L’AQUILA – An ordinance that is controversial, that of last May 23rd with which the Municipality of L’Aquila closed the Centenary Trail, one of the most iconic crossings of the Gran Sasso. In fact, several mountain operators complain, even areas that do not represent any risk are closed.
In particular, following similar ordinances of the Municipalities of Carapelle Calvisio and Castelvecchio Calvisio, the Municipality of L’Aquila closed its sections of competence because, and here we get to the point, “the equipped sections” of the path are in serious conditions of degradation. But on the sections under the jurisdiction of the Municipality of L’Aquila, they explain in the mountains, there are no equipped sections. An excessively precautionary measure, with respect to which there are also those who are threatened, which effectively prevents access even to unequipped and purely hiking routes such as the first stretch of the Centenario, between Vado di Corno and Monte Brancastello. An enormous damage to the mountain economy, there are thousands of accesses to Brancastello alone every year. In addition to the damage, there is also the risk of insult. Even when the planned prohibition signs are put up, in fact, many could simply ignore them but not the qualified professionals, the only ones truly capable of assessing the risk of an exit, who instead will have to stand by and watch so as not to risk anything.
If the ordinances of Carapelle and Castelvecchio may make sense, that of the Municipality of L’Aquila has no justification, also considering the fact that Brancastello can also be accessed from other points. At the moment Castel del Monte and Calascio have not made the ordinances, however, to avoid preventing access to the Camicia, the final stretch of the Centenary.
In short, everyone seems to go their own way, based on the most disparate needs but thus lacking that basic attention and sensitivity to a world, that of the mountains, which attracts thousands and thousands of tourists to the Gran Sasso every month.
“It’s like closing the Gran Sasso tunnel due to a potential danger in Giulianova” he jokes. “To make an ordinance there must be a reason, there is no railway section that falls within the Municipality of L’Aquila” someone else comments.
The ordinance, moreover, refers to a whole series of discussions with local bodies and institutions, but completely excludes the College of Alpine Guides, perhaps the most knowledgeable in the matter, also excluded from access to the Centenary which instead it is guaranteed to all other “bodies, authorities, associations” who in various capacities will be involved in resolving the matter.
Also of concern are the timing of maintenance work on the railway sections. Moreover, the matter has been dragging on for months now – the first report was last January – and yet, in the May order, we still read that “in the technical discussion underway between the bodies involved, the person implementing the maintenance intervention has not yet been identified”with all due respect to the development of the mountain.
