Capraro Mountain Trek

The morning is yours to enjoy as you wish. You may sleep in, take your time over breakfast, or do whatever you like. 

Before lunch, there will be a safety briefing. After that, we'll groom and saddle up the horses, followed by a short demonstration of western riding. 

After lunch, we'll take a three-hour test ride to help you get acquainted with the horse you'll be riding on the trek. 

Dinner is in the cosy bistro of the new stable from our hosts 1km far away.

Around 10 a.m., we depart from the house. Our today’s destination is Capracotta. This little village with 500 inhabitants is situated at 4,600 feet, which makes it one of the highest municipalities in Italy. Curiously the name literally means “cooked goat”.

After 2,5 hours of a ride through endless fields, it is time for a delicious picnic. 

After this we make a lengthy canter through a long valley. At the end Capracotta dooms up, but it will take about two hours of riding to get there. 

We are staying at a hotel and dinner is at a restaurant.

Today we will make a day-ride and climb “il Monte Campo” whose highest point is at 5,700 feet. From here we get a gorgeous view of “Alto Molise” and the Abruzzo. A small narrow path meanders through the old gnarled forest, past small sinkholes and deeper caves whose entrances are illuminated by the sun.

When the forest clears and you spot woodruff and other wild flowers here and there, the picnic is not far away. 

After this we follow cross-country skiing slopes, which lead through a wood of silver firs. A little later we arrive at Prato Gentile, which literally means “kind meadow”. It’s time for a canter! 

In the afternoon we descend to Capracotta and ride through an open landscape. 

The night will be spent at the same hotel, but dinner is at a different restaurant.

After a few canters we follow a gravel road, which gradually goes upwards. The horses enjoy their breathing space while we riders enjoy the view of four different mountain ranges, namely the Colle dell’Orso, the Matese, the Mainarde and the national Park of Abruzzo. On the top we find the remains of a Samnitic temple. The Samnites were the original population of Molise. It took the Romans three centuries of warfare before they finally conquered this region, which then became part of the Roman Empire (79 B.C.).

After picnic the trail leads us into the direction of the little village San Pietro Avellana. Outside the village we care and leave the horses in a field were we have to make a paddock with electric wire.

We dine and spend the night in the village. This town shows parts of its history on signs on the house walls. We can also give a look into an old washing place ( lavatoio) for the women that is on the way to our restaurant which can be reached on foot. Here in Altomolise you can also find truffles or you just take a glas home from our b&b 😉

Breakfast in the morning and ride beginns. After about half an hour we pass Montedimezzo which used to belong to the royal family of the Bourbons. The hunting lodge nowadays is a museum. The forest is protected by UNESCO. UNESCO protects 256 forests worldwide, with four located in Italy, including two in Molise. 

We turn to ride a bit in the vast territory of Feudozzo, a breeding stable of the Carabinieris. Persano’s are bred there, an old Italian horse breed.

The trail takes us down the Vandra river to the valley of a small deserted hamlet. Here roughly 2 Tratturo’s (old cattle trails) from North to South almost meet and we follow one of it. 

After the picnic we have a great view of the untouched nature around Roccasicura where we and the horses settle down for the night.

After breakfast, we continue our journey along the Tratturo Castel di Sangro-Lucera. This 2,000-year-old track is still used to move cattle from the far south where grass is scarce in summer. Following the Tratturo, we reach Pescolanciano with its historic castle. Here, we'll stop for lunch at a cozy restaurant.

In the afternoon we climb the hills that border on the forest of Collemelucio. This is the other forest protected by UNESCO. The project is called Man and Biosphere (MAB). The last few miles on horseback take us over open heath land and dense oak-woods. 

At about 5 p.m. we are back at the farm-house, unsaddle the horses for the last time and enjoy the farewell dinner.

Departure after breakfast.