Pintura (Bolognola)

What to see in Pintura

People come to Pintura di Bolognola mainly for the landscape and the mountains. The hamlet has very few houses. From here the view opens over the Sibillini Mountains and routes lead into the surrounding woods.

In the hamlet is the small pieve (parish church) of Santa Maria Maddalena, near the Pintura pass. It is believed to have been built in the 18th century.

The Macchia Tonda beech wood is the most distinctive place in the hamlet. The wood is almost circular and surrounded by flowering meadows. It is home to a beech with an estimated age of 280 years, included among the “Alberi Custoditi nel Tempo” (trees preserved through time). It is also a good destination for families with children.

In winter Pintura is the Bolognola Ski resort. The slopes total about 10 km, with a vertical drop of more than 400 meters. The lifts start at 1,280 m and reach just below the summit of Monte Castel Manardo. The ski area has two sectors:

• Pintura 1 and Pintura 2 (“La Marchigiana” and “L'Intermedia”): wide blue runs, sunny and sheltered from the wind, suited to families;
• Castel Manardo and Porte di Berro: the most technical runs, red and black.

There are also a Kinderland, a ski school area, an area for bobsleds and sleds, and a snowpark, open since the 2015/2016 season. On the slopes there are ski rentals, a ski school and places to eat. Thanks to its high slopes, the area also suits freeriding and ski mountaineering.

The visit is completed by going down to the main village, with the three medieval clusters of Villa da Capo, Villa di Mezzo and Villa da Piedi. The village of Bolognola was damaged by the 2016/2017 earthquake sequence. Details are on the page about things to do in Bolognola.

Nature and trails near Pintura

From Pintura di Bolognola routes start for all levels. They range from the walk to the Macchia Tonda beech wood to hikes toward Monte Castel Manardo and the Forcella del Fargno. The parking area is the common starting point.

Macchia Tonda. This is the easiest route. It climbs from Pintura (about 1,340 m) to the Macchia Tonda beech wood (about 1,430 m), with an elevation gain of about 90 meters and about an hour of walking, without difficulty. There is no real trail: the walk goes from the parking area across the meadows to the wood.

Monte Castel Manardo. The CAI loop from Pintura to Monte Castel Manardo is 11 km long, with 610 meters of elevation gain. It takes about 3 hours and 15 minutes and is graded E (hiking). The recommended period runs from spring to fall. Take the road to the Rifugio del Fargno and then a dirt track. Along the way there are views of the upper Fiastrone valley, the valle dei Tre Santi, the Sarnano area and the upper Valle dell'Ambro. There is also a more demanding variant, for experienced hikers:

• it passes the Forcella Bassete (1,701 m);
• it reaches the summit of Castel Manardo (1,917 m);
• it returns by the Pescolla road;
• it takes several hours.

Forcella del Fargno. The Forcella del Fargno, at 1,811 m between Monte Rotondo and Pizzo Tre Vescovi, is the highest drivable pass in the Marche open to the public. It has a mountain hut. From Pintura, along the road, it is about 6 km with 500 meters of elevation gain: some fitness is needed. The hut opens only in the warm season and has no winter room, so when it is closed there is no safe shelter. The roads up to the Fargno are closed fairly often:

• the one from Pintura in summer 2025, for safety works;
• the lower Fargno road, which climbs from the Bolognola picnic area, in April 2026 because of avalanche risk; it reopened in early August 2026.

Rifugio Garulla. This is an easy hike (T), suited to families: 9 km round trip, about 3 hours. The ideal period runs from April to September. A dirt track runs alongside the lifts and enters the woods after about twenty minutes, with the hills of the Marche in the background. Between late October and November this wood turns into fall colors.

The Grande Anello dei Sibillini also passes through Pintura. The trail climbing from the valle dei Tre Santi and the springs of the Tennacola through the beech wood also arrives here.

In winter the trails around Pintura can be walked on snowshoes. For cross-country skiing there are loops around Macchia Tonda of 1, 2.5 and 4 km, suited to both beginners and experienced skiers. The Pintura cross-country trail is run by Scibilliamo. Before any outing at altitude it is wise to check the weather and road conditions.

Where to stay in Pintura

In Pintura di Bolognola the choice is limited, as is normal for a settlement that grew up around ski lifts. At altitude there are a few properties, including a hotel, a mountain hut and a vacation home. For overnight stays it is worth considering the main village too. The list of accommodation is on the page about where to stay in Bolognola.

Where to eat in Pintura

Pintura di Bolognola has bars and restaurants. It is possible to have breakfast or buy sandwiches to take on a hike. In winter there are two mountain huts with food service on the slopes, serving the cooking of the Marche. Other places are listed on the page about where to eat in Bolognola.

Local products of Pintura

To get to know local flavors, it is worth following the food festivals of the main village:

• Festa della Salsiccia (sausage festival): accompanies the patron saint's feast of San Fortunato, on 1 June;
• Festa della Frittella: held on the Sunday before Ferragosto, the mid-August holiday, in Villa da Piedi;
• arrosticini festival (lamb skewers): part of the country evening that follows Ferragosto.

In the past Bolognola's economy was based on livestock farming and wool working. The tools of the wool trade are kept in Palazzo Primavera.

Weather and how to get to Pintura

How to get there. Pintura di Bolognola is reached by car on the provincial roads of the area:

• the SP 120 climbs from Bolognola to Pintura, continues to Santa Maria Maddalena and then descends toward Sarnano;
• the SP 47 links Fiastra to Bolognola;
• the SP 5 descends from Santa Maria Maddalena to Acquacanina.

Pintura has a large parking lot for cars and buses.

In the 2025/2026 winter season the Prefecture introduced one-way traffic on Sundays, holidays and the days before them. The way up to Pintura goes through Fiastra and Bolognola. To return, continue toward Santa Maria Maddalena and descend toward Acquacanina. On those days Pintura cannot be reached by driving up from Sarnano and Sassotetto.

Roads may close for works or bad weather:

• the SP 120 was closed from 15 September to early December 2025 to build a rockfall protection tunnel between Sarnano and Bolognola;
• in April 2026 a snowstorm closed the stretch between Pintura and Santa Maria Maddalena.

Climate. Data from the Bolognola weather station refer to the main village, which lies lower than Pintura. In the period 1961-1990 the average temperature was -2.4 °C in January and +17.4 °C in July. There are on average 94 frost days a year. Precipitation is about 800 mm a year: the minimum falls in summer, the maximum in the fall. Snow falls in the village about thirty times a year, almost always with significant accumulation.

Snow. In the 2025/2026 season the Pintura lifts opened on 23 November, with more than 50 cm of snow. In March they reopened after fresh snowfall, and the last snow fell on 2 April. The season depends almost entirely on natural snowfall.