57km Mt. Secine Loop
Serra tre Monti
Overview
When I last rode this route (May 2022), I was passed by three cars. It was as if the whole ride was on closed roads. As well as the three cars, there were eight cyclists passing as a group and two men standing in a field. The woods around Mt. Secine are one of the few places in the world where the Marsican bear can be found. However, I’ve never seen one. The ride is one of supreme isolation, even in the height of the tourist season, through woods and alpine fields. Some of the single-track oads are well maintained, others more pot-holed and gravel strewn, particularly after heavy rain. The views, of which there are many, are worth stopping for - you’re surrounded by high snow-peaked mountains in spring, cool mountain air in summer and the glorious colours of the trees in autumn. In winter much of the route is used as a cross-country ski trail. The climb back up to the ski resort of Rocarasso from the Sangro valley, passes through villages which are not pretty in the conventional sense, but their setting surrounded by high hills and pasture is incomparable.
Start: Stazione di Palena
Finish: Stazione di Palena
Nearest Mainline/overground stations to the start: Stazione di Palena (trains to Isernia and Pescara, but very infrequent)
Nearest Mainline/overground to the finish: Stazione di Palena
Time needed: 2.5 - 3 hours
Difficulty: Moderate. There is one long climb
Traffic and Surfaces: Some roads have gravel wash on the corners, but many are well maintained with excellent surfaces
Cycle Paths:
Cafè/Bar: Pizzoferrato; Bar/Pasticceria Dolci Manie, Stazione di Palena; bar-trattoria (end of ride lunch). Plenty of choice in Roccaraso.
What to see: The wild beech woods are a haunt of the rare marsican bear and wolves (both of which you are unlikely to see). Expansive views of the Sangro and the Maiella massif.
What to visit;
Links to other rides:
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