The Alpe della Luna: trekking between Sansepolcro and the source of the Tiber

The Upper Tiber Valley is famous for Sansepolcro, home of Piero della Francesca, and for the art towns around Arezzo. Almost no one lifts their gaze towards the mountains that close the valley to the east, where Tuscany meets Marche and Umbria. Up there stretches the Alpe della Luna Nature Reserve, a long ridge covered in dense forests, with an evocative name and an almost alpine setting despite its modest altitude. It stays empty because those who come to the Tiber Valley come for the museums and the piazzas, not for the woods, and because the reserve has no major tourist facilities: no lifts, no crowds, just trails.

The reserve

The natural base is Sansepolcro, from which you climb towards the foothill villages. The wild heart of the reserve is the ridge dominated by Monte dei Frati, the main peak, and by the beech forests of the Massa Trabaria, where the woods grow dense and shadowed. A symbolic place is the Ripa della Luna, a great sickle-shaped rock wall on the northern slope of Monte dei Frati, which emerges from the forest and offers one of the few open viewpoints over the expanse of woodland. The reserve is crossed by marked trails climbing from the Tuscan and Marche slopes, often following ancient passes between the two regions, and the environment is so unspoiled that wildlife, birds of prey and a great variety of trees have returned to it.

The source of the Tiber

A few kilometres away, already in Romagnol territory on Monte Fumaiolo, rises the source of the Tiber, the river that from here flows all the way down to Rome: a small stone marker signals the exact point where the water springs, and it's an easy, curious spot to combine with the trekking in the reserve. This whole stretch of Apennine ridge is a mosaic of springs, beech forests and ancient borders, where the Tiber and other streams take their start. Walking here means standing on the watershed between the Tyrrhenian and Adriatic slopes, in an in-between landscape that doesn't fully belong to any of the regions that meet here.

To get there a car is best. Sansepolcro is reachable from the E45, the expressway connecting Cesena to Perugia that runs the length of the Tiber Valley, and it's also served by a local railway line; from there you climb to the villages at the foot of the reserve along secondary roads. The trails start from the slopes and are walked only on foot: public transport doesn't reach the trailheads, so you need your own vehicle to get close. The mountain roads are narrow and lightly trafficked, and some final stretches are unpaved: it's best to check the conditions before heading up, especially after rain.

When to go

The recommended months are June, September and October. In early summer the woods are cool and the brooks still lively; but it's autumn above all that gives its best, when the beech forests catch fire with yellow and red and the air turns clear and still. October, in particular, offers extraordinary colours and a deep silence. These periods avoid both the July and August heat down in the plain and the winter, when snow and fog arrive at altitude and the ridge trails become difficult. In any season, though, the reserve is among the most solitary in the Tusco-Romagnol Apennines: it's rare to meet anyone.

Practical tips

A practical tip: bring a good trail map or a GPS track, because in the thick forest of the Alpe della Luna it's easy to lose your bearings and the signage isn't always dense. Set out with enough water, because along the ridge routes springs aren't guaranteed, and allow a generous margin for your return times: under the beech canopy the light fades sooner than expected. Pair your day in the reserve with a stop in Sansepolcro to admire the works of Piero della Francesca: the contrast between the wild forest and the Renaissance masterpiece is one of the finest the Tiber Valley has to offer.