Cammino dei Briganti
The Cammino dei Briganti is a loop trail, which starts from the small village of Sante Marie, which has just over 1,000 inhabitants, located in the province of L’Aquila in Abruzzo.
This marvelous path retraces the roads traversed by the brigands of the Band of Cartore through the Velino and Sirente Park, who moved through the valleys on the border between Lazio and Abruzzo to escape the Sabaudis. However, the term “brigands” is not quite correct; we can call them free spirits, who did not want to bend to the will of royalty. The path is 108 km long and can be walked in 7 days. STAGE number 4, which in itself is additional, as it starts from Cantore and through a loop route that passes through Duchess Lake (1920 meters above sea level) reaches the starting point. To complete this STAGE you will have to choose between STAGE 4a for Valle di Fua - Valle della Cesa and STAGE 4 which passes through Valle di Fua - Val di Teve.
Below, in the “STAGE” and “ALTIMETERS AND LEVELS” sections, you can find details on the length, elevations, and elevation differences.
The signage is red-and-white, and everything is well marked, even with signposts showing timings. For this reason, we recommend that you equip yourself with the official guidebook, the official map and/or the free GPS tracks downloadable from the website.
If you enjoy traveling in a group, the “Compagnia dei Cammini” association organizes excursions in which everyone can participate.
HISTORY
The Cammino dei Briganti is the brainchild of Luca Gianotti, a walking expert, professional guide, and writer, who has previously created two other paths: the Spallanzani Trail in the Reggio Emilia Apennines, and the Cretan Way on the island of Crete.
Luca Gianotti, a native of Modena, has lived in Marsica for 20 years, and for more than a decade has been offering donkey walks on the Velino trails. From that experience and work was born Cammino dei Briganti.
Gianotti writes:
“As I walked, I learned stories that our history books do not tell. Like the truth of what happened with the unification of Italy, that is, with the descent of the Piedmontese army to the South. I discovered that the Bourbons were not so hated by their people and that the Sabaudis were immediately an army of violent and overbearing invaders. And that the brigands very often were men and women (brigands and brigantesses) who did not accept this new invader, so they went into hiding, went into hiding, became partisans in some way. History as one reads it in books is always that written by the victors, one knows. Instead, by walking one can learn the counter-truths, and here, along Cammino dei Briganti, there are many stories. Good and bad.”
WATER SOURCES.
The route is well served by fountains and water sources, both in the many villages it passes through and in the midst of nature. Here is the website page detailing the location of the fountains and springs: https://camminodeibriganti.it/info-pratiche/fonti-e-fontane/
STAGE
STAGE 1 :
Departure: Sante Marie
Arrival: Santo Stefano
Length: 6 km
Elevation gain: uphill 380 m – downhill 160 m
STAGE 2 :
Departure: Santo Stefano
Arrival: Nesce
Length: 15 km
Height difference: ascent 400 m, descent: 625 m
STAGE 3 :
Departure: Nesce
Arrival: Cartore
Length: 17 km
Elevation gain: ascent 440 m, descent 330 m
STAGE 4a :
Departure: Cartore
Arrival: Duchessa Lake (for Val di Fua and return Prati San Leonardo)
Length: 12 km
Elevation gain: 940 uphill, 940 downhill
STAGE 4 :
Departure: Cartore
Arrival: Duchessa Lake (for Val di Teve)
Length: 16 km
Elevation gain: 940 uphill, 940 downhill
STAGE 5 :
Departure: Cartore
Arrival: Massa D’Albe
Length: 14 km
Height difference: 500 m uphill, 600 m downhill
STAGE 6 :
Departure: Massa D’Albe
Arrival: Casale Le Crete
Length: 21 km
Height difference: 250 m uphill, 300 m downhill
STAGE 7 :
Departure: Casale Le Crete
Arrival: Sante Marie
Length: 22 km
Elevation gain: ascent 570 m, descent 480 m
SERVICES PRESENT STAGE BY STAGE
Supermarkets and pharmacies in Magliano de’ Marsi and Tagliacozzo.
SIGNAGE
The signage is red-and-white, and everything is well marked, even with signposts showing timings.
DANGERS
The route is not particularly exposed and does not present any kind of danger if approached with proper diligence.
ACCESSIBILITY
Are any sections passable by people with disabilities? No
Journey diaries
Cammino dei Briganti
With Cammini d’Italia’s free app, you can plan and walk the Cammino dei BRIGANTI in total safety, being able to plan the stages in detail and walk the route thanks to the built-in GPS technology that supports your orientation during your adventure.
⠀Inside the app you will find many other paths present in Italy. Thanks to the georeferenced tracks of many routes you will be able to study the itinerary that suits you best and also download the GPX tracks of the individual STAGEs offline.
The app also includes a complete digital map of all the paths surveyed to date on our portal, giving you a wide range of choices among the many paths in the Belpaese.
⠀⠀
Cammini d’Italia is the perfect app for those who want to explore the beauty of Italy on foot, discovering hidden places surrounded by nature. Download it for free today and start planning your next adventure!
⠀
⠀
⠀⠀⠀
