From Rocchicciola to Stazzi

Reopened to the public, with its views of Assisi and the Rocca Maggiore. Rocchicciola is one of the most fascinating, scenic, and least crowded routes up Mount Subasio.

Free parking near the trailhead is only possible if you arrive very early in the morning. 

If no spots are available, we recommend parking at Parcheggio Matteotti, following the directions here.

After leaving the car at the parking lot, facing the Rocca, turn right and then immediately right again onto Via Eremo delle Carceri.

Ascend to Porta dei Cappuccini, and once past it, turn left onto the beautiful pine-tree-lined avenue leading to the Rocchicciola.

At this point, you will be on both the Via di Francesco and Trail 350. Follow the path without deviating, passing the junction for Trail 351 on your left, until you reach the very visible crossroads for Trail 353, which ascends.

Following Trail 353, continue straight without changing direction until you reach the Strada del Subasio. Once there, the refuge is found by crossing the road and descending for a few dozen meters, right in front.

The Stazzi of Subasio are beautiful summit meadows primarily used for horse grazing, highly appreciated for their expansive views over a large portion of central Italy. 

The name, commonly used in the Apennine region, refers to enclosures, mostly movable, where livestock were kept during transhumance.

The Stazzi are marked by the bronze sculpture Il Fuoco by Fiorenzo Bacci, inspired, like other sculptures on the mountain, by the Cantico delle Creature of Saint Francis. 

However, Subasio has been a sacred mountain long before the Franciscan movement: its meadows are crowned by Colle San Rufino, a pre-Roman hill fort likely of religious significance, whose ramparts and embankments are still perfectly visible after 2,500 years.

Among other findings, the Guerriero del Subasio (Warrior of the Subasio), depicted as Mars in battle, was discovered here—one of the most famous artifacts in the area.

Just below the meadows, there is a small, always-open and very basic refuge with a fireplace, table and camp beds, providing excellent shelter in case of bad weather.

The route is mostly shaded in the summer, while in winter, it is sheltered from the coldest winds until it enters the meadows.

The path ascends through the wood using forest roads that are closed to vehicle traffic. Given its width, it often allows easy walking even in a group.

It is worth noting that the forest you pass through is one of the most imposing reforestation projects in Europe from the last century, carried out in the early decades of the 1900s by Umbrian workers coordinated by the National Forest Service. 

Alongside hundreds of Umbrian laborers, several dozen prisoners from the Austro-Hungarian army worked here, which is why it is traditionally known as the “prisoners’ reforestation”.

During the late medieval and Renaissance periods, Subasio had been completely deforested to create grazing land, with the exception of the marvelous Lecceta dell’Eremo, which was preserved for cultural use. 

While it is impossible to compare the beauty of this reforestation with that of the original forest, knowing the history of the mountain, one can only appreciate the intervention made, a huge investment that demonstrates an ecological sensitivity that we tend to erroneously attribute only to the present era.