Villages and trails of the Valle di Comino at the foot of the Abruzzo Park
The Valle di Comino, in the southern Ciociaria, is the Lazio side of the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park: an agricultural basin of medieval villages, abbeys and beech woods that almost nobody knows. Here tourism gathers elsewhere, and the trails and villages remain lived-in and silent.
Foto: Carlodirocco (CC BY-SA 4.0) — Wikimedia Commons
When people talk about the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park, everyone thinks of Pescasseroli and the villages on the Abruzzo side. Very few know that the park has a Lazio side, overlooking the Valle di Comino: a green basin in the province of Frosinone, closed in by the mountains, where farming has shaped the landscape for centuries and the medieval villages seem suspended in time. It is an authentic inland Italy, far from the circuits, where you travel slowly by choice.
The villages of the valley
The heart of the valley is Alvito, with its castle and the village climbing the hill, from which the gaze embraces the whole cultivated basin. Not far off is Atina, of very ancient origins, with its stone historic centre and the winemaking tradition of the Cabernet di Atina. It's worth getting lost among the alleyways of San Donato Val di Comino, one of the most evocative villages, gateway to the paths that climb towards the heart of the park, and of Settefrati, from which one of the most heartfelt pilgrimages of the area sets out.
Just above Settefrati, high up, stands the Sanctuary of Santa Maria di Canneto, a place of devotion immersed in the woods: reaching it on foot along the paths that cross the beech woods is one of the finest experiences of the valley. From these mountains the PNALM shows its wildest face, with the chance of spotting chamois and, with a great deal of luck and respect, the traces of the Marsican brown bear, the park's symbol. Not far away, the Abbey of San Domenico blends monastic history and nature.
Mountain flavours
The valley is also a land of flavours: the cannellini beans of Atina, the chestnuts, the mountain cheeses and the local wines tell of an economy still tied to the land. Stopping in the village trattorias is an integral part of the journey.
Unlike the villages on the Abruzzo side of the park, here there is no real structured tourist economy, and that is precisely the beauty of it: the villages of the Valle di Comino are places lived in all year round by their residents, with historic shops, patron-saint festivals and the rhythms of the farming seasons. To walk along the paths that climb from the villages towards the beech woods means crossing a landscape shaped by generations of shepherds and farmers, where dry-stone walls, spring troughs and ancient drovers' tracks tell a story of transhumance and mountain life that elsewhere has been lost.
Getting there
To get there, a car is almost indispensable. From the A1 motorway you exit towards Sora or Cassino and head up the valley along the provincial roads that link the villages. Public transport exists but is designed for residents, with limited services, so moving freely between villages and trailheads requires your own vehicle. Once in the valley, the distances between villages are short and you can alternate driving with long walks.
When to go
The ideal time runs from May to June and then September. In late spring the meadows are in flower, the beech woods a brilliant green and the paths towards Canneto are finally clear of the winter snow. September offers crisp days, the quiet after summer and the first autumn colours, as well as the festivals of local produce. These are months that avoid both the intense cold of the Apennine winter, when the high paths become impassable, and the modest summer traffic, which in any case gathers on the Abruzzo side of the park. Here, in every season, the crowds simply do not arrive.
A practical tip: plan the trip around the high-altitude walks, but don't neglect the villages in the evening hours, when the warm light sets the stone aglow and the villages come back to life with their slow rhythms. Find out in advance about the refuges and refreshment points along the paths towards Canneto, because at high altitude services are few, and set off with enough water and layered clothing: in the mountains, even in summer, the weather changes quickly. Always ask the locals for advice on the routes of the moment: they are the most reliable map of this hidden valley.
Practical guides for Asti
Practical info
When is the best time to visit Villages and trails of the Valle di Comino at the foot of the Abruzzo Park?
The recommended time is May, June and September, when it is less crowded.
Where is Villages and trails of the Valle di Comino at the foot of the Abruzzo Park?
Villages and trails of the Valle di Comino at the foot of the Abruzzo Park is located in Valle di Comino, Lazio.
