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ussita |
| Some way south of San Severino, close to the border with Umbria and
the Monti Sibillini, is ÚSSITA , a rather anonymous winter sports resort
squeezed into a narrow valley at the foot of Monte Bove. Reachable by
bus from Macerata, it's an accessible first base for mountain hikes , a
seven- to eight-kilometre hike from the basic Rifugio Forcella del
Fargno (June-Oct Sat & Sun; Aug daily; from within Italy tel
0330.280.690; from abroad phone the warden's private number tel
0733.230.812), from which there's a good choice of walks, including the
ascent of the three-peaked mountain known as the Pizzo Tre Vescovi
because it resembles three mitred bishops. The going can be tricky, as
the upper peaks are covered in snow for most of the year, so you'll need
a good map (Kompass 666 is the best) and, if you can read Italian, the
CAI Guida dei Monti Sibillini is helpful being packed with information
on flora, fauna and local legends. If you have your own transport or you don't mind road walking, you can also head up to the Santuario di Macereto (daily 7.30am-12.30pm & 3.30-7pm; free), set on a wild high plain above Ússita. It's no rustic chapel but a classy Bramantesque church built in the sixteenth century as a spiritual stopover for shepherds bringing their flocks up from their winter grazing grounds in the south, and it's surrounded by arcaded stalls for the animals. |