The first stage of the TraversaMarche tour develops along a beautiful and varied territory, crossing the watershed that separates the Fabriano valley from the Parco della Gola della Rossa e di Frasassi, passing through hills partly covered by lush forests, and partly by meadows and pastures.

It starts from the beautiful town of Fabriano, whose historic center certainly deserves a visit, and ends in the charming village of Pierosara, perched in a panoramic position on a small hill.

In the first half of May, the air smells of acacia, elderberry, gorse and laburnum, whose flowers, among many others, are richly present along the route.

The route is generally easy, if you follow the suggested route. If, on the other hand, you opt for the higher, more panoramic variant, there are some steep and challenging stretches along the descent from Monte di Valmontagnana towards San Vittore Terme, along the Cagliostro path. This variant is definitely to be avoided in case of wet ground, and is only recommended to experienced hikers.

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Route

You cross Fabriano to the north-east, following, in sequence, Viale Campo Sportivo,

then Via Bruno Buozzi and Via Lamberto Corsi.

So you reach a road junction,

where you head in the direction of Moscano.

You walk along a paved road, passing a bridge over the Giano river,

and ignoring the subsequent crossroads for Case Lattanzi.

You pass a double underpass, which allows you to cross the Pedemontana delle Marche railroad:

You continue along the paved road

ignoring the crossroads you meet, including that for the Resort La Castellaia:

You can enjoy a beautiful view towards the Fabriano valley:

At the next road junction, take towards Moscano again,

but at the bend that precedes the village you leave the road, and go straight, taking the path 147a:

You continue along an easy path,

paying attention, after a few hundred meters, to turn right onto a path that is initially not very visible, avoiding going up a small cemented road:

You proceed, on almost no slope, in the thick vegetation,

which only gradually clears, until you reach and ford a stream, the Fosso Satrano:

The path starts to rise again, on a modest slope:

At a first junction you turn sharply to the left,

and at the second to the right:

At a third fork, you proceed keeping to the left,

and shortly after the path joins the paved road that leads to Rocchetta Alta:

For the standard path, take the right branch, downhill; otherwise take the left branch, uphill (see description of the high variant).

Along the standard path, you will find the following reference points:

About 1.7 km away, you find a crossroads with a cross, and turn completely left, taking the road in a north-eastern direction;

At about 2.9 km, the road has a curve to the left, which you follow, ignoring the road that branches off to the left at the beginning of the curve;

At about 3.4 km, you cross the hamlet Case Meloni in a northerly direction;

At about 3.7 km, you ignore the path that branches off to the left, and continue north;

At about 4.3 km, you avoid taking the path that branches off to the west, and continue on the main path;

At about 5 km, you cross the Fosso Costato stream;

At about 5.5 km, you cross the hamlet of San Cristoforo, after which the road descends for a good stretch with wide bends, before heading definitively north;

At about 6.5 km, you cross the Fosso Lalle stream;

At about 7.3 km, you cross the Fosso di Montanaro stream;

At about 8 km you cross a stream and then the hamlet of Valle Rapara;

At about 8.8 km you pass Palombare di Ferro;

A little more than 9 km, you reach Via San Vittore, and you take it on the left, towards the north-west;

At about 9.8 km you reach San Vittore, and proceed tu the Abbey, a place that is worth to visit.

and reach the abbey, which is worth a visit:

You go on, passing under an arch, and crossing the Sentino river:

Immediately to the left you find and follow the path 139:

The path begins to climb; at a crossroads you continue straight on, along path 117, and you begin to see the village of Pierosara:

You reach it, go up the picturesque streets,

until you reach the Bivacco Frasassi B&B,

where Lorenzo and Camilla will offer you their cordial and exquisite hospitality.

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High variant

This variant, higher and more panoramic, is absolutely not recommended in case of wet ground, and in any case requires experience with the descent on a steep and sometimes exposed path.

When the path comes out on the bend of the paved road that leads to Rocchetta, instead of taking the road to the right, going downhill, you take the one on the left, going uphill:

After having reached and passed the houses, walking again on a dirt road, at a crossroads, you turn right,

and continue until you reach the watershed, at an altitude of about 700 m, about 11 km from the start.

Then you go slightly downhill, still along path 147a, but before the slope increases

you turn left uphill, taking a trail that rejoins shortly after the main path, avoiding a descent and subsequent ascent:

You go on walking, leaving on the left Monte Le Conche, thus arriving in Località Baracca, a clearing at an altitude of 815 m:

You continue, leaving Monte Rimosse on the left, thus reaching Località Fontefresca, from where you continue to the right along path 146a, along a long stretch of dirt road between the pastures, passing on the right of Monte Valmontagnana:

So you get to the Casale Romei hut:

Just before the hut, on the right, where the fence ends, you leave the road, going down the lawn, until you reach the woods:

Shortly thereafter, you take path 146, which begins to descend ever more steeply into the woods:

The path, also called Sentiero Cagliostro, has some steep stretches, sometimes with rocks. In one of these sections there is a piece of rope, a few meters long:

The view is attractive,

but you have to proceed carefully, in the most challenging and exposed sections:

Then the path gradually becomes less difficult:

After a long descent, you reach San Vittore Terme,

where you reach the road, cross it, go down a staircase,

Then you proceed to the abbey, and rejoin the standard route.