Dawn of Mount Pennino

My grandfather Rinaldo and his brother Americo used to go during summer to cut the hay “by hand” to the summit of Mount Pennino and they usually had to spend the night there for days because the trip back was long and strenuous. When they had finished the work and went back home, they told my mother, she was a child at this time, the wonders of Mount Pennino, including the beautiful and astonishing sunrise that raised from the sea and they were not able to explain.
The sunrising of Monte Pennino is hard to explain… The Adriatic Sea that begins to appear in the distance in all its vastness, the darkness that gradually becomes clarity and, in the distance, the sun is visible, but a different sun, never seen before, without rays, red and opaque. It is a sun that, before getting on the horizon, it is reflected in the density of the air and water … The effect lasts about eight minutes, and then the marvel … The sun we already know appears, dressed in rays, illuminates the sea, the plateaus of Umbria and Marche and everything around us.
Great scenery, a unique dawn, a combination of the optical effect “Fata Morgana” and a mirage, between the Adriatic sea and the atmosphere, between the curvature of the earth and perferct curvature of Mount Pennino.
Admire the surrounding vegetation during this minutes it is to fall into the magic of ancient rites; the Celts gave to this mountain a God’s name “Penn” and Claudiano, a Roman historian, wrote about altars in the top of the mountain for sacrifices to Jupiter called … Pennino.
You can reach the summit walking, with mountain bike, quad, motorcycle, horse or comfortably in a 4×4car.
Spring is fascinating in this area due to the flowering and rich colors seen in the landscape.