Strada del Fargno: Route, Difficulty and Map

The Route of the Strada del Fargno

The route starts in Pintura di Bolognola, home to the winter ski lifts, and leads to the Rifugio del Fargno. It is a summer hike along the mountainside on a dirt road closed to traffic, with several viewpoints over the Fargno valley. The road is wide, on fine gravel, with a gentle and steady climb. At the end, the north side of Monte Bove and the Val di Panico come into view.

A spring with a watering trough is about two minutes from the start, along the road. The return follows the same route. In Pintura di Bolognola an e-bike can be rented to reach the hut faster.

Shortly after leaving the woods, a path on the left climbs higher and offers an alternative along the ridge. This variant is recommended only for experienced hikers, because it has some exposed passages.

The best period is summer. The road is usually open to walkers and cyclists from the first weeks of June until the first autumn snowfalls. In winter it is not recommended, and it is advisable to check that it is passable before setting out. For information, the municipality of Bolognola can be contacted.

Strada del Fargno Technical Data

• Start: Pintura di Bolognola, a hamlet of Bolognola (province of Macerata).
• Finish: Forcella del Fargno, at about 1,811 m, home to the hut of the same name.
• Length: a few kilometers one way.
• Elevation gain: about 500 m.
• Duration: a few hours one way, depending on pace.
• Route type: out and back.
• Difficulty: dirt forest road, with a gentle and steady climb.

In Pintura there are two parking areas: the first is paved, the second is gravel. On summer Sundays the gravel parking lot can fill up.

Strada del Fargno Map

The road climbs from the square at Pintura di Bolognola, on the eastern side, to the Forcella del Fargno. From the pass, it descends on the western side toward Casali di Ussita. From Casali the road is paved as far as the hamlet, then becomes compacted dirt. The hut lies within the municipality of Ussita.

Other routes in the area are collected on the page on Sibillini Mountains hiking.

Points of Interest Along the Strada del Fargno

• Forcella del Fargno: the pass the road reaches. It forms the crossing between the Bolognola side and the Ussita side.
• Rifugio del Fargno: an octagonal concrete building. It takes its name from the saddle on which it stands.
• Fonte del Fargno and Fonte Bassete: two springs along the route.
• Forcella Bassete: from the Strada del Fargno the trail reaches this saddle, from which it climbs to the ridge of Monte Castel Manardo.
• Pizzo Tre Vescovi: the summit, at 2,092 m, is reached quickly from the Forcella del Fargno. It stands where the boundaries of Montefortino, Bolognola and Ussita meet. Until 1984 the three municipalities belonged to three different dioceses, hence the name («Peak of the Three Bishops»).