8 - FLUVIONE VALLEY ROUTE Distance: km 14 Total climb: m 566 Difficulty: medium Time advised: half a day Prevalent types of interest on route: nature

This route begins at Balzo, the municipal headquarters of Montegallo, and snakes among the other little hamlets which seem to melt into the landscape, dominated by the imposing eastern slopes of Mount Vettore (2476 m), the highest peak of the Sibyllines, once nicknamed “the cloud factory” due to the sudden meteorological changes that often occur at its summit. From its marly sandstone base, Mount Vettore rises by over 1600 m with steep slopes tending towards avalanches. The south-east side, which is visible from Colle Galluccio, has particularly rocky limestone and hornstone layers. Gorges and gullies, some of which are of glacial origin, plunge down from the Montegallo slope, which leads from Il Pizzo (2281 m) to Mount Torrone (2117 m). These gullies carry the water from springs and precipitations (particularly copious in the springtime), to the Fluvione stream, a tributary of the Tronto river. The area’s wildlife is characterized by interesting species such as roe deer, wolves and wildcats as well as numerous species of birds typical of wooded environments, such as woodpeckers, sparrow hawks and the rare goshawks. The Italian for “goshawk” is “astore”, from which the name of the hamlet Astorara would seem to derive. The path passes the monastery of St Mary in Lapide whose origins are uncertain and which was completely rebuilt during the second half of the 15th century.