Current as of: April 26, 2024 - 00:20
Italian Apennines: Walks & Wildlife Trip Notes
- Ways to Travel: Guided Group, Private Group Adventures
- Destination: Italy
- Programmes: Walking & Trekking, Wildlife
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Activity Level:
3 out of 7 - Moderate
- 6 Days: Flight Inclusive
- 6 Days: Land Only
- Ages: 16+
- Trip Code: TIR
- Carbon Footprint: 16kg CO2e
Trip Overview
Discover the wild heart and beautiful landscapes of Italy
The rewilding process helps to restore nature’s ecosystems and biodiversity, for wildlife to return and thrive, while also combatting climate change by increasing the land’s ability to absorb carbon.
During this six-day experience, we witness the intimate relationship between wild nature and local communities. This is the perfect way to see first-hand the beneficial impact of rewilding and the importance of using wildlife corridors to connect protected areas, thereby supporting the comeback of iconic indigenous species.
The wild and dramatic landscape here is home to chamois, deer, wolves and golden eagles, as well as the rare Marsican brown bear. In addition to wildlife, we experience the region’s ever-hospitable people and their colourful, authentic culture.
Led by highly skilled nature guides and sustained by some of the finest local food and wine, a journey into the Central Apennines is truly an exploration of Italy’s wild heart.
This trip visits the area that is being rewilding in partnership with Rewilding Apennines, through our Nature and Carbon Corridors project. All profits from the sale of this trip will go to Rewilding Apennine’s vital biodiversity restoration work.
On this tour, you will have a VIP leader from the Rewilding Apennines team.
Our local Nature Guide may be Valeria Roselli or Andrea De Angelis.
The area we visit on this trip is now part of a designated Wildlife Heritage Area.
At a Glance
- Four nights in a four-star hotel and one night in a mountain refuge
- Four days’ walking (maximum altitude: 7,220ft/2,200m)
- Group normally 4 to 8, plus leader. Minimum age: 16
- Travel by private minibus and 4×4s
- Option to travel by train to your adventure
Highlights
- Experience rewilding in action
- Discover dramatic natural landscapes
- Enjoy Italian hospitality and some of the finest and freshest local food
- Have the chance to spot wildlife such as Wolves, Deer, Brown Bears, Golden Eagles, Chamois and more!
Is This Trip for You?
This trip is graded Activity Level 3 (Moderate). For more on our trip gradings, visit our Activity Level Guidelines page.
This itinerary includes four days of walking in mountainous terrain with transport to and from the start/end points of the walks. Some days are quite long, sometimes involving an ascent of 2,295ft (700m) followed by a similar descent. This means steadily walking uphill for a few hours and then the same down again. The paths are rocky and steep in sections but generally well maintained. Due to the quality of the trails, the general ‘civilisation’ of the area and the relative shortness of the trek, we rate it as an Activity Level 3 (Moderate). Previous walking experience is an advantage; however, the trek should be within the capabilities of anyone in good health and who is reasonably fit as walking takes place on recognised trails. Some walks take place at altitudes up to 7,220ft (2,200m), where temperatures can be cool and there are high levels of humidity. Please ensure you pack appropriate clothing.
Walking hours stated are given as approximates only and include lunch and photo stops and will vary depending on the group’s pace. Typically, days average about two to five hours and up to 8mi (13km). This trip is not advised for severe vertigo sufferers.
Adult min age: 16
Min group size: 4
Max group size: 8
Itinerary
Land Only
- Start City: Rome
- End City: Rome
Land Only Itinerary
Arrive in Rome; transfer to Pescasseroli
Arrive in Rome, where your transfer awaits. We are driven east; in around three hours, we arrive in the quaint mountain town of Pescasseroli and check in at the Villino Quintiliani Hotel.
After settling into our rooms, we enjoy a special presentation on rewilding in the area by the Team Leader of Rewilding Apennines, Mario Cipollone, and will be introduced to our Nature Guide for the trip, Valeria Roselli or Andrea De Angelis.
Accommodation: Villino Quintiliani Hotel (or similar)
Travel to Pescasseroli
After arriving in Rome, journey to the quaint mountain town of Pescasseroli (three hours’ drive, read the Joining Instructions for more information) and check into the Villino Quintiliani Hotel.
After settling into our rooms, we enjoy a special presentation on rewilding in the area by the Team Leader of Rewilding Apennines, Mario Cipollone, and are introduced to our Nature Guide for the trip, Valeria Roselli or Andrea De Angelis.
Accommodation: Villino Quintiliani Hotel (or similar)
Visit to the bear corridors
After breakfast at the hotel, we enjoy an exclusive visit to the bear corridors with our Rewilding Apennines guide, who leads us through the measures taken here. In one of the Bear Smart Communities, we see how they have dramatically reduced bear damage and increased social acceptance of the animals through the installation of about 100 electric fences since 2015, along with the deployment of bear-proof waste bins. We also see why and how these corridors are vital to the protection of the local community as much as the bears themselves.
Accommodation: Villino Quintiliani Hotel (or similar)
Wildlife tracking; hike to the mountain refuge
We have an early morning start to look for wolves and other wildlife in the valley and learn about human-wildlife conflict and mitigation. After, we return to the hotel for breakfast.
(Three-hour walk; 3mi/5km; ascent: 985ft/300m; descent: 985ft/300m)
After breakfast, we start our hike to the Mountain Refuge Bisegna. We enjoy a hearty, fresh dinner with local cheese at the refuge and gaze at the stars before a good night’s rest.
(Two-hour walk; 5mi/8km; ascent: 1,310ft/400m)
Accommodation: Terraegna Mountain Refuge
Mountain experience and wildlife tracking
Wake up surrounded by mountains and enjoy an early morning mountain experience, hiking and wildlife tracking. We have breakfast back at the refuge before we leave for a midday hike and remote picnic lunch. There are always beautiful views and if there are good weather conditions you can see the peaks of Gran Sasso d’Italia, Monte Velino and the Majella Massif. During the walk, we hear tales from local history going back 1,000 years. Enjoy a late afternoon coffee and take time to explore Pescasseroli.
Accommodation: Villino Quintiliani Hotel (or similar)
Wildlife tracking
After breakfast, we go on a hike that offers sensational national park landscapes, with rocky walls, deep glacial valleys and beech forests. Walking silently and respectfully, we are likely to see one of the most important populations of Apennine chamois grazing between pastures and rocky walls. After a packed lunch, we return to the hotel for time to relax. In the evening, we have our last wildlife-watching session and a delicious dinner a local restaurant.
Accommodation: Villino Quintiliani Hotel (or similar)
End Rome
Breakfast at the hotel, enjoy one last Italian coffee at the village square in Pescasseroli, and we start our transfer back to Rome.
Accommodation
Hotel and refuge
Villino Quintiliani Hotel
A small, stylish four-star hotel just outside the centre of Pescasseroli and in the heart of Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park.
Terraegna Mountain Refuge
The newly renovated Terraegna Refuge offers warm Italian hospitality, cuisine and a magical spot to rest in the mountains. High in the peaks, on the saddle between Pescasseroli and Bisegna, the mountain refuge offers a unique setting to rest and spend the night. Accommodation is in a comfortable dorm with bunkbeds for eight people and shared bathroom facilities.
Single supplement is available on request for the hotel only. It is not available for the night in the refuge.
Single supplement from £ 175
Food & Drink
Each morning you will enjoy a hearty breakfast of cakes, biscuits, cereals, yoghurt, fresh bread and jams as well as a savoury breakfast of eggs and cheese for extra energy on the mountains.
Packed lunches from the guesthouse or local shops and bakeries will be provided each morning to take with you on the days adventure.
Each evening you’ll be tucking into traditional Italian dishes including maccheroni alla chitarra – a special type of spaghetti, soup with orapi (wild spinach) and beans, gnocchetti and grilled meat. The region has a strong sheep rearing culture, so plenty of local dairy products are available such as pecorino, ricotta, caciocavallo and a rare goat’s cheese called Marzolina. Vegetarians, vegans and other dietary requirements and allergies can be catered for.
We use a minivan for most of the trip. Some experiences can be supported by off-road vehicles on dirt or secondary roads.
Weather & Seasonality
The climate of the highest section of the Apennines is continental (as found in the interior of Europe) but made more pleasant by Mediterranean influences. Snowfalls are frequent, with cold winters and hot summers. Average summer temperature is 24C-35C (75F-95F) and average rainfall is 39in-78in (1,000mm-2,000mm) per year, which is higher on the Tyrrhenian slopes than on the eastern, or Adriatic, side of the Apennines.
Joining Instructions
Key information
Start hotel: Villino Quintiliani Hotel, Viale Santa Lucia, 1, 67032 Pescasseroli AQ
Phone: +39 0863 910755
Airport: Rome Fiumicino (FCO)
Getting to the start hotel
The start hotel is approximately three hours’ drive from the airport. Exodus provides one group arrival transfer from the airport, which is timed to coincide with the arrival of a chosen flight from London, UK. Due to the distance between the airport and hotel, we highly recommend you join the group transfer.
You may join this transfer at no extra cost, provided you can be at the airport before the transfer leaves. Speak to your sales representative for the group arrival transfer times or to arrange a private transfer.
If you would like further information on joining this trip, please speak to your sales representative.
Catching your return flight
There’s a group departure transfer to the airport for customers who Exodus booked onto a chosen flight to London, UK. Please speak to your sales representative if you wish to join. If the group departure transfer does not suit your flight time, speak to your sales representative to arrange an alternative transfer.
Full joining instructions including local emergency numbers will be sent to you as part of our Final Joining Instructions. If you do not receive these at least a week before departure, or require them earlier please contact our office or your travel agent.
Location start: Rome
Location end: Rome
What To Take
Essential Equipment
In addition to your normal daily clothes, you need the following:
- Traditional or lightweight walking boots with good ankle support and strong soles
- Waterproof/windproof jacket (preferably Gore-Tex) and waterproof trousers (pants)
- Hat and gloves (even in August)
- A warm jacket or sweater/fleece
- Large water containers or Thermos
- Backpack (25/30 litres)
- Sun hat, sunscreen and lip salve
- Sandals or slippers for indoors
- We also advise using dry flow wicking clothing rather than cotton as it dries more quickly and is more comfortable when trekking
- Shower gel
Optional Equipment
- Walking poles
Practical Information
Visa
Italy
Travellers from the UK, US and EU normally do not need a visa to enter Italy. Please note, visa requirements often change and it is your responsibility to obtain any required visas for this trip. Therefore, we recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through.
Some local governments provide guidance on what visas their citizens need. To help, we’ve gathered a selection of useful links below.
• Australia: www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/europe/italy
• Canada: www.travel.gc.ca/destinations/italy
• United Kingdom: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/italy/entry-requirements
• USA: www.travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Italy.html
Please note: it is compulsory to carry ID with you at all times in Italy.
Vaccinations and Health
Italy
There are no required vaccinations. However, you may want to consider vaccinations for tetanus, rabies and tick-borne encephalitis. Please confirm with your doctor or travel clinic.
Local Time
Italy's time zone: Europe/Rome (UTC +02:00)
Electricity
Italy's electricity: Plug types C (two round pins, European standard), F (two round pins), and L (three round pins in a row) – 230V, 50Hz
Money
Italy's currency: Euros (EUR)
People, Places & Planet
We work hard to create trips that improve life for the people and places we visit and look after the planet we explore. To read more about our sustainable travel ethos and practice, click here, and to find out about the work of the Exodus Travels Foundation click here.
Some sustainable travel highlights of this trip include:
People
How this trip helps improve life for local communities.
- The use of a local guide means our customers will be well informed about local traditions and cultural-social sensitivities.
- This trip brings income and opportunity to the destination community through the inclusion of locally owned hotels and restaurants, the emphasis on eating locally produced food, and the support of other local enterprises.
- This trip helps engage local communities in rewilding and conservation of the landscapes around them by developing nature-based economic and employment opportunities through ecotourism.
Places
How this trip helps protect and conserve local landscapes and nature.
- This trip enables you to explore some of the area being rewilded through our Nature and Carbon Corridors project, in partnership with Rewilding Apennines.
- The trip supports rewilding, wildlife conservation and the restoration of precious ecosystems by helping develop ecotourism in the area, building important community and financial support for this work. Our local partner also contributes to Rewilding Apennines’s work directly.
- In addition, we have committed to rewild 1,075sqft (100sqm) of the Italian Apennines for every passenger who travels with us, across this and any Exodus trip, through our Nature and Carbon Corridors project.
- By travelling in a small group, led by a local guide, we ‘tread lightly’ to minimise our impact on local resources and the environment. Part of the itinerary is off the beaten track and we stay one night in a mountain refuge.
- Our trips adhere to ABTA’s industry-leading animal welfare guidelines to ensure the best possible practices with regard to working animals and wildlife viewing. Our animal welfare policy can be found here.
- We work with our partners on the ground to proactively eliminate or reduce waste, for example eliminating all single-use plastic water bottles and instead providing refills for reusable bottles.
Planet
How we seek to keep the carbon footprint of this trip low.
- Read about Exodus Travels’ climate action here, including our rewilding and carbon compensation commitments for every customer who travels.
- Use of transport on the trip is minimal – you are mostly using your feet!
- We have selected smaller, locally run accommodation to minimise the impact on the surrounding environments.
- Accommodation and restaurants in the itinerary prioritise the use of locally sourced food that has not been transported long distances.
- Vegetarian and vegan options are available at all accommodation and restaurants.
Tips for sustainable travel on this trip
- Leave no trace: We do all we can to ensure we leave no rubbish behind in the wild and beautiful places we visit; we ask that you do the same. If there are no recycling facilities in-country, we’d ask you to consider bringing recyclable materials home with you.
- Plastic waste reduction: Please bring your own reusable water bottle on this trip; filtered water will be provided where tap water is not drinkable.
Take the train: Consider taking the train to this trip. Not only will it significantly reduce the carbon footprint of your trip versus flying, it also extends your adventure! Read more about which train journeys we can book, or how to book your own, here.
Important Information
Your safe participation
When booking this trip, you should be confident in your ability to participate in all activities described in these Trip Notes. If you have any doubt about your suitability, please call the Exodus office and ask to speak to one of the experts on this itinerary.
Although our leaders are well trained to deal with different capabilities, if they have any concerns about someone’s ability to safely take part in an activity, or their impact on other people’s enjoyment, we authorise them to take necessary action which, in some circumstances, may involve asking someone to miss that activity.
By booking this trip you agree to our Booking Conditions which clearly state that our leaders have the authority to do this. In these rare instances we will ensure anyone sitting out is safely provided for and offered alternative options where possible. Refunds will not be provided for activities missed and customers may be liable for additional costs incurred.
How to Book
- Check availability: Go online to check availability, or contact us by phone or email.
- Secure your place: You can provisionally hold a place on this trip, usually for between three and seven days.
- Complete your booking and payment
When you’re ready to book, go to our website for online bookings, book over the phone or you can complete a booking form (available online or on request by calling us). We accept all major credit and debit cards, or you can pay be cheque.
After booking
You will receive your booking confirmation letter and invoice, which includes extra information and guidance about your travel arrangements.
Full joining instructions, including local emergency numbers and details of how to reach the start point, will be sent to you approximately two to three weeks prior to departure. If you do not receive these at least a week before departure, or require them earlier, please contact our office or your travel agent.
Trip Note validity
These Trip Notes are valid from the “Current as” date on page one. They will occasionally be updated after booking and before departure; if there are any updates that significantly impact the inclusions or itinerary, customers will be written to separately. They will also receive a link to the most up-to-date Trip Notes with their Final Joining Instructions before travelling.
The information in these Trip Notes is given in good faith. Where differences exist between the Trip Notes and our current brochure or website, the Trip Notes supersede the brochure and website. All holidays can be subject to unexpected changes; to enjoy them you should be prepared to be flexible where necessary. Occasionally, it may not be possible to follow the itinerary as planned. This may be for a variety of reasons – climatic, political, physical or other. In these circumstances we will make the best-possible alternative arrangements that maintain the integrity of the original itinerary.
Licensing
Exodus is fully licensed and bonded as a tour operator. We hold Air Traffic Organisers Licence (ATOL) number 2582, issued and bonded with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). We are also bonded to the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and we are members of the Federation of Tour Operators (FTO) and ABTA – The Travel Association. This means you can book your Exodus holiday with confidence, as all money paid to us for your trip is fully protected.