Info
This delightful itinerary is about 2.5 km long (round trip), and has a difference in altitude of 100 m. It is of an easy level and suitable for all, and covers both dirt tracks and tarmacked roads, close to the centre of Montecreto.
The itinerary proposed here starts from the centre of Montecreto.
This simple itinerary is perfect if you want to admire the village from another perspective, and be surrounded by nature without having to drive anywhere.
You start out taking the path at the beginning of the village and, after walking for about 500 metres, you will come to the first stop: the sulphur springs.
Sulphur waters are classified as such if they contain at least 1 mg of H2S (hydrogen sulphide) per litre.
Sulphur waters should preferably be consumed on site, directly from the source.
The processes of bottling, storing, preserving, and decanting inevitably involve a loss of gas; the more refined the technique, however, the less gas is lost.
Sulphur waters may contain, in addition to bivalent sulphur compounds, significant quantities of other elements, including sulphates, carbon dioxide, chlorides and sodium, iodides and bromides, bicarbonates, calcium, and so forth.
Our advice, therefore, is not to be put off by the strong smell of the water but to taste it and drink a good glassful.
You then continue along the dirt road that joins up with the tarmacked road of Via Ronco. Once you reach the tarmacked road, keep to the left and, after a few hundred metres, you will come to Saint Michael’s promontory.
At the top of Saint Michael’s Mount there is a votive shrine, built on the site where the Romanesque Parish Church of Saint Michael of Montecastagnaro is once said to have stood.
Today, at the top of St. Michael’s Mount, there are the remains of a well which was probably used to supply water to the Castle of Montecastagnaro. The inner walls of the well preserve fragments of ‘cocciopesto’ or waterproof mortar dating to the 12th-13th centuries. (Text by Carlo Beneventi)
The walk up the path which leads to the top of St Michael’s Mount is surrounded by a rich vegetation which attracts many butterflies, and affords a beautiful view of the village of Montecreto.
After stopping for a little rest and enjoying the view, you simply return to the village by taking the same route back.
