Overview
On your visits within the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park, don't miss a visit to Bisegna, which overlooks you from a rocky outcrop at the foot of the Montagna Grande Group.
You are at the beginning of the Giovenco Valley where the river of the same name has its headwaters and from which many itineraries depart to discover the greenest area of the region.
In the village of ancient origins, which was formed from the 11th-12th centuries as a result of the phenomenon of encastellation, you can "catch" some artistic and historical sights of seventeenth-eighteenth-century imprint, such as the recently renovated church of Santa Maria Assunta and the tiny religious monument dedicated to St. John the Baptist, consisting of a small church, a cave and a fountain.
Finally, do not miss the unique Palazzetto gentilizio, which can be traced back to the Lombard Baroque style. The main facade shows a beautiful entrance portal, a balcony with a wrought-iron balustrade, and, at the second-floor level, two windows decorated with a shell motif.
Reach the Park Authority's Service Centre where, thanks to the "Men and Trees Tell" project, you can discover guided trails in the Giovenco Valley. Do you prefer the beech tree? Then come to the Fossa valley. If, on the other hand, maple is your heart plant, you win a visit to the historic centre of Bisegna. With the apple tree you win the discovery of the Prata valley, while the pine tree takes you on the "nature trail."
In the Service Centre you can rent mountain bikes, snowshoes as well as book hikes. There are plenty of options depending on your athletic training. For instance the 4-hour "promised" route that leads from the village in 10 kilometres to Macchia di Rose-Terraegna or the less demanding, about one kilometer, that goes as far as Fonte Cerasa, and reachable in half an hour.
Do you want the "strongest" hike? Here it is: it's a trail of about 20 kilometres that takes you to Pescasseroli in the heart of the park in over 5 and a half hours.
Now another kind of marathon awaits you, based on the products and dishes of the territory, strictly declined in dialect, otherwise they lose flavor: among the first courses, "Sagn' i cic'", "Sagn' i fascio j" "Frascarej", "Sagn' stracciat' ch'iocchj d'rapa" "cellette". The main courses are mainly based on lamb meat while among the desserts, here are "Ciambllat", "Fiatun" and Ferratelle.
What else to see:
- The clock tower
- The churches of San Pancrazio, Santa Maria delle Grazie and Santa Gemma, San Sebastiano al fiume and Madonna di Loreto, in the hamlet of San Sebastiano dei Marsi
