Travelcast Piceno - Audio & Video Guide per la Provincia di Ascoli Piceno

In the area of Amandola, one can enjoy bicycle rides or walks on long steets without much traffic. A lovely itinerary permits an ample view of Le Marche starting at the center of Amandola and continuing to the foot of Mount Amandola, where one comes across small and characteristic hamlets where people are still living. Leaving the town in the direction of Montefortino, near the cemetery, enter the street and turn right in the direction of Garulla.

After a few meters, there is a fork in the road for the hamlet of Paterno, which we pass, reaching the hamlet of Abbadia.  The place takes its name from the ancient abbey of Saints Vincent and Anastasio, which was founded about the year 1000 AD in a secluded, wooded place.  Like the abbey of San Rufino, this church also has a crypt, but without frescoes.  This isolated monastery was already frequently in need of restoration by the end of 1200, but especially about 1700 when the area of Amandola suffered three strong earthquakes.
In the 19th century, more modifications to the original form of the church were made, resulting in the entrance being repositioned behind the apse.  From this point on, people had a reversed perspective when entering the church.
Through this area passes the great ring of the Sybillines which offers the possibility of trekking across the mountains. The stretch that connects the abbey to the hamlet of Garulla is ideal for mountain biking. Garulla is divided into two areas, a higher and a lower, and provides access to Campolungo.  From here, there is an extraordinary view in the direction of the sea and Monte Conero to the northeast, and of Gran Sasso to the south.
Following the climb, we reach the mountain guesthouse of the city of Amandola, which is open on holidays and during the summer. Here one can obtain food, drink and rest while traveling in the mountains.
Along the way, a little below Garulla, is the small church of the Madonna della Pace (the Madonna of Peace).  At the beginning of the 1990s, the small chapel was nearly in ruins but it was restored by a group of Alpine soldiers on leave.  It opens on the first of May and on the first Sunday of August, for the feast of the Madonna of Peace.

Users' Comments (0) Comment language: English (0), Italian (0)

Add your comment