The park of the ruins of Monterano

(automatic translation !)

A little history

A rich territory of history and nature. Between deep Walloons recorded in the land of tufo and wide pianori sommita them, emerge the ruins of Monterano. Abandoned to aim seven hundred, the center terribly renders the traces of millenia of history visible and evocative. An Etruscan, medieval and baroque flourishing last that survive dipped in a rigogliosa vegetation and left free to adorn ruins and palaces, it inhabits from vixens and istrici to you and flies over to you from nibbi and poiane.

Calm route the one which gives Monterano Channel leads to the ruins of the old country and crosses the territory of omonima the Reservoir Natural Regional Monterano. The calm route, through forre, torrents, glades and small wood door to the discovery of one rich zone of history (numerous the testimonies of the period estrusco) and of particular naturalistic interest in a typical territory of the atmosphere to collinare of Mounts of the Tolfa. The distance does not introduce difficulty.

From B.-P. Park:

In car or coach, from the B.P. Park in 10 minuteren: to proceed for Roman Oriolo;
before Manziana to turn to right for Monterano Channel, point of departure and center of the been born city new from I would have supper of the old Monterano.

Leaving from Monterano Channel, following the indications for the Reservoir, it is come down until the parking. he is preferibile to abandon the sterrata road and to feed the new path marked on left that are penetrated in the mixed forest of chestnut tree, kernel, ornello, carpino and the ferns. On the left side small cascade is visible one, loads with water rossiccia for the high iron content. The forest, rich of ferns (between which lac rarest Osmunda regalis), pungitopo and agrifoglio it is crossed from a small river that in the rainy periods designs pleasant water games between cliffs.

Remaining on the path, exceeded the bridge that guada the fiumiciattolo, it is reached the open, where the odore of sulfur us door towards some polle of solforosa water:

A magical atmosphere that is diffused also in the surrounding territory
where warm and cold mineral sources gush out, ancient inheritance of the Sabatino volcano

To sides the rests of abandoned mines are found, popolate from bats. Without to feed endured the path that on the right leads to the old abandoned city of Monterano, it is right to continue on the main road where, before arriving on the bridge on the Mignone river, one spalletta rich of spontaneous orchidee of the sort Ophris and Anacamptis is caught up pyaramidalis. With a little attention it is possible to observe also the orchidea Himantoglossum adriaticum, from the unusual shape.

It returns to you behind, exceeded the cliff dictates of the Indian for its strange shape, the marked path is taken passing for ginestre in flower and hawthorns. The climb does not introduce no difficulty, and in the distance it can be accompanies to you from flight of numerous rapaci that popolano the forre. Easier to observe those diurnals, like the poiana, the nibbio real, nibbio tawny and the sparviero, practically impossible to make the acquaintance with those nocturnes, like the gufo, the allocco, the horned owl and the barn owl. If to enjoy the show in sky the gheppio that ago the "Saint spirit" is relatively easy, the flight of the rarest lanner is true scoop a classified one to most fortunate.

The path door to the ruins of an aqueduct, and subsequently to the ruins of the old one Will mount, city destroyed to cannonate from the French troops to the end of the ' 700. The old city rises on a spur of tufo and dominates to all the surrounding zone. From the ruins probably the best one is had seen on all the territory of the Reservoir. Interesting the rests of the church of Saint Bonaventura and the palace of the Orsini-Altieri Around the ruins and in the pressed ones of the aqueduct can be met pigs to the state brado. Always to the state brado numerous the horses and the vacche. To the free state they live hedges and mysterious istrice, is by now too much diffused wild boar. After a right ristoratrice pause, the path comes down towards the Mignone river, between asphodels and shrubs of the most varied species. Between the spring and the summer it is easy to feel the back of the most colorful gruccione, nesting in the territory of Channel They will sure mount and the most spectacular representative of the Italian avifauna. It is arrived low therefore until to a bridge on the Mignone and svoltando on the left it is found again to us on the main road that filler to the parking.

home page