Three days between Anversa degli Abruzzi, Scanno and Villalago in the Sagittario Valley (Valle del Sagittario): the gorges, three lakes, three villages and trails you can walk in half a day. Scanno is the base, and no stop is more than half an hour’s drive away. It works for families too: you walk, but nothing long or hard.
Before you go
What to bring. Hiking boots; for these routes, trainers with a good grip are fine too. Water, sun cream, a camera. The trails are waymarked, and the GPX tracks are free on the trail pages.
When to come. Spring and summer for walking and swimming in the lake. Autumn for the colours of the woods and the quiet. In winter the villages are quiet and snow is not guaranteed: for snowshoeing, go up to Passo Godi, where you can hire snowshoes.
With a guide. For guided walks: Lina Paletta, environmental hiking guide, +39 348 539 4377.
Day 1 – Anversa, the Gorges and Scanno
Driving in from Sulmona, Anversa is the first village you reach. The trip starts here, in the Sagittario Gorges (Gole del Sagittario) nature reserve, protected since 1997 and open all year.
The loop starts at the WWF Oasis, at Sorgenti di Cavuto (the Cavuto springs). Geological trail 18 follows the river on wooden walkways, between limestone walls that close in until little light gets through.
Then a short, steep climb takes you to Castrovalva, a village on a sheer spur. In 1929 the Dutch artist M. C. Escher came through and made several lithographs of it. If you still have energy, turn left before entering the village: in 20 minutes you reach Colle San Michele, with a view over the whole valley. You walk back to Anversa on trail 19. The Gorges Loop page has the map, the elevation profile and the GPX track.
The reserve has a picnic area, toilets and free parking at the entrance. Before leaving, take a walk around Anversa.
Anversa is one of the Most Beautiful Villages in Italy (I Borghi più belli d’Italia). Gabriele D’Annunzio set his tragedy “La fiaccola sotto il moggio” here.
In the afternoon, drive up to Scanno.
Lanes, stone doorways, grand houses and seventeen churches, the main one being Santa Maria della Valle, in Abruzzo baroque style. Worth seeing: Vico Ciorla, piazza San Rocco, the church of Sant’Eustachio, the 1888 Sarracco fountain and Palazzo Di Rienzo.
All through the twentieth century Scanno was photographed by Henri Cartier-Bresson, Mario Giacomelli, Gianni Berengo Gardin, Ferdinando Scianna and others. In 1964 a Giacomelli photo taken here, “Scanno Boy”, entered the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Scanno is also a village of handmade gold jewellery. The presentosa, a star-shaped jewel once given to brides as a wedding gift, and tombolo, bobbin lace, are passed down from generation to generation. Some goldsmiths’ workshops offer guided visits.
A guided tour of Scanno and Villalago takes about an hour and a half: book with Diletta, +39 324 050 6529.
Day 2 – The Heart Trail and Le Prata
The morning is for the Heart Trail (Sentiero del Cuore), which leads to the viewpoint where Lake Scanno (Lago di Scanno) looks like a heart. There are two starting points.
- From the village, easier: start at via Domenico Di Rienzo 372 and leave the car near the start of the trail. About 30 minutes. Trail page (in Italian for now).
- From the lake, more scenic: start at viale del Lago, with paid parking at Prati del Lago. About 4 km and an hour and a half there and back, with uphill stretches on gravel and stones: no open shoes or smooth soles, and take care in rain or ice. Trail page (in Italian for now).
The lake was formed by a landslide from Monte Rava, part of the Genzana massif, more than 12,000 years ago. A 4.8 km road runs all the way round it. At Prati del Lago there is a playground, bike, e-bike and rickshaw rental, pedal boats, a bar and toilets.
In the afternoon, a 15-minute drive takes you to Le Prata.
A plateau at about 1250 metres, surrounded by beech woods. The farm restaurants (agriturismi) here serve shepherds’ cheeses, homemade pasta, grilled lamb and arrosticini; book ahead at weekends. At the Il Ranch riding centre you can ride for one or two hours, by booking and from age 14; younger children can take a pony ride. Long trousers and closed shoes. Opening hours and contacts on the Il Ranch website (Italian).
Day 3 – Villalago
The last day is for Villalago, ten minutes from Scanno. Leave the car in the centre and begin with the village itself.
Lanes and stairways lead up to the medieval tower. Then the square, where locals meet, the old doorways and the old mill. In Villalago red deer live among the houses: they are used to people, but they are still wild animals. Watch them from a distance, do not feed them and do not touch them.
From the village you walk to Lake San Domenico on the San Domenico trail.
An easy, mostly shaded trail that goes down to the lake. At the bottom there is the San Domenico hermitage (Eremo di San Domenico), a small church set into the rock, and a little river beach to cool off: swimming here is not allowed. It is 3.2 km there and back, on trails 2 and 2A. Trail page (in Italian for now).
Back in the village, Lake Pio is ten minutes’ walk away.
A small natural lake among willows and maples, up to 14 metres deep and about 100 metres wide. Deer often come down to drink: from the benches around the lake you have a good chance of seeing them.
Spend the afternoon on Lake Scanno, on the Villalago side.
The beach is a 5-minute drive from the village, with parking next to it, and it is quieter than the Scanno side. From May to October there is a kiosk with sandwiches, cold and hot dishes and ice cream, paid sunloungers, pedal boats, toilets, table tennis and table football. The water stays cool even in summer. At summer weekends and in August arrive by 11, then it fills up.
If you have an extra day: Passo Godi
13 km from Scanno, a twenty-minute drive.
A pass at about 1600 metres on regional road 479, which runs from Scanno down to Villetta Barrea and the other villages of the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park (PNALM). There are bars and restaurants, and at least one is usually open on weekdays too. In spring and summer the sunloungers are free. Several trails start here, such as the park’s Y2 up to Serra di Rocca Chiarano.
The easiest walk is the one to the Stele del Papa.
On 12 August 2003 Pope John Paul II stopped to pray at Piana di Ferroio, on a private visit. In 2007 a stone about two metres high was placed there. The route follows the park’s Y7, Y1 and Y5 trails: it is easy and about 9.7 km there and back. In winter you can rent skis and snowshoes at Passo Godi and do it on snow. Trail page (in Italian for now).
In the afternoon, ten minutes’ drive from Passo Godi, there is the Fallow Deer Visitor Centre.
You enter the deer area only with the guide, who explains how the animals live. The visit lasts about twenty minutes. In high season tours leave every half hour, and booking is only needed for large groups or in low season. No dogs and no food brought from home. There is also a small information point, a playground and a kiosk. Up-to-date times and prices are on the centre’s website.
What to eat and what to take home
Scanno’s cooking comes from its shepherds:
- spaghetti alla chitarra with lamb ragù, and cazzillitti con le fuoje, flour-and-water gnocchetti with leafy greens;
- bean, lentil and chickpea soups;
- arrosticini, grilled lamb skewers;
- aged pecorino and black-rind ricotta;
- for dessert, Pan dell’Orso, with almonds, honey and a chocolate glaze, and mostaccioli.
In the centre of Scanno, local products are sold by:
- cheese: Azienda agricola San Liborio, Bioagriturismo Valle Scannese, La Scannesina; also at the farm in Jovana and the farm restaurants at Le Prata;
- cured meats: Macelleria l’Olmo and Macelleria Mastrogiovanni;
- honey: Apicoltura fratelli Carfagnini;
- sweets: Caffè della Liquirizia, Delizie Paesane, Biscotteria artigianale Rosati, Pan dell’Orso pastry shop.
Getting around
A car is the easiest option: public transport is limited and doesn’t reach everywhere.
- Buses: TUA buses connect Scanno, Villalago and Anversa all year, with fewer runs on Sundays and public holidays, and Scanno with Sulmona, from where trains and buses go on to Rome and Pescara. Timetables are on tuabruzzo.it. There is no public transport between Scanno and the park villages such as Barrea, Pescasseroli and Opi.
- Summer shuttle: in July and August a council shuttle links Scanno and Villalago roughly every half hour. Tickets are sold at the tourist office in piazza Santa Maria della Valle or at the parking meters. In summer another shuttle runs from Villalago to the San Domenico hermitage.
- Ape taxi and little train: ApeTu runs taxi rides and guided tours of Scanno and Villalago in an Ape three-wheeler. The Lago del Cuore little train tours Scanno and Villalago.
- Airports: the nearest are Pescara, about an hour and ten minutes’ drive, and Rome, about two hours. You can rent a car at the airport.