Ascending among the Gods – From Cesi to Torre Maggiore

The mountain above the village of Cesi is the most captivating of the entire Martani range for its unusual shape, cliffs, peaks, caves, and, above all, its history.

Here, one can follow the paths of the ancient Umbrians, Romans, Lombards, and Saint Francis. The hike traverses one of the steepest trails in the Martani, yet it is immensely rewarding. It offers breathtaking panoramas, a chance to discover traces of the first inhabitants of these mountains, their mountaintop temples, and a fortified citadel, passing through dense holm oak forests, along the walls and towers of a medieval fortress, up to the summit, which itself is an archaeological area.

The hike starts from the village center and continues to the Church of Sant’Onofrio, where there is a first scenic viewpoint. The trail then ascends steeply along the “Tower Trail” to the Sant’Erasmo plateau, suspended between earth and sky, a prehistoric citadel whose walls date back to the 5th–6th century B.C.

From here, one can admire the Terni basin, Mount Terminillo, the Sabine Mountains, and even Mount Soratte. On the plateau stands a Romanesque church dedicated to Saint Erasmus. The trail continues uphill along a dirt road and then through a forest path on the right, leading to the base of Monte Torre Maggiore’s summit. Here, in the meadows, hikers can rest among the remains of two temples and enjoy an extensive panoramic view. The return follows the same trail down to Sant’Erasmo, where a left turn leads to San Biagio via a different route that ends in an old aqueduct of about 100 meters (flashlights required), finally emerging back at Sant’Onofrio.

The village of Cesi, the only one in Umbria included among twenty others in Italy as winners of the “Borghi” program to be transformed into a model village with €20 million in funding from the PNRR, can be reached from the south via Terni and the highway interchange, through Provincial Road 22. From the north, it can be accessed from the SS 3 Bis (E45) Acquasparta exit, taking the Carsulana provincial road towards San Gemini, and then turning to Cesi-Carsulae after two kilometers.