Il Cinisco

The 1700-metre Monte Catria looms over much of this area, and has much to offer those in search of outdoor activities. A shuttle bus takes half an hour to deposit you at the base of the mountain, from where you can take the 20-minute cable car ride up to 1400 metres, or access the range of marked trails from here for hikers, Nordic walkers and mountain bikers. You can also take your mountain bike to the Catria Bike Park, which has various obstacle courses and trails including two downhill ‘adrenalin’ routes (with easy and hard options). Also up on the mountain is the Kinderland Adventure Park, which has heaps of fun activities for kids of all ages – among the attractions are trampolines, a massive adventure playground, ziplining, bouncy castle and tubing slide. You can also join horse riding tours on the lower slopes of the mountain from a riding centre half an hour from the site. Closer to sea level, a half-hour walk from the site takes you up to Frontone Castle, a well-preserved piece of medieval architecture that dates back to the 11th century. Also worth a visit is the Monastery of Fonte Avellana, built around the same time as the castle and famed enough to be mentioned in Dante’s Divine Comedy. You can reach it with a 20-minute drive or couple of hours’ walk.