Accumoli: Mountain Lakes, Hiking Trails and History

Accumoli combines opportunities to enjoy nature and hiking with historic buildings. A large part of the municipal area lies within the Parco Nazionale del Gran Sasso e dei Monti della Laga. When planning your trip, it is worth considering the different scales, from high-altitude lakes and habitats to a network of trails and individual historic buildings.

Nature and Wildlife at High Altitudes

Lago Secco and Agro Nero lie at 1,500 metres above sea level in the catchment area of the Torrente Chiarino. The landscape includes deciduous forests, high-altitude pastures, springs, streams, lakes and pools of various sizes. This means the described high-altitude landscape brings together forests, open pastures and bodies of water. The Oasi WWF di Lago Secco adds distinctive wildlife to this natural setting: it is home to alpine newts, great crested newts and smooth newts. It is also the southernmost European site where the common frog (Rana temporaria) is found. In 1989, it was included in the WWF Italia oasis system. While Lago Secco and Agro Nero lie at 1,500 metres, the Laghetti dei Pantani are at an altitude of over 1,500 metres.

Trail Network and Hiking Destinations

Slow Trekking is a network of trails about 60 kilometres long that partially connects the main town of Accumoli with its hamlets. The AC1 route runs between Accumoli and Madonna delle Coste as part of this municipal network. Accumoli is also a stop on the Sentiero Italia. A hike from Accumoli follows an old mountain trail to the Pantani at an altitude of 1,588 metres; the trail climbs from Madonna delle Coste towards the mountains.

Lake Landscape and Picnic Area

The Laghetti dei Pantani lie on a plateau at an altitude of over 1,500 metres between the Parco dei Monti Sibillini and the Parco del Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga. The area is a Site of Community Importance; its landscape includes small lakes of glacial origin. The altitude describes the setting, while the lakes’ glacial origin describes how they formed. The village of Le Coste offers another way to enjoy the outdoors: it has a spacious picnic area with stone barbecue grills.

Historic Buildings in Accumoli

The Torre Civica dates from the 12th century. It is considered Accumoli’s oldest building and a symbol of the town’s civic and military past. In its historic centre, Accumoli also preserves the Palazzo del Podestà, which dates from the 13th century. The Chiesa della Madonna delle Coste probably has hermitic origins dating from the 12th to 13th centuries. Together, the tower, palazzo and church offer different historical points of interest: civic and military symbolism, a building in the historic centre, and the church’s possible hermitic past.

Discover more destinations: Posta, Antrodoco, Collegiove, Leonessa, Poggio Bustone, Montasola, Longone Sabino, Pian De' Valli.

For the regional travel overview: Rieti.