and Badia di San Pietro
Wonderful excursion, an interesting ring on Monte Conero, linking the Abbey of San Pietro and the Passo del Lupo, with a detour to the Beach of Due Sorelle, one of the iconic places of the Conero Regional Park.
Important note : At the date of this report, the part of the equipped path that descends from Passo del Lupo (or Passo della Croce) to the beach is officially closed. The author has nevertheless traveled on it, at his own risk, but warmly recommends to verify its condition with the competent institutions before venturing out. But even excluding the beach, the itinerary is still of great interest.
You cross Sirolo, in the direction of Piazzale Marino, passing through Corso Italia:
At the north-east corner of the square, a panoramic point offers an excellent perspective on Monte Conero, and on the sea:
Continue to cross Sirolo, heading north-northwest, along Via Giulietti, and a very short stretch of SP1, then turn right into Via Vallone:
You reach and cross the cemetery, continuing straight, adjacent to its perimeter wall,
thus taking path 302:
You follow it for 15-20 minutes,
until you reach a crossroads, between the paths 301, 302 and the "Budello":
You take the latter, which goes straight ahead, into the woods; attention to the possible descent of biking people:
At an altitude of about 400 m you pass a pylon,
and shortly after the path converges on a dirt road, which you take to the right uphill,
to leave it immediately after to the left:
You will soon arrive at the "summit car park", at an altitude of approximately 460 m:
The true summit of Monte Conero, not included in this itinerary, is actually about 100 m higher, and can be approached but not reached, being forbidden to the public.
At about 100 m from the parking lot, towards east, there is the Abbey of San Pietro:
You then take path 301,
initially eastward,
then bending towards south-east,
with panoramic points over the sea:
You follow it downhill:
From one of the panoramic points, the Beach of the Due Sorelle can be spotted:
You can also see the Passo del Lupo, and spot the narrow and steep path that goes down to the beach:
The view also opens wide on the southern part of the Conero coast:
You continue downhill,
down to a not very visible crossroads, where the path 301c branches off to the left; you take it:
The path first leads obliquely to the left,
and passes over the Grotta del Mortarolo:
A little later it begins to descend more decisively,
with steep sections,
until it meets path 302, which you take to the left:
You follow it,
thus reaching the Passo del Lupo,
with a view of the Due Sorelle:
To go down to the beach (check the path condition in advance), you continue along path 302, which is now equipped with cables, and has exposed stretches:
The path, with a long bend, descending obliquely towards the north, leads up beyond the Pyrolo,
and then it starts to go down more decisively:
You can still enjoy very beautiful sights on the underlying beach:
The path continues to descend, tortuous and steep,
until you reach the beach:
At the time of this report, the descent to the beach, equipped with an almost useless piece of rope, presented a jump of two to three meters, to descend / ascend at your own risk:
The beautiful beach, worthy of its fame, has white pebbles and clear sand, and a transparent sea:
You go back on the steep path 302,
rising again,
towards the Passo del Lupo,
Another look at the panorama of the coast,
and the Due Sorelle,
then you proceed in a south-west direction, on the path 302,
until you return to the Cemetery and take Via Vallone,
and retrace your steps to Sirolo:
■ gb, 2019-06-02