Gole del Sagittario: hiking routes, access and villages

With young children or little time, I would choose trail 15 and the springs. For the Castrovalva loop, you should be comfortable on uneven ground and descents. Trail 17 takes a full day: save the lake and villages for another outing.

In your navigation app, search for Sorgenti del Cavuto, rather than just the gorge’s name. The Cavuto visitor area car park serves the springs and trailheads. Walking from central Anversa adds to the route.

To drive to the springs, follow thesignposted reserve access from the SR479After heavy rains, check with the reserve that your chosen trail is open.

Leave the A25 Rome–Pescara motorway at Cocullo, then continue around five kilometres to Anversa. Sulmona makes a convenient nearby base for a day trip. From Scanno, you approach from the south of the valley.

The SR479 winds through the gorge, with tight bends and narrow sections. Leave room for oncoming traffic and stop only where you can pull off safely. For car hire in Pescara, a compact car makes these roads easier to negotiate. Compare options on Rentalcars.

Without a car, check TUA services on the Sulmona–Anversa–Scanno route and plan the return before committing to a long walk. The TUA timetables and journey planner show services for your travel date.

For a longer trip around Abruzzo, Rome and Pescara are two possible arrival points. Compare flights on Skyscanner , allowing for the onward journey to your accommodation.

The SR479 runs between limestone cliffs, with the river below. At Anversa degli Abruzzi, leave the road to explore the landscape at river level.

The gorge loop climbs along trail 18, then follows approximately 800 metres of paved road before rejoining the path to Castrovalva. Traffic may be light, but you are still sharing the road with vehicles.

Return along trail 19, beyond the village and cemetery. The second half has some demanding downhill sections. Place your feet carefully, especially on wet ground.

The approximately 6.3 km circuit starts at Sorgenti del Cavuto. Adding Anversa’s centre or Colle San Michele makes it longer: allow three to five hours for the loop and stops in the hamlet.

Perched on a rocky spur, Castrovalva overlooks the gorge. Its houses seem to extend the ridge. Walk through the hamlet to move between stone walls and open valley views.

M. C. Escher discovered this landscape in 1929 and made a lithograph in 1930. He rearranged some elements: there is no single viewpoint that reproduces the image exactly. The mountains and village explain its appeal, long before his famous impossible staircases.

You can also drive to Castrovalva and park at the entrance, space permitting. Leave time for its lanes and viewpoints, rather than stopping only for a photograph from the car.

Continue south along the valley to Lake San Domenico, close to VillalagoThis man-made lake is a separate stop: return to the road to reach it from Cavuto springs.

Parking is beside the SR479 near the bridge entrance. Use authorised spaces, then walk to the hermitage. Allow around an hour to enjoy the waterside setting and the small religious complex.

Villalago’s stone houses rise up the hillside and make another possible stop. After the Castrovalva loop, you may prefer to finish at the lake rather than climb into another village.

Start with the Cavuto springs and trail 15, then return to Anversa for lunch and a walk through its lanes. Continue to San Domenico in the afternoon if you wish. To include Castrovalva, drive there and reduce the time at the other stops.

The ruins of a Norman castle survive in upper Anversa. The village also inspired the setting of Gabriele D’Annunzio’s La Fiaccola sotto il Moggio.

For a food stop, the agriturismo La Porta dei Parchi makes sheep’s-milk ricottina, cold-smoked over juniper wood. Its dark rind surrounds a creamy centre. Check the shop’s opening hours before planning a lunch stop here.

Allow the morning and part of the afternoon for the walk, including a village stop. Afterwards, choose either Anversa or Lake San Domenico if continuing towards Scanno. The loop, lake, Villalago and a full visit to Scanno make an overfull day.

For somewhere to stay or a longer visit, see our Scanno guide. The B&B Il Palazzo occupies a historic-centre palace; its rooms are on the second floor, without a lift.

From Sulmona, set aside a day for the gorge instead of adding the long loop to a full city visit. Our seven-day itinerary in Abruzzo helps spread these stops across your trip.

Near the motorway exit, Cocullo is known for the Festa dei Serpari, held each 1 May. The statue of San Domenico Abate is carried in procession with live snakes. Check parking and shuttle arrangements on the Cocullo municipality website.

Above Scanno, the ruins of the Frattura Vecchia, destroyed in the 1915 earthquake, offer another walking option. Save this for a separate outing if you are already doing the gorge loop.