In the woods of Roccantica

Most of our itineraries in Sabina are characterized by rural environments, hills with olives and pasturages, but on arrival in Roccantica we leave such, now familiar, environments behind us.
The town rises at the feet of Monte Pizzuto and Monte Trancia, two of the highest reliefs of the mountains of the Sabina. It is surrounded by woods whose many ilexes, with their dark evergreen leaves, strongly characterize the landscape.
Roccantica is a town with medieval origins towered by the ruins of the ancient castle; but we are here not only to admire the town but also because of the opportunities offered by the surroundings: beautiful walks, free-climbing in a not very frequented cliff, canyoning in a trouble-free dry canyon (when some friend wishes to join us and try canyoning for the first time, this is where we "baptise" him :-)).

The walks

Different routes start from Roccantica. Some of the more interesting excursions are those that go to the hermitage of San Leonardo (easy) and to the karstic dolina of Revotano (more difficult). Here we will describe the first of the two, write to us if you wish to have informations on Revotano.
The route begins in the square (shown in this photograph) in which there is the church of San Valentino and that you may reach by simply going straight once you have entered the town.

Hermitage of San Leonardo
Easy excursion, in itself of a couple of hours, but we suggest you stay longer and take the time to walk along the river Galantina.
Leave the car near the Church of San Valentino and walk around the bell tower, where a dirt road begins.
Turn right on one of the two routes that begin in the dirt road and that lead to the hermitage. Both are indicated but the first could be quite easily missed (it did to us). The second is immediately after a fence for the cows and near a swamp.
Once on the route, the indications lead you to this hermitage made of a chapel obtained in a natural cave and of a small building, half inside the cave and half outside, which used to guest the eremite. One may admire what remains of a fresco and a small water pool formed by an underground source.
From the hermitage, instead of returning immediately through the route with which you arrived we suggest you point straight down from the entrance of the hermitage. It is a little slippery, but, with the necessary, caution, not dangerous.

In less than 50 meters you will find yourself on the banks of the river Galantina, exactly where the water course leaves a narrow trait in between the rocks where it forms different small waterfalls. It is a charming place with moss and ferns growing on the white limestone washed by water.

Returning to the hermitage is not necessary. One may simply go downhill the route that borders the river on this very same bank. After not more than one hundred meters you will encounter the remains of an ancient mill (among the ruins one may see the remains of the millstone. It is in lavic stone and is now shattered in four pieces). Here the route leaves the river and brings you back, across the woods, to the dirt road you came from.
If you wish to explore better the Galantina, and in particular the part in which it passes through the rocks, find a place where you may cross to the bank opposite to the hermitage and follow the route upstream. Once you decide to return, remember to cross back to the bank of the hermitage, for the routes going downstream on this bank will lead you nowhere, they simply all disappear into the wood.

Free-climbing

The cliffs one may climb look onto the green valley of the Galantina. The cliff is in the sun but it is surrounded by trees and therefore results perfect for all seasons.
The climb has plaques and some small precipices, the stone is particularly sharp-edged and requires therefore some technical abilities, brute force is useless for anything but cutting ones fingersâ€¦ There are different possibilities according to the difficulty one wishes to encounter, mainly grade 5 and 6, but also two grade 4 and one grade 7 routes.
Once we have returned to Roccantica, just at the beginning of the town, turn left on an uphill hairpin bend (signal for the restaurant "il compare"). After approximately 150 m you will reach the summit of the town (with the castle to your right) and must then turn left in via Marta Robbio Tacci. This follow this steep street uphill, shortly after it becomes a dirt road.
Leave the car near the spring and take the route to your right, it will lead you in 5 minutes to the cliffs.

ROUTE NAME	DIFFICULTY	METERS
Pisi Pisi	4a	9
"Senza Nome"	5c	10
Normale	5a	20
Aquilone	6a+	20
Via della crepa	5c	20
Itapoa	6c	20
Occhio ai sola	6a+	15
La sportiva	6b+	20
Pioneer	6a	20
Dinamica verticale	6b	25
"Senza Nome"	6a	25
Il coniglio	6a	25
Fessura	6a+	10
Il volontario	5a	15
Diedro	5a	15
Spigolo	5a	20
"Senza nome"	5c+	20
Topolino	5a	20
La banana (prosecution of "Topolino" )	6c+	10
Una banana per Luana	6a	15
Luana alla ricerca della banana	6c+	8
Nikita	7a+	25
Descending a slope one may reach the outpost further down
"Senza nome"	5c	20
Gladio	4c	8
"Senza nome"	5a	8
"Senza nome"	6a	10
"Senza nome"	6b+	10
Lalla falana	6c+	10
"Senza nome"	?	10
Ama il tuo spazzino	5c	10
Via della placca 1	6a	10
Via della placca 2	5c	20

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