Stage 16 · S. Spirito a Majella → Sulmona
- Distance
- 62 km
- Elevation gain
- 530 m D+
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Surface
- 96% asphalt, 4% gravel · 15% on cycle routes
- Terrain
- Descent into the Peligna basin
- Hospitality
- Hotel
GPX 1.1 file with the track, elevation and the abbeys as waypoints. Tracks are calculated on real roads and cycle routes (OpenStreetMap): check them on the ground before you set off.
Gravel variant: 62 km · D+ 520 m · 22% unpaved (main track: 4%)
Calculated with a profile that prefers gravel roads and dirt tracks (BRouter on OpenStreetMap data): more natural surface and less traffic, sometimes slower. Check it on the ground, especially after rain.
Stage map
Map of the stage S. Spirito a Majella → Sulmona: track, start, finish, places to stay and abbeys
Hover the profile to see the spot on the map
Tracks calculated on real roads and cycle paths (OpenStreetMap); elevations from SRTM data — to be checked on the ground
This stage on Komoot
The same track is on the project's Komoot profile: save it in the app and ride it with voice navigation.
Overview
A stage of steady descent from the hermitage of Santo Spirito towards Sulmona in the Peligna basin: from the silences of the Majella to the city of Ovid and of confetti sweets.
Notes from the road
The route does not climb to Passo San Leonardo, this stage stays meant for breathing more than for chasing more climbs. From the hermitage you descend through woods that thin slowly. Pacentro appears perched, houses pressed close together. Sulmona arrives low, in the basin, the air already warmer.
What to see
Hermitage of Santo Spirito a Majella, hermitage of San Bartolomeo in Legio (detour), Majella villages, hermitage of Sant'Onofrio al Morrone, Badia Morronese, Sulmona with its medieval aqueduct and the Cathedral of San Panfilo
Where to sleep
Sulmona: hotels (70-110€), B&Bs in the historic centre (65-100€), agriturismo (55-85€), religious guesthouses (50-80€)
Where to eat
Sulmona confetti, maccheroni alla chitarra, arrosticini, Sulmona red garlic, Peligna cheeses
Tips
A gentle stage (530m gain), good for recovery after the Majella. Sulmona, Ovid's home town, deserves time: the medieval aqueduct in Piazza Garibaldi is splendid. Good services and restaurants.
Water & supplies
Bars in Roccamorice and Caramanico Terme; fountains in the villages. A short descent with no critical sections: only the first stretch from the hermitage, about 10 km, has no services. The route descends from the hermitage toward Pacentro without climbing to Passo San Leonardo, which stays off the route. Sulmona has everything on arrival.
Places to stay on this stage
No places listed for this stage yet: the overnight network is a work in progress.
Abbeys on this stage
- Start abbey: S. Spirito a Majella
An amateur, non-profit project. The tracks are indicative: everyone rides independently, at their own risk.