Monte Ascensione watches over the city of Ascoli Piceno. The people of Ascoli lobe their mountain and the myths and legends that surround it. Every year in May Our Lady of the Ascension is celebrated and pilgrimages are made to the summit. Monte Ascensione with its characteristic face-like shape gazing at the sky, stands out among the hills north of Ascoli Piceno, being isolated from the other mountains and closer to the coast, at 1110 metres, it seems higher than it really is. The mountain is located within the Calanchi Park, the beautiful formation of gullies is caused by a particular washout process determined by the flow of surface water on the regions clay soils. The erosive phenomenon creates a dense network of steep, narrow V-shaped furrows separated by sharp ridges, present in many areas of the Apennines. For more information, please, visit: Parco dei Calanchi e Monte Ascensione – The best place in the world

Come arrivarci

The itinerary begins in the village of Venarotta, then up to the famous Costa dei Guai, literally translated as the Coast of Trouble, which was named because of the many raids by brigands during the Middle Ages. Continuing on to the village of Force, famous for copper working, you arrive at Castel di Croce, from there wending your way towards the Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Ascension; 500m and a gravel road leads you to the summit.