Appennino Perduto - Monte Ceresa, Agore e Piandelloro DH

This itinerary allows us to cross a good part of what is commonly called the Lost Apennines, a naturalistic and historical place of unique beauty and charm. The name could not better describe the place; we pass through abandoned areas, villages destroyed by both abandonment and the last earthquake in 2016 that dealt the final blow. We start in Piedilama, a hamlet of Arquata del Tronto that shows, like all other towns in the area, the obvious signs of the earthquake, with collapsed or circled houses and very little instead under construction. The small hamlet is crossed very quickly to deviate immediately to a forestry road that takes us up a track that climbs steeply for almost two hundred meters to be tackled all by pushing through chestnut forests (with remarkable specimens that have often fallen into the woods), holm oaks, oaks, firs, pines, and beeches.

Arriving almost near the ridge line, continue to an important sandstone balcony called Il Salto. Continuing straight on, you soon gain the ridge, although on a more difficult path and with the markings disappearing. At last a detour to the left through an important section with a backpacking bike allows us to gain the final climb that we pedal to the summit of Monte Ceresa, marked by the poetic inscription of Emidio Ferretti. The downhill trail is flow, and then continues via CAI 503, a stony forest road to Agore, a small hamlet where there is only one person living there, excellent fresh water and with its distinctive church of San Donato. From here starts the Agore trail, a great stony trail characterized by drop sequences on sandstone and small ridges. The trail unfortunately lasts as little as it deserves for its beauty and technical complexity.

From Poggio Rocchetta we go up a nice technical trail characterized by a few pushing sections to Rocchetta and from here on single track we go to Piandelloro. Here starts the queen of descents in the area, Piandelloro DH, a riot of drops, multiple lines, ridges, sandstone and fixed rock, a complete lust for lovers of the genre. From Piandelloro we go up on asphalt and instead of doing the Cocoscia descent, technical to the point but not at the same level as the previous ones, we decide to try Tubi that comes down from Venamartello. Never was a poorer choice, as the descent is infinitely boring and if you like tecnco this is to be avoided like the plague. Satisfied with the great well ride but infuriated by the conclusion the ride ends with the arrival of darkness. Some moments of the ride in the video.