Sibillini Mountains
Monti Sibillini is an Italian national park located on the ridge of the same name on an area of 714 km2. This mountainous area was declared a national park in 1993. There are many legends about these locals, which is why the park is also called the "park of mysterious mountains."
According to legend, in one of the lakes of Monti Sibillini is the body of Pontius Pilate, the Roman prefect of Judea, during whose reign Jesus was executed. According to one version, Pontius was ordered to be executed by Emperor Vespasian. After that, the body was taken away on a cart with oxen to these parts, and thrown into the lake.
It is believed that the clairvoyant Sibylla lived in these mountains, who was punished by God for eternal wandering because she refused to recognize the Mother of God. Monte Vettore Peak is also called the "crown of Regina Sibylla". The locals claimed that Sibylla was a kind fairy and came down from the mountains with her entire retinue to dance with the village boys and teach the girls sewing. They had to return to the cave by dawn, otherwise they would become ordinary mortals. However, one day they completely forgot about the time and saw late that the Sun was beginning to rise. Then they ran to Monte Vettore Mountain, smashing boulders on the way. The fairies entered the cave in time, and the road they left behind is called the "Fairy Trail."
Images of the cave on Mount Sibylla are even found on frescoes in the Vatican museums. The abundance of legends has given rise to a lot of rumors. For example, it was believed that these mountains were suitable for the consecration of books of black magic, and the cave was called the "infernal cave of the Sibyl." Some scholars believe that pagans hid in this cave during the process of Christianization.
200 million years ago, there was an ancient sea on the site of the Monti Sibillini Park, which dried up, leaving behind limestone mountains with a peak of 2,476 meters. Glaciers, which gave rise to glacial lakes, played an important role in the formation of the relief. One of these lakes is Pilate Lake, the volume of water in which depends on precipitation and snowmelt. When the lake starts to dry up, it splits into 2 lakes, hence the nickname "lake with glasses". Pilate Lake is also home to a very rare crustacean, which makes it impossible to swim here and get closer than 5 meters to the lake.
Hiking enthusiasts can take the 120 km long Bolshoe Sibillinskoe Koltso route, which covers almost the entire park. You can also ride a mountain bike along the way. There are places for recreation along the entire length of the route: restaurants, places for overnight stays and picnics. The route is divided into 9 stages, each of which is well marked. There are also various guidebooks for the route.
The Monti Sibillini National Park has a very rich flora and fauna. Among the animals here you can see wild cats, porcupines, wolves, roe deer, red deer, and sometimes you can also see a bear. Golden eagles, eagle owls, peregrine falcons, and partridges are found among the birds. The vegetation is typical of the Apennines, with a predominance of deciduous trees at lower elevations, which then give way to beech forest.
