as the great crested grebe and the cormorant.
Further on, one goes up along the Turano valley looking at the progressive narrowing
of the lake that slowly becomes a river. About two kilometres and a half beyond
the junction to Paganico, just below the road, there’s a rocky funerary monument of
the Roman era with some inscriptions, locally known as the “Written Stone”.