The Region

Sarnano is at the foot of the Sibillini Mountains: a "comunita montana" cut off from the progress which has disfigured so many of the more easily accessible areas of Italy. The recent transformation (1996) of the whole of the Sibillini range into a nature reserve has provided additional protection. This region has remarkable natural and artistic treasures. For the visitor it is a chance to discover the authentic Italy, a traditional world that has not been adapted for the tourist trade.

The Mountains

The Sibillini Mountains are very special. Making your way from peak to peak (several of them, though high, require no particular mountaineering skills), you are on top of the world, with deep valleys below you full of shadow and precipitous rocky bluffs: the classic “orrido” so often portrayed in renaissance paintings. Also the valley bottoms themselves are accessible: an ideal place for an outing with a picnic. In the Spring and early Summer they are rich in flora, which changes character as one climbs, until it becomes truly alpine around the peaks. Nowhere will you discover a greater variety of wild orchids, and on the ridges, in places, there are carpets of Edelweiss.

Motoring

Motoring around the Sibillini range is agreeable too. From Sarnano, for instance, you can reach Visso in Umbria in one and a half hours, visiting the upland prairie of Ragnolo, the lake at Fiastra (good for a swim) and the sixteenth-century sanctuary of Macereto abandoned in splendour in a wild landscape. Or you can go south to Norcia - two and a half hours - passing below the highest peak, Monte Vettore (2476m.), and crossing the curious upland basin of Piano Grande, where the best lentils are grown, and a haven for hang-gliders. Norcia is famous for its forest products - wild boar, truffles, and so forth - and there's a super restaurant there too. You'll hardly meet any cars, and might well find a team of mules on the road carrying firewood down from the mountain.

The Country Towns

The towns around the mountain range all have something to offer. San Ginesio (ten miles from Sarnano), for instance, was the richest in the past, as its grandiose little church shows, and its ramparts commanding splendid views; in Penna San Giovanni, a little further on, you will find the oldest (mid eighteenth century) of the tiny theatres that embellish almost all of these provincial towns; then, in Monte San Martino there are paintings in the church that would not be out of place in the National Gallery. You must ask at the barber's shop next door to see the theatre; knock at the priest's lodgings to see the paintings.

Traditions and Cuisine

The local people are sociable, and festivities of various kinds are organized throughout the Summer. Some go on for several days, with parades and games, concerts and food. Others are just an evening's eating dedicated to some traditional speciality. Food is a fundamental pleasure and there are excellent restaurants, all very good value for money: when you know provincial Italians, with their love of home-produced food and their thriftiness, you understand why. Alternatively, Crispin loves to entertain you at Casale.