Mountains of Laga

A long series of waterfalls where you least expect them, or in that portion of the Apennines which is between three regions, Marche, Lazio and Abruzzo, at the turn of the provinces of Ascoli Piceno, Rieti, L'Aquila and Teramo.
The central Apennines usually show sharp, limestone and confined waterways. Instead, the Monti della Laga are the kingdom of the water: waterfalls, slides, springs, rivers and streams accompany the journey of those cover his tracks, between the endless forests and high peaks.

Incidentally, the Monti della Laga, now always included in the Parco del Gran Sasso newborn and Monti della Laga, include the highest peak in Ontario, Mount Gorzano with its 2455 meters and several peaks well over two thousand meters. The Laga, less known and trumpeted in other parts of Italy, has its own particular charm, both in terms of nature and landscape, both for pastoral activities still in the area. It 'difficult to get an overview of these mountains without having them turned into long and wide, even for the diversity of the territory. Although the spring, the melting of the snows, is the best time to visit these sites with streams, waterfalls and slides to their maximum extent, the magic of the Monti della Laga is able to convey strong emotions visitor in all seasons, even in those where environmental conditions are harsh. For those who had time to stay in these places, a wonderful idea is the discovery of the largest waterfalls of Laga.

The Volpara at UMIT, boats, ladders, the Ortanza Amatrice the Morricana the strain, they offer unforgettable emotions and winter, when they freeze, a gym for climbing on ice.

The fauna and flora
In these mountains with low population density, has a large wildlife of great interest if we consider that here live the Apennine wolf and brown bear Marsicano often leaves traces of its passage. In spring the Laga is filled with many species of wild orchids and many other wild flowers.

To visit
The route that we propose leads us to the discovery of the Falls of Volpara, from Umit, a small fraction of the Municipality of Acquasanta (AP). In all 3 ½ hours of walking with a gradient of about 700 meters, walk and not tiring and offers beautiful scenery.
Arriving by car to Umit (650 m) we can supply water to the fountain before the path, then the church, take the dirt road along the Fosso della Montagna in about a kilometer leads to a bridge.
At this point you enter a beautiful forest of chestnut, full of mushrooms in autumn, and if you do not have too much hurry to get to the end of the path, you can dedicate to the recognition of many plant species present, especially orchids.
Descend slightly and you get to Rio Prata, easily fordable.
Here is one last detour along the stream, led by the roar of the water is reached after a quarter of an hour of Prata to the spectacular waterfall that offers a good taste of what's in store for us our itinerary. Back on the main trail, we reach a small hut, which is useful in case of rain, built near a spring.
From here begins perhaps the most beautiful, among ferns, wild flowers, mosses, one enters a beech grove. Along the way there is a cave in which we see the remains of an ancient brick kiln used by shepherds, and then slightly downhill you pass over a small stream that flows arriving at the river rushing over large slabs of sandstone, forming the characteristic slip of Volpara . The path now goes through the vegetation, sometimes very thick, and arrived at a small saddle, we face the spectacle of the waterfall.
After you reach a small section at the base of Volpara, but for the more adventurous, with a steep climb off trail along the other jump of the waterfall. Return to base, is accomplished easily in about an hour and forty-five minutes.