Source of the Tiber and Biancaneve refuge – loop tour

Hiking trails & Routes

Source of the Tiber and Biancaneve refuge – loop tour

Moderate

4.7

(75)

206

hikers

Source of the Tiber and Biancaneve refuge – loop tour

02:56

8.99km

400m

Hiking

Embark on the Source of the Tiber and Biancaneve Refuge loop tour, a moderate hike through Italy's scenic Apennine mountains. This route covers 5.6 miles (9.0 km) with an elevation gain of 1321 feet (403 metres), taking approximately 2 hours and 55 minutes to complete. You will hike through ancient beech forests, enjoying a tranquil atmosphere, and discover the source of the Tiber River on Monte Fumaiolo, marked by a monument at 1,268 meters (4,160 feet).

While generally accessible, the trail includes uphill sections and requires sure-footedness, so wear sturdy shoes. The route often follows old mule tracks, and some parts might cross asphalt roads. Although the Biancaneve Refuge has been reported as closed, a nearby hotel or restaurant can offer an alternative for refreshments. Starting from locations like Balze, you should be prepared for gradual ascents.

This trail is notable for its historical and cultural significance, leading you to the source of the Tiber River, Italy's third-longest river. The Tiber played a crucial role in the development of ancient Rome, making this a journey through both natural beauty and history. The monument at the source, originally inaugurated in 1934, adds a unique historical layer to the pristine forests and diverse ecosystems of the Apennine landscape.

Last updated: April 23, 2026

Waypoints

Start point

Parking

Get Directions

536 m

Hermitage of Saint Alberico

Highlight • Religious Site

The Hermitage of Sant’Alberico stands at 1,147 meters above sea level, halfway between the village of Balze and the Celle monastery in a deep gorge at the foot of the Aquilone, Celle and Ocri mountains. It is a place of austere solitude where silence reigns, which invites reflection and prayer.
(Source: eremosantalberico.it/news.php )

It is the only one of the many medieval monasteries and hermitages in this area that has remained active to the present day. The life of the founder Alberico, who died around 1050, is poorly documented: he built a hermitage under a rugged slope of Fumaiolo – a cell and two caves dug into the rock – where he lived in penance and sanctity, performing miracles and curing abdominal diseases and hernias. The hermitage, of Benedictine foundation, passed to the Camaldolese who looked after it from the 12th century until 1822 when, together with the nearby "grancia" or farm that they owned in the nearby Cella "inter ambas Paras", it was sold to private individuals and soon fell into ruin. It was Monsignor Francesco Dezzi della Falera (1842-1921) who rescued it from abandonment: having received it as an inheritance, in 1873 he rebuilt it from the ground up, erecting a small church and some rooms for the hermit; but above all he revived the cult of Sant'Alberico. Today it is entrusted to the hermit Giovanbattista Ferro. In the small stone church with a nave are preserved a tibia of the Holy founder and a stone statue, which the faithful use to rest on their abdomen to obtain the miracle of healing. The hermitage is equipped to welcome overnight stays (13 places) only for retreats and spiritual exercises. (Source: fumaioloturismo.it/-/verghereto-eremo-di-sant-alberico-abbazie )

The very long history of the Hermitage can also be found at
homolaicus.com/storia/locale/s-alberico.htm.

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Tip by

4.99 km

Source of the Tiber River Monument

Highlight • Monument

The mouth of the Tiber River is located at 1,268 meters above sea level. Here, in the middle of the pristine forest, on a small clearing there is a travertine column that marks the point where the source emerges from the mountain.
The source was once located in Tuscany. It was Benito Mussolini who, in 1923, moved the regional borders, including Mount Fumaiolo and the so-called Romagna Toscana in the region east of the Apennines: this was to accommodate his desire that the sources of the Tiber be located in the Forlì area, that is, in his home province.
The dictator born in Predappio himself had the monument built to the source, inaugurated during a solemn ceremony in 1934. On it appear three wolf heads surmounted by an eagle facing Rome (an imperial symbol reused in the fascist era), with the rhetorical phrase engraved "Here is born the river sacred to the destinies of Rome".
(Source: romagnadavivere.it/itinerari/sul-monte-fumaiolo-dove-nasce-il-fiume-tevere )

The place was also known as "The veins of the Tiber", since the river was born from the confluence of two or three streams.
(Source: meravigliaitaliana.it/meraviglie/sorgente-del-tevere )

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Tip by

5.70 km

Biancaneve Hut

Highlight • Mountain Hut

As of June 6, 2021, the Refuge appears desolately abandoned to itself! Closed ....... I went over last year on MTB in September but it was always closed.
I would be curious if someone gives me explanations on why so much havoc!

Translated by Google •

Tip by

8.99 km

End point

Parking

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types

7.03 km

970 m

538 m

284 m

155 m

Surfaces

4.18 km

3.18 km

970 m

381 m

155 m

111 m

Elevation

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Weather

Tuesday 13 October

19°C

7°C

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Comments

August 15, 2023,Escursione

The path is mostly shaded.
Snow White's shelter is closed.

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June 30, 2024,Monte fumaiolo da sant'alberico

Departure from the car park for the hermitage.
The first stretch is very steep and bumpy, a road built to reach the hermitage itself, the road is accompanied by votive columns, one every thirty metres, very suggestive.
Truly beautiful path that reaches an equally interesting hermitage that deserves a visit in respectful silence.
From here you take the left side …

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October 2, 2022,Sorgente del Tevere – Eremo di Sant'Alberico Itinerario ad anello da Balze

Very suggestive route that I recommend in every season, but certainly in autumn the atmosphere is magical, for the colors of the forest, for the energy that you breathe on the ancient mule tracks, in the hermitage and finally at the sources of the Tiber. It is suitable for everyone because it is not particularly demanding, some climbs, but acceptable!

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