Italy's Sibillini National Park. Gillian Price

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      Orsini’s viper, a rare sighting

      Roe deer are fairly common in the woods, and a recent project saw the re-introduction of 49 magnificent red deer from Tarvisio in the northern Italian Alps. Concentrated in the thickly forested central valleys of the park near Castelsantangelo sul Nera, several of them wear radio collars to enable zoologists to track them. The Park Visitor Centre there also manages an enclosure for animals in need of temporary assistance.

      Shy wild boars feast on nuts and fruit in the beech woods, which also provide good cover. Evidence of their presence comes in the form of excrements, hoofprints and mud baths. Prolific breeders, they have been introduced all the way down the Italian peninsula by hunting enthusiasts though they are protected within the park confines. The newcomers have replaced the native type, smaller in size and less fertile.

      A couple of snakes live in the Sibillini, the common viper or adder being the only potentially dangerous one. Light brown-grey with broad stripes or a zigzag pattern on its body, they sometimes hang around abandoned buildings in the hope of rodents for dinner. Sluggish in the morning until solar recharging takes effect (they often sunbathe on paths), they need time to slither away and only attack walkers when they feel threatened. Though painful, their bite is rarely fatal. However it should not be under-rated; speedy medical assistance is imperative. While awaiting help, the victim should be kept calm and still, and the affected limb bandaged to restrict circulation.

      On the other hand a rare treat is Orsini’s viper, found solely in the central Apennines. Smaller, with attractive diamond markings, this harmless snake feeds on grasshoppers.

      Two tiny crustaceans breed in the rare Sibillini lakes – and nowhere else in the world. The most famous is Chirocephalus marchesonii, a unique freshwater fairy shrimp discovered in 1954 and probably destined to disappear along with its home, Lago di Pilato which is rapidly shrinking (it once dried up completely, in 1990). The creature’s eggs are laid on the water’s edge and can evidently survive a year at a time while the shrimp itself needs to be immersed in water – see Walk 15 for more.

      Lastly, be warned that sheep dogs occasionally pose problems. Do remember that they’re just doing their job and see walkers as intruders in their territory. Keep your distance as they have been known to attack outsiders. Under no circumstances bring a dog of your own – even on a leash – as they can disturb the wild animals that rely on these mountains for their home and survival.

      Raised river at Visso (GAS, Stage 1)

      THE GAS: GRANDE ANELLO DEI SIBILLINI

      This rewarding 8-day trek, designed as a 120km ring route around the perimeter of the marvellous Sibillini park, gives an excellent idea of the dramatic mountain range. Long days are spent on wild hillsides overlooking vast plains and thickly forested valleys, the stages differing excitingly one from another. The Grande Anello, the ‘great ring’, referred to in Italian as l’Anello, can be interrupted virtually on a daily basis so that walkers can embark on variants to places of great interest in the innermost heart of the Sibillini. For instance the Gole dell’Infernaccio is visitable from Rubbiano (Stage 4), and the range’s highest peak, Monte Vettore, can be climbed from Forca di Presta (Stage 6). One warmly recommended alternative veers off the official route at Forca di Presta to cross the Piano Grande to the iconic hillside village of Castelluccio, a must-see. From there a short leg returns to the GAS.

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