Lost villages and lonely churches

Descrizione

We set out from Comunanza and, passing through the historic centre, we follow the course of the Aso river. We cycle along dirt roads to Lake Gerosa, skirting it to immerse ourselves in the hilly landscape. Before the dam we cross the river again, near the ancient Roman bridge of Gerosa, which is certainly worth a stop. With the lake on our right, we continue to the short diversions to the Romanesque church of San Giorgio all'Isola with its distinctive architecture and enriched inside with precious frescoes, an ideal place for a refreshing stop.

We continue on our way and reach the provincial road, which we take to the left, beginning to climb more steeply. Having passed our maximum altitude of 950 metres above sea level, we continue along the ridge road and, at Propezzano, make another diversions to the church of San Vito di Propezzano, which welcomes us to the hillside in an evocative atmosphere. Continuing on, we reach Polverina, where we detour among the houses to reach along a dirt road the church of Santa Maria Assunta, in a splendid position but still bearing the signs of the last earthquake. From here, we return to the provincial road to leave it shortly afterwards, following a route that takes us to the village of Gabbiano, not before another diversions to the small church of Sant'Emidio, set in a timeless landscape.

We then return to the ridge road, and at Croce di Casale we turn onto smaller, unpaved roads to the abandoned hamlet of Nasuto, with its distinctive church of 20th-century architecture. From the meadow behind the church we can say goodbye for the last time to the grandiose panorama of the Sibillini Mountains. We continue with a fairly tough but short climb, and then continue downhill along lovely dirt roads to our return to Comunanza.

The route is demanding, but an e-bike can make it easier, allowing us to fully enjoy the places while suffering less fatigue.