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The starting point is at the S. Cipriano locality where the means of transportation is left (Croce di Legno). Follow trail no. 301 towards the church of S. Cipriano, which is passed keeping to the left, and continue with a slight ascent along a small soccer field. The road starts to climb steeply until reaching a left turn, at which point you go left, "diving" into the forest with a sudden passage. Follow the path that winds through the coppice forest of hornbeam and hornbeam trees, then descending along a ridge with a panoramic view towards the Monte Nerone mountain range. Continue on the gravel road until turning right to continue on an uphill trail through the forest that ends in a wide clearing at the base of the Monte di Cal Palmiere summit, which can be reached on the left with a small detour of about 15 minutes (rest area at 522 m altitude). Continuing on this clearing, you skirt the base of the slope to reach the saddle with Monte Grande. The path, with a series of small ups and downs, suddenly overlooks a rocky cliff that marks the beginning of the Geological Trail. From here, the panoramic view starts on the left with the Monte Catria Monte Acuto mountain group, with Monte Strega on the far left. Moving your gaze to the right, you have a panoramic view of Monte Petrano and Monte Nerone, which rises majestically in front of the viewer, almost lifting them to make a bird's flight over the valleys below. The view continues to identify the massif of Alpe delle Luna with its Monte Maggiore, which is the highest peak, followed by stone formations Simone Simoncello, ending the sequence with Monte Carpegna. After this panoramic pause, continue along the edge of the cliff to enter a narrow and winding path inside the forest. You arrive at the junction with trail no. 306, continuing left on a gravel road with a slight ascent heading back towards San Cipriano to reach the starting point.
moderate
Distance 11.5 km
Duration3:30 h
Ascent314 m
Descent314 m
Highest point503 m
Lowest point279 m
How were these hills formed?
Starting millions of years ago, the African plate pushed towards the Eurasian plate, compressing and bending the layers of sedimentary rocks. The pressure compressed, bent, and fractured the layers of sediment deposited on the bottoms of ancient seas, raising them and transforming them into the hills we today know as the Apennines.
The site of Ca’ Palmiere
Here we can observe rock layers that were once horizontal and are now inclined, sometimes almost vertical: a clear sign of the force of tectonic pushes that shaped the landscape morphology.
A story written in the rocks
The rocks in this area belong to the so-called Tuscan-Umbrian-Marchigiano-Romagnolo succession, deposited in ancient seas and later transformed by crustal movements into the forms so evidently displayed in these spectacular places.
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