Routes

Planner

Features

Updates

App

Get the App

Routes

Hiking trails & Routes

Scoppaturo Canyon – Scoppaturo Canyon loop from Ristoro Macelleria Giuliani

Routes

Hiking trails & Routes

Scoppaturo Canyon – Scoppaturo Canyon loop from Ristoro Macelleria Giuliani

Moderate

4.3

(15)

hikers

Scoppaturo Canyon – Scoppaturo Canyon loop from Ristoro Macelleria Giuliani

02:06

7.59km

130m

Hiking

Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is right next to a parking lot.

Last updated: May 10, 2026

Tips

Your route passes through a protected area

Please check local regulations for:

Parco Nazionale del Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga

Waypoints

Start point

Parking

Get Directions

510 m

Shepherd and Family Statue

Highlight • Monument

The story of Pupo Nunzio di Roio from October 1919 is one of the most poignant historical tragedies of the Abruzzo region. It symbolises the harsh and dangerous reality of the transumanza (the seasonal migration of livestock), which for centuries determined the economic and social life of this Italian mountain region.

This place commemorates one of the most tragic events in the history of the transumanza, the age-old migration where shepherds drove their sheep every summer to the green pastures of Campo Imperatore and returned in the autumn to the warmer plains of Puglia.

In the autumn of 1919, the 41-year-old shepherd Nunzio Pupi, better known as Pupo Nunzio, postponed the descent for a few days. The autumn was exceptionally mild, and he wanted to let his flock of no less than 5,000 sheep graze for as long as possible. But the weather unexpectedly turned. A fierce snowstorm caught him by surprise in the middle of the high plain. Together with his two young sons, Idolo (12) and Alfredo (11), and their loyal sheepdog, he became disoriented in the snow.

None of them survived the icy storm. The entire flock also perished. According to local legend, his wife Ersilia Caruso could not cope with the loss of her husband, her children, and their sole source of livelihood. She died a short time later, consumed by grief.

This moving story recalls the hard life of the shepherds, who were completely dependent on nature and often paid a high price for their existence.

About the monument:
Monument of Fonte Vetica

In Fonte Vetica, on the southeastern plateau of Campo Imperatore, stands an impressive monument commemorating the tragedy of 1919. The Abruzzese sculptor Vicentino Michetti immortalised the shepherd, his two sons, and their dog as they desperately fought against the icy snowstorm. A little further away stands the statue of the mother, with outstretched arms directed towards the mountains, hoping to see her family return alive.

Although the monument tells one poignant story, it has become a tribute to all the shepherds of Abruzzo who, over the centuries, risked their lives during the arduous transumanza. Anyone who stops at Fonte Vetica today immediately feels the impressive combination of overwhelming beauty and the unforgiving power of this mountain landscape.

Showing Translation

Tip by

1.23 km

Scoppaturo Canyon

Highlight • Canyon

The Campo Imperatore plateau canyon is something spectacular and evocative, in its gorges you can breathe the air of the Wild West.

Translated by Google •

Tip by

1.28 km

Valle del Fondo

Highlight • Canyon

Easy route for any level of preparation, almost flat. You walk on grass and gravel (inside the canyon).
The surrounding view is enchanting, it is worth going there.
You can park in the nearby refuges or in the parking lot along the road.

Translated by Google •

Tip by