Monti Sibillini Map: How to Read the Park Maps
A Monti Sibillini map helps visitors find their way around a massif of the Apennines, the Sibillini Mountains, with many peaks above 2,000 m. The highest is Monte Vettore, at 2,476 m. Since 1993 the area has been part of the Sibillini National Park. To plan a hike, both the overview map and the trail map are needed, along with the up-to-date list of closures.
The landscape reads well on paper too. U-shaped valleys and glacial hollows are the work of Quaternary glaciers. Below the Vettore lies the small Lago di Pilato, home to an endemic crustacean, Chirocephalus marchesonii. Beech woods and high-altitude grasslands, kept open by sheep grazing, complete the picture.
Sibillini Mountains map: what to know
For the official trails, the most direct reference is the Park itself. Its website offers downloads of the "Visitare il Parco" (Visiting the Park) leaflet, with the map on one side and text on the other, and the leaflet of the official routes. There is also the map of routes with the restrictions due to the earthquake and a map of the areas where bivouacking is forbidden.
The Park's hiking routes each have a sheet with a code (for example E6), length, elevation gain, direction of travel, time and difficulty. As an example, the "Al Cospetto della Regina" loop (E6) starts from Amandola, at Campolungo, and passes Pizzo Acuto, Pizzo Tre Vescovi and Fonte del Faggio. It is 18 km long, has an elevation gain of 1,490 m and is walked counterclockwise in about 6 hours 30 minutes. It is graded EE, meaning for expert hikers.
For those with little time or less experience there are the nature trails. There are 18 of them, starting from the historic centers of the villages or their immediate surroundings. Each one introduces an aspect of the area: wildlife, flora, history or local traditions. Two of these 18 routes are "for everyone", meaning they are also suitable for strollers and wheelchairs. For outings with little ones there is the page on the Sibillini Mountains with kids: easy hikes and things to do.
On its website the Park shows whether each nature trail can be walked, using three colors:
- a green dot indicates an open trail;
- yellow indicates a trail that is not fully usable or can be walked only with significant detours;
- red indicates a closed trail.
The current status, with the map of ordinances, is on the Park's official trails page (in Italian): SibilliniGuide does not report it in real time.
The effects of the 2016-2017 earthquakes are still visible in the Park. Some historic centers are partly accessible or closed, also because of reconstruction work. Some routes may also be closed by ordinances of the competent authorities.
Sibillini National Park map: when to go
The map is used the same way in every season: checks on closures and detours apply at any time of year. To choose the right moment for each type of outing, the page on the best time to visit the Sibillini Mountains collects the seasonal advice. There are also dedicated pages for spring, summer, fall and winter.
Monti Sibillini map: practical tips
Before setting out, it is wise to check the map of ordinances and restrictions in force due to the earthquake on the Park website. Trail conditions can change, and a map printed long ago may no longer be reliable.
Some routes have closed sections or mandatory variants. The E8 loop, called "Nel Regno del Camoscio" (In the Realm of the Chamois), has a section subject to a closure ordinance. It starts from Frontignano and passes Monte Cornaccione, Monte Bove Sud and Monte Bove Nord: until December 31, 2026, Ordinance no. 48 of August 25, 2026 of the Comune di Ussita bans vehicle and pedestrian traffic for the works on the Frontignano-Cornaccione gondola lift, and the Park reports it as the trail status of the E8. Route E16 can be started from Forca di Presta or from Camartina, a hamlet of Arquata del Tronto, because the hamlet of Borgo has been closed to transit since the 2016 earthquake. Completing the loop requires a detour between Camartina and Vena dei Corvi.
Those traveling with a dog must check the rules for each route. On the E6 loop, for example, dogs are allowed from the Rifugio Città di Amandola (Campolungo) to Casale Ara del Re, at the junction of trails 243 and 244. They cannot continue toward Pizzo Tre Vescovi or Pizzo Acuto. More information is on the page on the Sibillini Mountains with your dog: trails, rules and tips.
To place the area on the map and plan the trip, see where the Sibillini Mountains are and how to get to the Sibillini Mountains. Before every hike, the advice to check the weather forecast still applies.
Maps of the two regions are on the pages Umbria map and Le Marche map.