Bosco del Cerquone (Cerquone Woods).
One of the favorite destinations for trekking enthusiasts: Bosco del Cerquone.
Located a few kilometers from Frascati, Bosco del Cerquone (Cerquone Woods) is one of the favorite destinations for trekking and walking enthusiasts in the Lazio region and in particular in Castelli Romani. It is one of the very rare cases of native woodland not converted into a chestnut forest and has been included, thanks to its incredible biodiversity, thanks to its extraordinary variety of flora and fauna, in the list of SIC, (i.e. sites of community importance).
The Woods cover an immense surface area, with its 75 hectares of mesophilic forest. The vast majority of arboreal specimens are composed of oaks, lindens and maples, but within the area there is an enormous variety of different species, from the oak, to the field maple, but also hawthorn, blackthorn, elderberry, dogwood, hazelnut, etc.. Cerquone Woods also boasts a notable variety of herbaceous species such as the Apennine anemone, the male peony, the spotted lungwort and the red lily, which form the undergrowth.
The itinerary
Among the most famous itineraries in Lazio there is certainly the one that reaches for Bosco del Cerquone.
It is an easy route, but not suitable for strollers. There are both rest areas and refreshment points, but there are no other water points available along the way. It is a route that can be done all year round, but obviously preferable in spring and summer. It is an itinerary that offers some breathtaking views and panoramas, such as the Lepini Mountains and the Artemisio system, and on the clearest days, from the top of Monte Ceraso it is even possible to see the sea.
You start from the crossroads of via Arenatura with via Montagna Spaccata (Rocca Priora), head towards via Monte Ceraso and travel about a kilometer of asphalt road. Keeping to the left you enter the woods and the asphalt road becomes a path. You arrive at the Colle Trinciotto crossroads and turn right onto a wide dirt road. Continuing, you first come across Fonte Ceraso and then you arrive at the asphalt road that leads to Monte Ceraso. You quickly arrive at the viewpoint from which you can admire a wonderful landscape, with the Vivaro Valley, the internal enclosure of the Faete, and indeed the Lepini Mountains and the Artemisio system.
Continuing for a few dozen metres, you turn right and continue into the woods. Walking in the woods you arrive at a particularly challenging stretch that leads towards Via di Carpinello and the "Sorgente di Carpinello", to finally reach Via Tuscolana right in front of the Bosco del Cerquone.
