Velino traverse from Piani di Pezza to Rosciolo

26-27 July 2008

The dream of doing the Velino traverse had been in the works for a long time. No later than 2007, Doriano and I had attacked the massif with an extraordinary loop that saw us cover the summits of the Costone and the Puzzillo in one single, thrilling day: 14.5 kilometres in 10 hours of continuous ups and downs, full of emotion. But as happens on these occasions, one chocolate leads to another, and we were already dreaming of the great traverse: to go from Piani di Pezza right through the heart of the Velino group and come back down towards Rosciolo.

The idea is simple: cross from Piani di Pezza to Rosciolo, spending one night at Rifugio Vincenzo Sebastiani, and come down by the Vallone del Sevice.

At the start there are five of us: me, Doriano, Paolo, Andrzej, Fulvio.

We leave one car at Rosciolo and carry on towards Piani di Pezza with the other cars. At Capo di Pezza (1535 m), at the end of the long gravel road that runs to the bottom of the valley, we leave the other cars.
It's three in the afternoon and we're heading for Rifugio Vincenzo Sebastiani. The height gain is minimal: we're talking about barely 600 metres up to the hut. We get there in just two hours; we're at the Colletto di Pezza, right below the summit of Cimata di Puzzillo. From here you can enjoy the splendid view over both plateaus of the massif. On the right the Piani di Pezza, on the left Monte Puzzillo and Campo Felice.
The sun is setting and the colours of the mountain grow warmer and warmer. Paolo, Fulvio and Andrzej are enraptured by the beauty of the view. At the hut we are welcomed by Alessandro, who has promised us a meal and a night under a roof. We help Alessandro put up a tent for some hikers due at the hut. The tent is a sort of Rubik's cube, but after several attempts we manage to fit the pieces together and make some sense of the poles and the covering sheets.
The sun grants us another couple of hours of light. Some devote themselves to reflection, some to pure and simple rest; with Paolo and Doriano I go up to the summit of Cimata di Puzzillo (2140 m). We'd been here before, but the light makes the place incredibly different. We all feel splendidly fit, and we spend a while photographing a landscape that surely won't come round again.

The evening goes by as usual: a hearty meal, a couple of beers and then off we go, everyone into their sleeping bags. We agree with Alessandro on breakfast at 5.30 the next day.
The night goes well for some, less well for others who, between broken sleep and awkward positions, can't treat themselves to the preparatory hours of rest.

Morning, fortunately, comes early. The forecast says it will rain in the middle of the day. We have to hurry and gain height quickly on the ridges. There's some cloud cover on the Gran Sasso, nothing worrying.
It isn't even particularly cold; a fleece is enough to keep the damp away. The bravest, on the other hand, set off in short sleeves, knowing the physical effort will soon warm them up...
In less than fifty minutes we're at the Colle dell'Orso. From here we can easily see the saddle that runs from Punta Trento towards the Colle del Bicchero. We go down over open grassy slopes; here the Colle del Bicchero is marked by a stone cairn, and we're at 2075 m. Monte Velino is lighting up more and more; the warmth of the daylight makes the north side look warm, almost welcoming, but we know only too well how arid, jagged and steep it is. In front of us stands the raw harshness of the Valle dei Briganti, a wide glacial cirque in which we see only a few rare traces of ice.
From the summit of Monte Bicchero (2161 m) we can look into the heart of the whole massif.
Doriano points out a mass of low cloud spilling over Monte Magnola. It's moving fast and it's a clear sign the weather is changing. I realise we have to quicken the pace; turning back is out of the question. I can see Piani di Pezza already covered in cloud, not thick but full of water. On the Gran Sasso, on the other hand, we watch heavy upwellings of moist air building big clouds.

I put pressure on Fulvio and Paolo, who would like to take it easy, partly to enjoy the landscape and partly, probably, because they'd like to take a few more photos. At a good pace we're on the summit of Monte Cafornia (2424 m) in the canonical two hours set by our schedule. Fulvio is feeling it. Paolo is enraptured by the view and won't stop taking photo after photo. Doriano and Andrzej keep up a pace worthy of true AssAltaQuotisti. They don't even seem to feel the tiredness.
After a few quick summit photos we launch ourselves along the ridge that leads to the summit of Monte Velino (2486 m). We arrive just in time to see the last wide clearing. When even the last ray of sun gives way to the clouds, we decide to go down, quickly, towards Monte Costogillo and Monte Sevice.

The descent from the Velino winds down the scree slopes of its north side, nothing fun about it, but we're repaid by the view from the broad grassy balcony near Monte Costonillo. From here you can see the Valle dei Briganti from above. The spectacle is imposing and truly very satisfying. We're all very impressed. Even I, who remembered this view covered in cold winter snow, am left completely open-mouthed.
We go down towards the Capanna di Sevice to rest, drink and at last enjoy a well-earned sandwich.
It's 10.30 and the round is practically complete.
At Capanna di Sevice we find the GEV lads who run the hut. The season has only just begun; only yesterday they brought supplies up by mule. If we wanted, they could make us a nice plate of pasta.
We stretch out on the grass and refuel properly; we drink and eat, enjoying the warmth of a sudden reappearance of the sun. But the final surprise lies in wait. In the Rava del Peschio Capraio and on the flanks of Monte Sevice heavy grey clouds are gathering. They're fast and some are starting to rumble.

Back on the march, we quickly pass the spring in the Vallone di Sevice; the horses at pasture watch us suspiciously; we hurry past because getting down is becoming a priority of order zero.
Once we reach the woods we start to feel the first drops of water. Fulvio is limping; he has slightly twisted his knee. I know that kind of pain and I don't blame him if he keeps too slow a pace.
In the end the storm decides to give its very best. It starts to pour down in earnest; on the summits of Monte Padiglione and Monte Fontecellese, towards Tagliacozzo, I see lightning strike again and again.
We keep the pace as fast as we can, partly urging on Fulvio, who in spite of himself is forcing his painful gait, partly trying to go along with it so that we all stay together.
After about 2 hours of descent, a long, interminable 1000 metres of height loss and a tangled passage through the woods of Rosciolo, we finally reach the car. In no time at all we cram ourselves into it. The traverse is over. We're a bit wet, but we're all immensely happy and satisfied. Now it's time to go and fetch the cars at Piani di Pezza.

A great traverse, great people. A year of Friendship with the members of the Associazione Alta Quota, of mutual esteem and close collaboration, has given me the chance once again to learn that good things are always the fruit of interaction between people.

I thank Fulvio for suffering in silence; I thank Paolo for his enthusiasm and the light in his eyes. I thank Andrzej for his special prayers, which he will surely have said for the good omens of the day. I thank Doriano for bringing grit and calm... often soothing my pointless anxieties. A thank-you to Massimo and Federico, who worked behind the scenes so that everything could turn out well...