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Michele Angileri

Valle Cupa

Monti Prenestini rise east of Rome like a bastion above Roma's flat. Though they are near the metropolis, they preserve a beautiful and wild natural environment, defended by a dense mediterranean bush. As years pass they become wilder, home of wild boars, because a lot of people has given up the works tied to mountain. So the ancient paths are being canceled by the bush.
The villages in Monti Prenestini are very nice, ancient, rich in historical evidences.

Some deep valleys going down Monti Prenestini are interesting to canyoneers.

The splendid Valle Cupa gives canyoneers a long descent in a very beautiful environment made of rock and trees.

I remember ...

The first time I came on these mountains I came here, at Valle Cupa. I had read about it in a guidebook intended for hiking. It made me curious, so I came here to see if Valle Cupa was interesting for a canyoning descent.
I came from the bottom, going up in the dry river-bed coloured white and brown by limestone and volcanic tuff. High trees all around, from the top of the walls enclosing the valley. I scrambled a little, then I realized it was an interesting place for canyoneers.
Then I went to see the starting point. The panoramic road went up bend by bend, showing the plain, the metropolis, the volcanic hills of Frascati, the sea. A mediaval village was at the top of the mountain.
I found the road to the highest part of Valle Cupa. A few minutes after I was on the top of the first rappel, a spot looking like a cavern without ceiling.

This was the beginning of my experience in these mountains very very near to Rome.

Photos 3,5 and 10 by Gian Luca D'Andrea

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