Traversing Italy from coast to coast categorically involves mountains. At the Rome latitude that would be the Appennino centrale which I crossed today. Mostly out of curiosity I picked a route that took me through the Fucino plain, a high plateau at around 680 that until the 19th century used to be the third largest lake by area in Italy.

To reach that plain I first had to climb up to the Forca Caruso pass at 1100 m right after breakfast. The lower part of that ascent proved very steep, much steeper than the Maiella, with signage indicating 13 % slope. Thankfully the weather conditions were almost a carbon copy of yesterday with a permanent cloud cover until around noon when I was already on the descent. Traffic was almost absent on those roads, I must have gone half an hour without seeing a single car. The plain itself was much busier. I made my way to Avvezzano and then had to climb back out of it.

From there the traffic signs first started indicating Rome. In fact for most of the day I was following the ancient Via Tiburtina Valeria which of course has its start at the Porta Tiburtina. Another climb up a pass at almost 1000 m was necessary to reach the Anio river valley. From there I then descended around 750 m until I reached Tivoli, formerly Tibur, today's destination. The mountains are behind me for now. I'm almost at the pomerium now, ready for a day of sightseeing.

gallery