Trail 342, Cessapalombo: Gole del Fiastrone

The route of trail 342

The track starts from the valley floor, in the municipality of Cessapalombo, and climbs up the Fiastrone valley toward the lake. It is not a continuous climb: the profile is irregular. It climbs to almost 600 m, drops back to 550 m around km 1.1, then climbs again to 650 m, at km 1.9, and stays just below that elevation to the end. In all there are about 250 m of ascent and 130 of descent.

The walls of the gorge are full of cavities. Along the route there are the Riparo delle Monache rock shelter, about sixty meters away, and the Riparo a Est delle Monache Alte, right on the trail; higher up, above the first section, the Antro degli Uccelli and the Buca dell'Aquila.

Trail 342 technical details

In describing the area, the Park speaks of impressive gorges carved by the stream over the centuries and of a ravine where the peregrine falcon and the wallcreeper nest.

Trail 342 map

The Park's official route in this valley, E2 "Il silenzio degli eremi" (The silence of the hermitages), does not use trail 342: it uses trail 335 from the Lago del Fiastrone to the Grotta dei Frati, then trails 336 and 341. Today, however, the Park lists the section from the Grotta dei Frati to Monastero, that is trails 336 and 341, as impassable: from the dam it is possible at most to reach the Grotta dei Frati on trail 335, and then return the same way. Which sections are open, and with what restrictions, is set by Municipality of Fiastra ordinance no. 39 of July 28, 2022, to be checked on the Municipality's website.