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Michele Angileri

Fosso di Iaccio Piano

At the border between Lazio and Abruzzo rise Laga Mounts. They are made of a stack of layers of sandstone more than 1000 meters thick, placed on marl layers. All layers immerse at east, so the western part of Laga (in Lazio) is much steeper and rocky than the rest. All mountaintops rise above 2000 meters (the highest is about 2500 meters). Winter climate is very cold and snowy in Laga mounts.

Laga mounts are rich in water, because it rains enough, but also because sandstone doesn't allow water to go undergroud. There are a lot of streams, and a lot of magnificent waterfalls. In winter they are suitable for ice-climbing (in fact this is the southest place in Italy where doing ice-climbing). In summer the hardest streams are an ideal canyoning terrain with unusual features, long accessess, low water temperature (due to the height above sea level) and the presence of snow fields and tunnels till the beginning of summer.

The landscape in Laga mounts is really great!

Look at the western side of Laga Mounts. On the left (north) rises the tall elegant pyramid of Pizzo di Sevo. A bit south of it rises the tall square rocky Cima Lepri. Both are among the most beautiful tops in Laga Mounts. The saddle between them is called Vado di Annibale (Hannibal pass), because the charming trail leading to it (called Tracciolino di Annibale) goes on a wide ledge that looks like a trail for the mythical elephants with which Hannibal comes to Italy millenniums ago.

The streams forming west of the Vado go down steep by typical Laga cascades. The main stream is Fosso di Iaccio Piano. In the right seasons it offers to canyoneers a long, continuous and wonderful descent. Unforgettable.

I remember ...

Rope's sheath had been heavily damaged by the evil final cascade of Canale Mancosa. The highest cascade of Iaccio Piano ended the work and we were forced to take the decision of cutting the rope.

What we ignored and didn't expect was the very high cascade that was waiting for us downstream. Standing on its edge we had more than a doubt rope was too short for it...

But rope's length was just what was needed!

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