The Sirente-Velino Regional Park offers a wide selection of sporting experiences among pristine scenery.

We have prepared a programme which includes road cycling and trekking. See here

Below are more ideas.

Hiking

There are circular trails from Secinaro, from 1 to 4 hours, or you can start from Piani del Sirente for many more trails, including one to the peak.

From Secinaro

Chalet and Lago di Tempra – 14km, 4 hours

The valley ascending from Secinaro is wide, deep, and limestone carved out by a seasonal stream. It is covered by a recently grown woods of hornbeam, hazel, dogwood, flowering ash, and nettle trees scattered amongst the rocks. Before the Chalet, there is a picnic area, drinking fountain, and pond created by the Park to aid reproduction of native amphibians.

This is the realm of the charcoal burners who constructed giant piles of wood covered in earth among the trees, allowing the slow combustion of wood with little oxygen to produce charcoal. Past the parking lot is a broad meadow where hay was cut to feed mules and other livestock. Near Tempra Lake is a lovely beech grove and some impressively large maples.

Map (15Mb) and traces

Cycling

We have developed a number of circular rides, from 30km to 100km, all on roads with little traffic and stunning scenery.

If you prefer mountain bikes, there are many trails, including a 80km loop in the Park

Horse riding

Five km from our B&B you will find the Vecchio Olmo stables, from where you can eplore the countryside on horseback. A well-marked network of trails will take you to the Piani del Sirente or to the Aterno Valley.

Wine tasting

In less than half hour drive you can reach four different wine growers, each with a distinct philosophy, from biodynamic to traditional. You can combine wine tastings with “degustazione” of local produce, from cheese to truffles.

Culture: from Ovidius to the Maxxi

We are in the centre of Italy, at the crossroads of the Tiburtina which connects the Tyrrhenian Sea to the Adriatic, with the north-south medieval highways of wool (Florence-Puglia) and power (Naples-Northern Italy). An hour’s drive away, L’Aquila, masterfully rebuilt after the 2009 earthquake, is a little jewel; to the south Sulmona is also full of history; between the two, the Aterno valley is dotted with small villages and medieval towers