Monte Cotento (2015 m) and Colle delle Lisce (1870 m)

Thursday 18 June 2009

A short hike, potentially disappointing because of the ski lifts, but which, if handled well, can become an excellent alternative for young hikers. Campo Staffi is the third ski resort in Lazio after Campo Catino and the Terminillo. Campo Staffi lies at around 1750 metres. The buildings and the lifts disfigure this so beautiful corner of the Simbruini in an absolutely irreparable way.

What strikes you is that on top of the damage (the very presence of the lifts) you have to suffer the insult of watching the decay of a ski area that frankly can't manage to take off economically. The houses around and the buildings meant for commercial use are in an advanced state of falling apart. A pity, because after a nice outing in the woods it would probably be pleasant to find a nice mountain hut, well kept but above all open. But we know it: in the central Apennines the culture of the hut that grills you a couple of sausages and pours you a beer... ahem... is a culture that doesn't exist and never will... not even at the busiest times of the tourist season. Missed opportunities for economic development and for looking after and maintaining the area.

For those who don't fancy walking among the chairlift pylons or on the artificial scree slopes made for the ski runs... well... on the suggestion of a good friend of mine I tried out an alternative round to the direct route that leads to the summit of Monte Cotento.

For the hike there's me, Andrea, whom I hadn't seen for years and years, and my daughter Elisa, who had been asking me for months to go to the mountains together. With Andrea we have rediscovered a friendship on completely different and new foundations. Where once we might listen to music together or watch a film shut up indoors... now we find ourselves walking together on the summits of the Apennines.

When you reach the big car park you leave the car near the third house-building, beside which you can go down towards a gentle dip that leads to the foot of a forlorn little wood.

You leave the lifts on your right and head left. The badly made line of a ski run visibly cuts through the wood from where you are. Moving along the edge of the wood, which in summer can provide pleasant coolness, you reach a wide, gentle ridge.

Looking south towards the valley you can see Monte Viglio. Climbing the ridge until you see the outline of the Cotento, the view of Monte Viglio becomes more and more imposing. From here you get a truly special view towards this wonderful and many-sided mountain.

From the ridge you carry on towards a gentle little saddle from which you can launch the final assault on the summit... well, if we really want to talk about an assault on the summit... just under 150 metres of height gain.
On the summit another surprise: the view is astonishing; on a fine day you can see, in the right perspective, the size of the Velino and Sirente Park (remarkable).

Astonishing too is the view towards Monte Tarino and the endless woods that cover the lower hills of the Simbruini.

From the summit the descent is intuitive, but to avoid the lifts you can go down towards the Colle “Le Lisce”, clearly visible and marked by jutting rocks lined up along the ridge. Heading west you reach this gentle stony knoll, the Colle “Le Lisce”.

You come back always keeping to the edge of the wood, being able now and then to rest in the cool of the trees.

You come close to a dirt track which, visibly descending, leads to one of the western runs of the ski area. You climb back up the run to the tarmac road of the ski area, then, walking back along the long car park, you return to the car you left at the start.

This same round can be done both in winter and in summer, in the latter case taking care to set off early in the morning so as not to be too exposed to the sun.

This route is suitable both for greenhorn hikers and for children over 6, although the lack of big attractions doesn't give parents the right spur to motivate them to walk.