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WALK 2

The hermitage of San Bartolomeo di Legio

Start/finish	Decontra, in the north of the Maiella National Park (42.169530, 14.028257)
Distance	5.5km
Total ascent/descent	280m
Difficulty	1 (route may be snowbound in the winter months)
Walking time	2hr 30min
High/low points	876m/684m
Map	Majella – Carta Escursionistica (1:25,000)
Access	Decontra is about 3km north east of Caramanico Terme, the main town in the central valley of the Maiella. Take the SR487 from the north or south to Caramanico. (For further details see Appendix B.)
Parking	Shortly after entering the village (just beyond ‘Il Cervo’ restaurant) the road swings left, passing a church on the right. After 200 metres the road turns right in a hairpin. Park here in a sensible spot. Alternatively, park near the stone well.

The small mountain village of Decontra lies high above the northern slopes of the wonderful Orfento valley, plunging deeply from the slopes of the Amaro massif. This gentle uphill stroll crosses the stony meadows and young woodlands of the northern Maiella foothills, followed by a steep descent into the narrow valley sheltering the centuries-old hermitage built almost imperceptibly into the cliffs of the far bank. The route offers fine views towards the sea and the Gran Sasso range and presents a quiet insight into the life of the people who lived here in times past. Return to Decontra by retracing your steps, admiring fine examples of Maiellan ‘stone beehives’ along the way.

Walk north west along an unsealed white track that leaves the hairpin bend (there is likely to be a signpost for the hermitage) and in 200 metres reach a crossroads with a superb stone well in the field on the left.

The stone well at Decontra

Do not continue straight ahead. Instead turn right (signpost for Valle Giumentina) and, in a few metres, take the gently rising track on the right, which runs straight for about 300 metres until it reaches a larger white road. Cross over and continue in the same direction, still rising gently. Look out for red-topped posts marking the way. There are also signs for ‘Eremo S. Bartolomeo’.

Pass summer houses to the left and right in young oak woods. In about 200 metres the track levels and, keeping to the right, passes into and through fields until it swings left across the bed of a little stream. The path becomes less evident and, leaving the larger track, heads obliquely right across meadows full of piles of rocks. Keep a lookout for the posts, which still mark the way. In a further 400 metres the path reaches another white unsealed roadway and more signs for the hermitage.

Turn left onto the white road and pass a small, new building on the left. In a few hundred metres a grassy track leaves the road to the right, soon passing a stone-built (slightly collapsed) ‘beehive’ shepherds’ shelter (tholos ), so characteristic of the Maiella. Continue past the shelter on the grassy track to the lip of the gorge and gaze down to the band of cliffs on the far side and the cleverly disguised hermitage itself.

The caves and rocky walls of these remote and sheltered gorges have been exploited for centuries as havens for the pious and the persecuted. A number of hermitages and small chapels were established on the cliff faces themselves, surviving today as reminders of the region’s strong spiritual past. The San Bartolomeo di Legio hermitage, hidden away in its narrow gorge, is perhaps the most accessible and interesting.

The hermitage of San Bartolomeo di Legio

Descend steeply to the right, passing an excellent grassy picnic spot about a third of the way down. At the bottom, cross the little river by a small bridge largely comprised of very big boulders. Climb the path on the other side to arrive at the left side of the hermitage and the ancient steps to the terrace. Reverse the route to return to Decontra.