The canyon of the Sibillini
In the Monti Sibillini National Park, above the village of Montefortino, the Gole dell'Infernaccio are one of the most spectacular and wild gorges of the Apennines: a deep, narrow canyon carved by the Tenna river at the foot of Monte Sibilla and Monte Priora, with vertical rock walls hundreds of metres high, so close together in places that the sky is reduced to a narrow strip and the light barely reaches the bottom, which explains the name, "Infernaccio", the "bad hell", given to it by the shepherds for its dark, oppressive atmosphere. Along the gorge, the river flows among rocks, waterfalls and pools of clear water.
A popular path, easy and suitable for families in its first part, starts from a car park near the hamlet of Rubbiano and descends into the gorge, crossing the river on small wooden bridges and passing through the narrowest point, the "Pisciarelle", where the water trickles down from the walls, and then continues through beech woods to the Hermitage of San Leonardo, at about 1,100 metres. The hermitage, of medieval origin, had fallen into ruin, but from 1971 a Capuchin friar, Father Pietro Lavini, rebuilt it almost single-handedly, stone by stone, carrying the materials on his back for decades, a story of faith and perseverance that has become legendary. The hermitage, a small church with a few rooms surrounded by woods and mountains, is a place of great peace. The complete excursion, from the car park to the hermitage and back, takes about four hours.
Tip: wear trekking shoes, the path can be wet and muddy; avoid the gorge after heavy rain.
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