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Italy – Pescasseroli – Bisegna – Santo Stefano di Sessanio
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Your Italian wildlife watching holiday begins today with a two-and-a-half-hour flight from London to Rome. After landing in Italy, a private transfer will take you to the picturesque town of Pescasseroli, a two-and-a-half-hour drive away.
Check into your characterful hotel for the next three nights and after freshening up, set off at sunset with a knowledgeable local guide to observe the wildlife in the nearby Abruzzo National Park. Home to approximately 60 mammal species and 300 different bird species, the park is teeming with life. If you’re lucky, you could spot everything from deer and wolves to bears and wild boar, so keep your eyes peeled and your camera at the ready.
Return to your hotel for a delicious dinner and an early night, ready for a jam-packed day tomorrow.
The first full day of your wildlife watching adventure sees you exploring ancient beech forests with an experienced guide, keeping a close watch on the woods to spot the animals that call this place home. The region’s UNESCO-listed beech forests are among the oldest in Europe, where some trees have stood for more than 560 years (since before Columbus ‘discovered’ the Americas). Learn about the resident bears, wolves and pine martens, look out for signs of their presence and savour the serenity of the forest.
Refuel with a tasty lunch in a local restaurant before returning to your hotel to relax for the remainder of the afternoon. In the evening, head out for another stint of wildlife watching as the sun begins to set, before ending your day with another hearty dinner.
Wake up bright and early again this morning, ready for another excursion with your guide. Today’s trip takes you along the southern slope of Mount Meta, following in the pawprints of the local wolves. These elusive creatures are on the move early, so you’ll set out at sunrise to try and spot them. Once the sun has risen, follow your guide to an area where the Abruzzo chamois – a goat-antelope native to the Apennines – is often found.
A little further along, reach the panoramic Passo dei Monaci, a mountain pass marking the border between Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise. When the weather is good, you can even see as far as Vesuvius, Capri and the island of Ischia. After a pitstop for a picnic lunch and snapping a few scenic snapshots, head back to your hotel to spend the afternoon and evening at your leisure.
After breakfast, join your guide for the journey to Ortona dei Marsi, a Bear-Smart Community where experts and residents work to improve how humans and bears coexist in this wild landscape. Join the local team responsible for monitoring wildlife and installing bear-proof infrastructure and learn how the efforts of these ‘bear ambassadors’ are reducing conflict between human and animal residents.
After lunch in the village, begin your hike to a rifugio (mountain refuge) for the night, keeping your eyes peeled for local animals – many of whom become more active as the light begins to fade. Along the way, look out for signs of wolves, like pawprints and droppings, and learn how local shepherds keep their sheep safe from predators. Arriving at the rifugio under a starry sky, settle in with a delicious meal of locally-sourced produce, before a cosy night in your mountain cabin.
Tuck into a hearty breakfast at the rifugio this morning, enjoying the peace and quiet of your remote surroundings before a high-altitude hike with your guide. The route takes you through dramatic plateaus once populated by wandering shepherds, immersing you in spectacular scenery with views over knife-edge mountains including the Gran Sasso d'Italia (the highest peak in the Apennines), the snow-topped Mount Velino and the Majella Massif. Along the way, there are more opportunities to spot the wild boars, bears, wolves and golden eagles that call this area home, so stay on alert for local wildlife as you walk.
After your hike, transfer to your hotel in the Medieval hilltop town of Santo Stefano di Sessanio, which is your base for the next three nights. Rest and refuel with a tasty dinner, ready for tomorrow’s adventures.
Lace up your walking boots again this morning ready for another hike in the magnificent mountains. At 9,554ft high, Corno Grande is the crowning jewel of the Apennines, famed for its dramatic limestone landscapes and diverse flora and fauna. As you follow the popular Vado di Corno trail (known as the gateway to Corno Grande), enjoy some superb birdwatching, including species rarely found outside of the mountains. Look out for Griffon vultures, tawny pipits, common wheatears and red-billed choughs in the prairies, before heading back to the car to ascend to where white-winged finch, Apennine rock partridge and wallcreepers await.
After an open-air lunch of Abruzzo’s typical arrosticini (grilled lamb skewers), visit the evocative ruins of Santa Maria del Monte monastery, before returning to Santo Stefano di Sessanio to recharge your batteries and share a delicious meal at one of the town’s rustic restaurants.
The penultimate day of your Italy wildlife watching holiday begins with another spectacular hike to one of Italy’s oldest fortresses, Rocca Calascio. Perched at almost 4,800ft, it’s the highest fort in the Apennines, a popular filming location (see The Name of the Rose or The American) and a wonderfully dramatic destination for the final hike of your trip.
This afternoon, embrace a more sedate pace as you try your hand at some regional crafts. First on the agenda is a bread making workshop with a local resident. Under their watchful eye, prepare pizza and bread dough with traditional utensils before cooking it in an authentic wood-burning oven. Next, have a go at weaving cloth using ancient techniques. It might not be as physically demanding as a mountain hike, but mastering these skills is still a challenge – one that’s rewarded this evening with another memorable meal.
Sadly, today is the final day of your Italian wildlife adventure, so say goodbye to the mountains and get ready to head home. A private transfer will whisk you from your hotel in Santo Stefano di Sessanio to the airport in Rome, taking just over two hours and giving you plenty of time to catch your two-and-a-half-hour flight back to the UK.
Each of our trips is entirely tailor-made with originality, quality and cultural immersion in mind. Our team of destination specialists will craft itineraries based on your tastes, using their first-hand knowledge and the help of our in-country team of Concierges and guides. All trips are accompanied by a wide range of additional services, including a 24-hour helpline, the Original Travel app, fast-track airport services and much more.
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