Grande Anello dei Sibillini Stage 4: Monastero to Garulla

The route of Grande Anello dei Sibillini Stage 4

The stage starts from Monastero, in the municipality of Cessapalombo, and climbs toward the high meadows of the Ragnolo plateaus. In the flowering season this is the most popular section: it is the flowering side of the National Park. To the south lie the sharp ridges of the Sibillini and deeply carved valleys. To the east the Marche hills stretch to the Adriatic Sea, where the outline of Monte Conero can be made out. On the meadows skylarks are easy to hear, and kestrels can be seen hovering.

Past Monte Valvasseto and its beech woods, the trail crosses the Pintura pass, near Pintura di Bolognola, a ski area. It continues through a beech wood suspended above the Valle dei Tre Santi, among the woods on the slopes of Monte Amandola. The final section retraces the old road that linked Pintura di Bolognola to the village of Garulla. Here the route runs at the foot of the slopes that descend from Monte Castel Manardo (1,917 m) toward Amandola and the Tenna valley.

The previous stage is Grande Anello dei Sibillini stage 3, from Fiastra to Monastero. The next one is Grande Anello dei Sibillini stage 5, from Garulla to Rubbiano.

Stage 4 technical data: Grande Anello dei Sibillini

• Start: Monastero. Finish: Garulla (Amandola).
• Length: 18.3 km. It is not a loop, as the stage is walked in one direction only.
• Elevation gain: 863 m.
• Highest point: about 1,534 m. Lowest point: about 740 m.
• Difficulty: classified as tourist (T) by the Park.
• Walking time: about 5 hours and 50 minutes.
• Waymarking: the trail is coded GAS. It is managed by the National Park of the Sibillini Mountains.

The elevation change and the length make this a long, demanding stage, to be tackled with good fitness and an early start. Before setting out it is advisable to check the weather.

For overnight stays, there is no accommodation open in Monastero. The suggested options are in Montalto di Cessapalombo, Pintura di Bolognola and Garulla. Garulla has the stage hut, listed as an official Park hut. There are no intermediate huts along the route: those who want to split the stage usually stop at Pintura di Bolognola. Those with the energy continue to Garulla.

The stage is reported as open. The section from Pintura di Bolognola to the Garulla hut, previously affected by an avalanche, has been reopened. Trail conditions can change, so it is advisable to check them on the official Park website before departure.

Map of Grande Anello dei Sibillini Stage 4

The route is waymarked along the whole Grande Anello. For this stage an official track with the code G 04 is available for download from the trek's dedicated website. The map shows the main landmarks: Monastero, the Santa Maria Maddalena pass, Passo Ventoso, Pintura and Garulla Superiore, as well as springs and drinking water points.

For an overview of the trek, see the page on the Grande Anello dei Sibillini.

Points of interest along Grande Anello dei Sibillini Stage 4

The route passes these places:

• the village of Monastero, the starting point;
• the Santa Maria Maddalena pass and Passo Ventoso;
• the hamlet of Pintura, with a church;
• the Acquasanta spring;
• the hamlet of Garulla Superiore, which also has a mountain hut.

Several drinking water points and springs are marked. Just beyond Garulla, surrounded by greenery, stands the Abbazia dei Santi Vincenzo e Anastasio. Already in existence in 1044, it bears witness to the importance of monasticism in the Sibillini.