Cima Lepri (2445 m) and Peschio Palombo from Voceto

The route starts at Voceto; at the junction a wide dirt track heads into a not very dense wood. The mule track, once used for building the water works (remember that the water for Campotosto is collected on these slopes), runs almost as far as the bare Colle di San Giovanni (about 1580 metres). From the col you can see very clearly the ridge of the Peschio Palombo, marked by spurs that overhang the southern side. Below Colle San Giovanni you pick out the Sorgente del Moro as the reference point from which to set off for the start of the ridge. Here is the hardest section: the first 250-300 metres are on a steep slope of grass and loose rubble, and you have no choice but to use hands and feet until you come out on the summit of the Peschio Palombo. The view of the Gorzano on one side and the Pizzo di Sevo on the other makes this summit a truly evocative place. From here you can make out the line of the ridge to follow, up to a second high, prominent spur. As far as this second spur the southern flank is sheer, offset by the gentler, grassy northern side, which is not exactly a precipice. The ridge line continues to the Selletta di Piè di Lepre. An excellent place for a break before tackling the last short steep pull to the summit. From the Sella di Piè di Lepre you reach the main body of Cima Lepri, bearing slightly south until you reach a metal cross made of tubes. The descent on this loop goes down from the Cavallo di Voceto, a little shoulder tucked into the wide valley between the Peschio Palombo and the Pizzo di Sevo. The Cavallo di Voceto lies at around 1800 m; to get down to that height you head from the summit of Cima Lepri towards the Pizzo di Sevo. Just before the saddle you notice that from a small fore-summit a shoulder drops westwards towards the Cavallo di Voceto, below and clearly visible. In spring, when the slope is free of snow, it is covered instead in dense, slippery dry grass. With snow the slope is certainly easier going (wearing crampons). In summer the tall grass can make it harder to find the right footholds. From the Cavallo di Voceto you can clearly make out the path that drops down to the gully below. During the thaw the gully carries cold run-off water, which is then collected by the water works. The view of this gully is nonetheless evocative, especially in winter. The path continues to the foot of Colle San Giovanni, from where you can pick up the dirt track again that leads back to the car.

A possible alternative (which is in fact the normal descent route) is to go down to the saddle with the Pizzo di Sevo and cross the shoulder diagonally on grassy slopes to the Cavallo di Voceto. That way you can avoid the steep, broken shoulder that comes down from the Cima Lepri massif.

Objective difficulties climbing onto the ridge of the Peschio Palombo. From the Sorgente del Moro you climb over loose rubble and short grass. Great care is needed in some places where you have to make extensive use of your hands.