What it is, in one line A karst plateau at around 1,400 metres, closed in by mountains on every side, which opens out suddenly after a climb through the woods. It is not a viewpoint with a car park: it is a wide, flat expanse where the noise stops and all you hear is wind. It is twelve kilometres from the house, eighteen minutes by car. Which is why you can sleep in a village on the valley floor and have your morning on a mountain. Getting there You climb up from Capistrello. The road is surfaced for most of the way and then turns to gravel for a couple of kilometres: an ordinary car handles it, but the surface is uneven and it wants patience rather than a four-wheel drive. You can also come up from the Lazio side, from Filettino. That is the longer way round, and it makes sense if you are already over there. There is nothing on the plateau: no bar, no toilets, no reliable phone signal. Bring water and something to eat. When to go May to October is the full season. In spring the plateau is green and in flower, in summer it is where you go to be cool when the valley is airless, in autumn the beech woods around it turn and the light is the best of the year. In winter it becomes a different place: snowshoes, cross-country skis, silence. The road stays open all year, but with snow the final gravel stretch wants care and proper tyres. If you're unsure how it's looking, ask us before you set off — we can see it from here. What you do there The central plateau is the starting point: trails run from it towards Renghetta, Colle Mozzone, Campo Ceraso and the peaks around. These are half-day walks rather than expeditions, but they are not waymarked the way a national park would be: you want a track on your phone, downloaded before you go, because there is no signal up there. If you don't walk much, stop at the plateau and leave it at that. That is the reason to come up anyway: what stays with you is the empty space, not the summit. It is also mountain-bike country, with routes that cross over into Lazio. How long it takes Half a day is the right measure: up after breakfast, time on the plateau, back for lunch or a little after. If you want a serious walk, take lunch with you and give it the whole day. Either way it is not an hour's outing. The road is short but slow, and arriving in a hurry to leave again is how you miss where you are.