Starting from the small town of Montorio al Vomano (264 masl ), few kilometres away from Teramo, follow the S.S. 491 road in the direction of Isola del Gran Sasso. The low  4% gradient makes this stretch pleasant to ride on and the panorama keeps getting better with each thrust on the pedal. At Camerale the road starts going downhill and enters the Valle Siciliana. This valley (named so because its first inhabitants came from Sicilly or because of the ancient Roman road the Via Caecilia wich led from Rome to the Adriatic coast) was once under the dominion of the conti di Pagliara.

We recommend you stop and visit Tossicia, a village dating back to mediaeval times and which boasts an important museum on the “material culture” of the Gran Sasso populations. The historical centre, the small church of San'Antonio Abate with its fine facade and portal and the parish church of Santa Maria Assunta are also worth seeing.The equestrian centre “Sella del Gigante”, equipped with the forth widest indoor arena in Italy, was inaugurated in the summer of 2008.

Follow the direction of Isola del Gran Sasso at the foot of the Gran Sasso. Right outside the town you will leave the state road behind you and head for Colliberti, San Massimo and Villa Rossi. You will meet few cars on this road. The scenery is splendid and reminds Alpine valleys with fields in the foreground and the mountain chain in the background.

At Villa Rossi you will go back on the busier provincial road which leads to Castelli ( 497 masl) worldwide renowned for the production of artistic ceramics some of which are exhibited at the London British Museum and at the Hermitage in St. Petersburg.

After this unmissable stop continue uphill in the direction of San Salvatore. For about 1 km the road has a gradient over 10%. A couple of hundred metres outside the village a small road leads to the little and surprising church of San Donato, named the “Sistine Chapel of majolica” by Carlo Levi on account of its ceiling entirely covered with 700 different votive majolica tiles dating back to 1615-1617.

Once past the Art School “Istituto d'Arte” the route becomes gentler and about 4,3 km after Castelli you will leave the main road and turn towards Villa Colli and Colledoro.

Form here on it's all downhill. The road rolls out along the hill's crest. It is possible to head earlier for the Mavone valley bottom by turning in the direction of Castel Castagna or later by taking the deviation for Ronzano for those who wish to pass by the suggestive Roman style church of Santa Maria di Ronzano, built around 1180 next to a Benedictine monastery which was burnt down in 1183.

You will than reach the State road 491 and follow it downhill. At the intersection take the Vomano State road 150 uphill in direction of Montorio al Vomano where the route ends.

• Itinerary: Montorio al Vomano, Tossicia, Sanctuary of San Gabriele dell'Addolorata, Isola del Gran Sasso, (at this point it is possible to cut short by heading towards Villa Petto), Colliberti, San Massimo, Villa Rossi (it is possible to ride back down towards Villa Petto to avoid the uphill stretch after Castelli), Castelli, San Salvatore, Villa Colli, Colledoro, Castel Castagna (instead of going down in the direction of Castel Castagna you can continue on the hill's crest and turn at Villa Ruzzi towards Ronzano to visit the Church of Santa Maria di Ronzano), Villa Petto, intersection for Villa Maggiore, intersection for Leognano, Montorio al Vomano.

• Technical information by Lucio De Marcellis, Gianluigi Camillini e Vittorio Crocetti.

  For more information on the route or guided tours: www.gransassomtb.it - Tel. +39 339 8091464