The main feature of Monte Cucco Park is given by its hypogean resources with the homonymous cave system of Mt. Cucco, whose depth goes beyond the 990 meters. The huge hypogean system can be visited through speleology sports techniques, and in Costacciaro there is a school of Speleology. Mt. Cucco is one of the most panoramic and spectacular places in Central Italy. Thanks to its position as far as the weather conditions, the winds, and the thermal currents are concerned, it is an extraordinary place to practice free flight, in particular hang gliding. There is also a school to learn these sports: the Free Flight University in Sigillo. It is a new structure, both for its welcome and environmental education services. Pian delle Macinare is one of the few places of the Apennine ridge suitable for cross-country skiing, and also this sport has a structure of assistance in the mountains.
The geographical, geological, wildlife, vegetational, and landscape position of the Park promotes and favors many outdoor activities, also with strong cultural connotations.
You can obtain information on: educational, sports, and recreational activities held in the Park. In particular, you can find information on the weather forecasts, snowfalls, and practicability of the ski tracks, on the state of anchorages in caves and ravines, on the water conditions, both in the surface and in caves, on hiking, educational, speleological initiatives, on nature, speleology, and training courses, on the events linked to the particular activities organized by the Park, on the visits to the museums and exhibits.
Hiking involves every year thousands of persons who love going along the many trails of Mt. Cucco and its surroundings. It is without a doubt the most practiced sport. At the moment, it represents the main tourist resource of the Park, also because it is favored by a thick network of marked trails (over 120 km), by the map "Carta dei Sentieri del Parco del Monte Cucco e zone limitrofe" published by Monte Meru, and by refreshment points in the mountains like Val di Ranco, Pian delle Macinare. The trail markers have been recently restored, completed, and updated, and the trails have been cleaned up. Moreover, along the Park watershed, from Corno di Catria to Valico di Fossato di Vico, we wukk find both "Sentiero Italia", going along the whole Apennine ridge from Liguria to Calabria, and the Trail E 1 (Europe 1, from Scandinavia to Calabria), marked by FIE and printed on all the Kompass maps dedicated to the area.
The favorable orographic and weather conditions of Mt. Cucco massif, as well as the lack in serious obstacles to the alternation of the Atlantic and Balkan currents, transform the Park territory into a very suitable area to practice free flight, in particular hang gliding, since it makes departures and arrivals easier. Mt. Cucco is both an ideal place for beginners and a place where experts can practice at higher levels. In Pian di Monte, as well as at Sella del Culumeo (Val di Ranco), it is possible to take off and to land during the same flight. Val di Ranco, Pian di Monte, La Pianaccia are the main departure points of the area, where you can take off in any wind condition. Mt. Cucco is one of the few locations where national and international competitions of free flight at high technical levels are held. Sigillo is the only municipality in Italy that has housed 7 editions out of 21 of the Hang Gliding Open Championships. In this municipality, an international competition is regularly held, "Il Trofeo Monte Cucco", to which several foreign national teams take place; here the Hang Gliding World Championships was held (for the first time in 1999). There are associations dealing with hang gliding educational activities and qualified federal instructors organizing residential and weekend courses.
Speleological activity does not only mean sport and entertainment, but also geographical and scientific research and has in Mt. Cucco a centuries-old tradition. Generations of naturalists have had their first suggestions by descending into the great Cave known all over the world. And there is no field of naturalistic research that cannot be applied to the subterranean world of Mt. Cucco: geology, karst phenomena, hydrology, mineralogy, paleontology, paleoethnology, fauna, flora, meteorology, chemistry, physics, human biology.
Canyoning, that is the descent along streams set in gorges and ravines, by using techniques mixing progression in caves, in the mountains, and underwater (a discipline which was born in Mt. Cucco with the first descents of the 50s and 60s to the Ravine of Rio and the Ravine of Balzo dell'Aquila). Especially in summer, several visitors practice canyoning in the Park, above all in the Ravine of Rio Freddo (over 3 km long and with a difference in height of 350 m) and a paradise for people loving this young discipline of mountain climbing. The descent is made easier and safe thanks to a series of artificial anchorage to fasten and make the progression ropes slide, above any waterfall or rapid. Anchorages are constantly checked and maintained.
Minor roads represented by trails, mule tracks, cart roads, dirt carriage roads in the Park and its surrounding areas, generally with a good road bottom, compact and not bumpy, are all elements promoting a funny and safe horse-riding practice.
The same can be said for the activities with mountain bikes, which on Mt. Cucco and in the surrounding valleys find ideal places for tours of different length and difficulty level.
In the municipal territory of Scheggia-Pascelupo, along the River Sentino and the Stream Rio Freddo, you can practice sport fishing.
Given the climate, often influenced by the cold continental-balkan currents, the Park territory is subject to intense snowfalls which leave for many days a thick blanket of snow, also at low altitudes. For this reason, some areas of the mountain plateaus are particularly suitable to practice cross-country skiing, both for experts and beginners. Pian delle Macinare (1,135m), above Costacciaro, is one of these areas, without a doubt the most suitable and known. Here, by using the mountain hut as a shelter and welcome point, cross-country skiing has been practiced and organized for several years.
There is a ring-route in "Pian delle Macinare", a touristic trail and a linking road for a total length of 9.473 km. The ring of the Fragolosa, about 9 km long, is particularly fascinating: it has a difference in height of 157 meters and an average difficult level. In these places people go cross-country skiing since the 1980s. A snow grooming makes it possible to realize a trail suitable for both of the techniques, that is skating and classic.
In the mountains of the Monte Cucco Park it is possible to go hiking on the snow with the snowshoes.
Mount Cucco's Cave is situated in the Monte Cucco Regional Park, and with its 30-km-long extent and almost 1,000 meters depth is one of Europe's most significant underground systems and definitely one of the most known and studied in the world. The natural show which could be admired only by expert speleologists shows itself along an 800-meters-long underground itinerary to those who want to live a unique sensory experience made of sounds, smells and images. A journey to the center of the Earth becoming a journey in the nature, inside the mountain and one's own feelings. There are several options to live this unique experience: "Percorso Scoperta" (Discovery Route), the fascinating "Percorso Traversata" (Traverse Route) and the daring "Percorso Avventura" (Adventure Route).
Info and booking: Info point Grotta di Monte Cucco - Via Valentini, 31 06021 Costacciaro (PG) - Ph: +39 075 9171046 - E-mail: info@grottamontecucco.umbria.it - www.grottamontecucco.umbria.it.
Nature photography focuses on the beauty of the wild flora and fauna within their natural environment. The aim of this photography genre is to show the intrinsic beauty of nature and to develop people's awareness of ecology and responsibility. Nature photography in the Monte Cucco Park is practiced by professional and amateur photographers all the year round, because the landscape changes in every season and gives us always different views and details. Here one finds the snowdrop (Galantus nivalis), which appears from the snow thanks to its early blooming. In spring one can admire the martagon lily (Lilium martagon) and the many rare orchid species of the Park. Among these flowers there is also the Crocus sativus, which must not be confused with the very similar but venomous Crocus vernalis. Not to mention the centuries-old beech trees and the insects of the stream, the beetles (such as the Rosalia longicorn), the golden eagles and the wolves. The Tra Montana association organizes courses, workshops and guided tours on demand for amateur and professional photographers in the Park's best places, looking for the most beautiful species.
Nordic Walking is a sport activity which is carried out using specific poles. Compared with the usual walking, nordic walking implies the transmitting of a force to the poles at every step. The whole body moves and also those muscle groups, that are not usually used with such an intensity, are involved.
Monte Cucco Park offers two fascinating routes for nordic walking that combine the sport activity with the discovery of the Park's biodiversity.
One departs from Pian delle Macinare (Fravolosa ring-route) and the other from Val di Ranco (Val di Ranco ring-route).