1st ROUTE: Sante Marie – Santo Stefano (5.6 km)

Sante Marie, an ancient Abruzzi village surrounded by chestnut trees, is the starting point for this slow tourism experience along the Briganti Trail. This very village is home to an interesting exhibition-museum on brigandage. The first stage is purposely shorter so that the traveler can reach Sante Marie and start walking, familiarizing himself with the route. We stay between 750 and 1050 meters, crossing pleasant woods in the Marsica territory, until we reach the hamlet of Santo Stefano .

Length: 6 km
Height difference in ascent: 381 m
Height difference on descent: 56 m
Highest point: 1048 m
Lowest point: 755 m
Type of surface: dirt road

Technical tips:
Although the itinerary is easily passable and equipped at the various stopping places, it lacks continuous signage, so it is important to follow the proposed gpx tracks.

Municipality of departure: Sante Marie
Starting location: Sante Marie
Municipality of arrival: Sante Marie
Arrival Location: St. Stephen’s

Recommended period:
April to October

Useful links:
https://camminodeibriganti.it/

The Brigand’s trail is a trekking route between Abruzzo and Lazio, in the setting of the Central Apennines, that traverses wild and unspoiled nature , tackling old mule tracks and taking in the atmosphere of medieval villages. But it is also a border path: the border in the History of Italy, when the House of Savoy entered the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies on the way to unification; the geographical boundary between the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and the Papal States, where brigands moved from one side to the other on horseback, fighting newcomers; the blurred border between justice and injustice, between the underground chosen by those who could not afford the new taxes and the kidnappings and abuses, made and suffered.

The Brigand’s trail is a 100-kilometer loop trail, divided into 7 stages in this version on foot (but also passable by bicycle), in the footsteps of the Brigantes of the Band of Cartore. We are in the undomesticated wilderness of the Varri Valley, the Salto Valley and the slopes of Mount Velino, a wilderness that continually offers us wonderful views. Along the way we stay at an average altitude (between 800 and 1300 meters).

Credits: camminodeibriganti.it