An important part of guiding for The Slow Cyclist is having a genuine passion for your region and community. And nobody is more passionate about Italy’s Abruzzo than Pierluigi. Here he tells us how he is giving back to his community and local environment with a project called ‘L’Altra Valle’.
‘L’Altra Valle’ means ‘The Other Valley’ in Italian, in this case referring to the historically important Orta Valley in Abruzzo. In Caramanico Terme we have two main valleys: Orfento and Orta. Orfento is a beautiful area for hiking and the better known of the two. Orta, however, is almost completely unknown so I am working with a group of volunteers to uncover and conserve this valley.
Back in 2021, I worked with municipal councillors and assessors to develop this project, eventually securing EU funding. With this funding we’re able to explore this area, uncover its fascinating history and make it accessible to visitors in a sustainable way.
Since pre-Roman times, the Claudia-Valeria road (also known as Tiburtina) has connected Rome to the Adriatic Coast. From this road runs a series of smaller trails through the Orta Valley, which made remote mountain areas more accessible. The route was used for centuries, right up until fifty years ago, but is now in a state of disrepair. Although the area is still accessible – we cycle here on our journeys – we aim to bring back the original trails alongside the paved roads.
We know this was an important route, and one that will be of great interest to locals and visitors, so we’re trying to uncover as many historical clues as possible. For example, just below Caramanico Terme lie the ruins of a bridge that once crossed the Orta River. The archaeologist on our team believes it may date back to Roman times, and it confirms that a track has run through this valley for centuries.
As well as physically investigating the trails, we’re using software called QGIS which gives us an advanced satellite view of the area, allowing us to map out current and ancient roads. We’re also speaking to those who were still alive when the trails were in use and hearing their stories of growing up in the area.
An important part of our project is making the ancient and forgotten trails accessible again. Sadly, some of the trails have fallen into disuse as people have moved away from the mountains and paved roads have been created in their place.
There is such potential here for walking, cycling and horse riding trails for people to explore this beautiful area and I’m excited to open up these roads once again. Not only are we providing more outdoor spaces for people to explore, but we’re preserving our community identity by reviving an area of such historical importance.
If you’d like to explore the ancient trails and medieval villages of Abruzzo, find out about our upcoming Scheduled Journeys or drop us a line if you’d like to bring a private group.
