La Cimetta (Monte Prena) from Campo Imperatore

La Cimetta is a small summit lying north of Monte Prena. It is, in truth, not so much a summit, as its name would have it, but a buttress-like promontory of Monte Prena itself.

A buttress which, seen from Vado di Ferruccio, is clearly defined, almost a massif in its own right. In counting “La Cimetta” as a proper summit of the Apennines, evidently no account was taken of its position and size, let alone the height gain from a nearby saddle. No saddle separates Monte Prena from this summit. What evidently makes La Cimetta count as a summit in its own right must necessarily be, on the one hand, historical reasons and, on the other, topographical ones.

Where to leave the car:

Along the state road (SS17) that runs from the Bivio di Sant'Egidio to Fonte Vetica you drive almost as far as the junction near the famous Ristoro Mucciante. A little over a kilometre from here, heading west, you come to a white gravel road. At first the road is perfectly drivable. It leads practically to the foot of Monte Prena, right below the great rock page of Monte Camicia. Before the bend that leads to the ruins of the old bauxite mine you leave the car, if possible without parking on the grass (the state forestry corps would not hesitate to give you a fine).

The route:

From where you left the car you walk towards a promontory standing in front of Monte Camicia. Together with Monte Camicia this small hill forms a small, not very pronounced little gully, which you slip into. Here you meet the first waymarks, which soon lead you to the path to Vado di Ferruccio. The path winds mostly along the western ridge of Monte Camicia. You often come across veins of grey and black rock outcropping from the ground. These are rocks that clearly smell burnt.

As you gain height the path tends to turn westwards until it reaches the ridge joining the nearby Monte Camicia to Monte Prena. Looking out from Vado di Ferruccio towards the north you can see the relatively distant Cimetta, stretching out northwards over the wide countryside around Teramo. (Time from the start: 1h 45m)

From Vado di Ferruccio the path, exposed in places on little passages covered in scree, leads to the slopes of the Prena. You climb a short slope up to Piano d'Abruna. Piano d'Abruna is undoubtedly... ahem... “flat”. At the foot of the imposing turrets of Monte Prena you can see the permanent snowfields. They are a few square metres of snow that hold out even against the summer heat. (Time from Vado di Ferruccio 45m, for a total from the start of 2h 30m)

You walk west across Piano d'Abruna, keeping almost to the edge of the precipice, where you can also admire the remarkable landscape. You walk until you reach a summit with a cairn of stones on it. It could wrongly be taken for the summit of “La Cimetta”, and it is not.

You have to descend about 100 metres of height on traces of path that run between little rocks and stones. These are not even grade I moves, but you certainly need to pay attention because of the steepness of the ground. You soon reach La Cimetta below.

(Time from Piano d'Abruna 30 minutes, for a total of 3h00m from the start)

Please note:

Extremely interesting is the view over the Torri del Casanova, the north face of Monte Prena and Monte Camicia, and the prominent, very conspicuous Dente del Lupo (Wolf's Tooth).

As the hike is fairly short we suggest combining it with a visit to the Restaurant of Rifugio del Lago Racollo. The restaurant offers zero-kilometre products, that is, local produce. Remarkable is the board of local cured meats and cheeses, served with honey.

Alternatively, for all those who have never been there, a stop at the Ristoro Mucciante is a must: it is a butcher's that also sells local cheeses, wine and biscuits. At the Ristoro Mucciante barbecues are lit specially for grilling the meat bought from them. A large number of tables lets you stop to eat the local lamb, arrosticini (lamb skewers), chops and legs... This is certainly a way to stimulate the local economy and to create a culture of using huts and refreshment points.