Vallefusella: Hiking Route, Waterfalls and Cycling Routes

Vallefusella can be planned from different perspectives using the routes described here. A description published in May 2021 outlines the hiking route from Valle Fusella via Fosso dei Mottari on Monte Ceresa to Piandelloro. A mountain biking route runs from Arli along an uphill road to Vallefusella; another cycling route leads to the ghost village of Rocchetta. Hiking, cycling and historical connections between places are therefore the main themes. To plan your trip, you can first consider whether you want to focus primarily on the landscape, a cycling tour or a historical destination.

Hiking at Fosso dei Mottari

Along the route at Fosso dei Mottari, you can see houses built into the rock, mixed forests of chestnut and holm oak, and sandstone ledges. The houses add a built element to the landscape; the forest and sandstone complement it with natural forms. If you want to pay attention to both the built environment and the forest and rock while hiking, the route offers several specific points of interest.

Near Case Casale, there are waterfalls along the Fosso dei Mottari trail, with seasonal variations in water flow. If the waterfalls are important in choosing your tour, take this variability into account when deciding when to travel. The route description dates from May 2021; check local trail conditions when planning your current tour.

Historic trails and connections between places

The trail was an old connecting route between Piandelloro and the valley floor. This former function adds a historical dimension to the landscape: the route can also be understood as a link between a settlement and the valley. Those interested in past connections between places and their surroundings will find a concrete reason to consider the history of the trail alongside its natural features.

Cycling routes

A mountain biking route documented in 2017 runs from Arli along an uphill road to Vallefusella. For a current tour, check local road and trail conditions. The route description names both the starting point and destination and highlights the uphill stretch of road. This cycling option therefore differs from the hiking route at Fosso dei Mottari in both the activity and the route described.

Another cycling route leads to the striking ghost village of Rocchetta, which dates back to 1255. Here, the focus is on a historically dated destination. Compared with the mountain biking route to Vallefusella, this route description emphasizes Rocchetta and its historical context. If you are looking for a historical connection to a specific place while cycling, this offers a different basis for choosing a route than the uphill road from Arli to Vallefusella.

The tours therefore differ in activity and focus: the hiking route combines natural features with the trail’s former function as a link between Piandelloro and the valley floor; the mountain biking route runs from Arli to Vallefusella, while the other cycling route names Rocchetta as its destination. You can use these specific landscape and place connections to guide you toward the aspects of your trip that interest you most.

Discover more destinations: Roccafluvione, Pastina, Spinetoli, Uscerno, Marsia, Montemonaco, Acquasanta Terme, Monteprandone.

For the overview of the wider area: Ascoli Piceno.