Eremo San Giovanni all’Orfento hike is one of the longer trails in Maiella National Park in Abruzzo (Parco Nazionale della Majella). While not particularly challenging (apart from a few sections) it can take 6-7 hours, so to do it without rushing, you’ll need a whole day. The trail ends at a 12th-century rock-hewn hermitage, which you can enter, provided you don’t panic at heights or narrow rock passages.

Before you go: Bears & basics

Abruzzo is known for its beautiful wildlife. That’s why a bear is the symbol of Majella Park. And you could theoretically encounter this beautiful, yet dangerous, animal while enjoying the Eremo San Giovanni all’Orfento hike in the mountains.
That’s why I spent the evening before the hike reading about bears and what to do if you come across one. I simply didn’t want to be eaten, even if bears don’t eat you. But they can chew on you and spit you out.

I also read about grizzlies and black bears, so if I ever find myself in Alaska and have a tête-à-tête with a bear, I’ll know what to do.

But don’t worry – the Marsican brown bear, which lives in Abruzzo, is different from its cousins; it’s shy and avoids people, and encounters are extremely rare. But if it happens, read here how to behave if you spot a bear; by the way, many hikers in Abruzzo would envy you such a contact.

Starting point: Caramanico Terme & Visitor Center

Before setting off on your hike, pop into the Caramanico Terme Visitor Center, on Via del Vivaio, where you’ll be asked to register and inform them where you’re going.
Honestly, I thought it was for safety reasons and to prevent encounters with the bear gangs roaming the park, but it’s because the park management wants to count and monitor the number of tourists walking through Majella. At least they said so.

Track – what to expect

The Eremo San Giovanni all’Orfento hike hike begins in Caramanico Terme, but it was not very easy to find exactly where. The best option is just to use GPS, as we did – we typed “Eremo San Giovanni all’Orfento hike ,” and it led us to the car park. A short distance into the forest, we found a small wooden sign indicating the S route and set off.

It was June – the day was lovely, a crazy sun was shining through the slightly hazy sky … great for the beach, but we were in the mountains. Luckily, thanks to my enormous hat, my brain didn’t boil, as much of the route is in full sun.

So bear in mind – if you want to do this route in summer, take a hat, sunscreen, and plenty of water. Trekking shoes and comfy clothes are obvious.

At first, we were walking through the forest. Suddenly, I heard a strange sound behind me. A bear flashed before my eyes; the bear manual I’d studied the night before replayed in my head.
I calmly turned around to slowly wave my arms, as I was supposed to do in such a situation. Behind me stood a beautiful, tiny deer, staring at me with its huge brown eyes. Before I could even turn on the camera, it had leaped into the bushes. I’m always thrilled when I encounter a wild animal, especially one that doesn’t want to eat me. Be sure, then, that you have your camera ready in case of such an experience.

At the edge of the forest was a fountain. We filled two empty plastic bottles with water, which we didn’t throw away. Thankfully, the next fountain is almost a two-hour walk away.

Crossing the plateau (I’m ready to die)

After passing through a shady forest, we came out onto vast plateaus. There were no trees, and therefore no shade, and the road led uphill.

I love Abruzzo, but this time I didn’t feel particularly enthusiastic; after a few minutes, I decided I was ready to die. I trudged uphill for over an hour and a half.
It was around noon, the sun was beating down like crazy, so I stopped every few minutes, under the pretext of taking a photo, but really to catch my breath.

With my tongue hanging out, almost certain I was about to expire, I crawled to the edge of the plateau, and hallelujah! There was a fountain of fresh mountain water.

Eremo San Giovanni all’Orfento hike – a  weird forest

The rest of the path led through the forest: the trees were a strange brownish-gray, twisted, probably by wind and snow, and growing in an odd order.

The forest was dark, with no sunlight penetrating the treetops. The air was fresh but heavy and still. And it was very, very quiet. There was something unsettling about it; it felt like a forest from a fantasy novel.
I wouldn’t be surprised if a pack of orcs, wolves, bears, or whatever else jumped us, but we stopped to eat sandwiches anyway.

The twisted forest continued uphill; after emerging, a path began descending into another wood. My hiking poles came in handy, as although the descent wasn’t difficult, it was quite steep and covered with more or less dry leaves, making it slippery. The next difficulty was finding the way to the hermitage. There were no signs, so we stuck to what looked like a path. After about 10 minutes of descending, we saw what looked like our destination.

The final challenge: entering the hermitage

I breathed a sigh of relief, certain that the hard part was behind me. I was wrong.

Hermits, as the name suggests, had a strange habit of living in hermitages, essentially in hard-to-reach places. And that’s no different with San Giovanni all’Orfento. Entering the rock-carved cave might not appeal to those who don’t like steep walls and heights. I don’t.

First, you have to descend through a narrow passage carved into the rock. There are handholds in the rock, so this section isn’t too bad.

Next, to see the hermitage inside, you have to walk along a narrow path carved into the rock. The rock is steep, the passage is at a height of about 4-5 meters, and is about 8 meters long. There are no handholds, so you have to keep your back to the wall, don’t look down, and don’t panic.
By the way, I wondered what the mortality rate was for hermits trying to reach their cave.

The last part of the route can be done crawling. Literally. Crawling is the only way to reach the hermitage. And then you have the opportunity to feel like the filling of a rock sandwich: a rock above your head, a rock below your belly, and a several-meter drop. I didn’t feel like being the filling, so I gave up on crawling. Besides, there were a few people in the hermitage, so we would have had to wait for them to leave anyway. And since they weren’t in a hurry… that didn’t bother me.
I reached the hermitage, but I didn’t go in.

The way back & why Eremo San Giovanni all’Orfento hike is worth it

Fortunately, the return journey was more downhill than uphill, so even the sun wasn’t too bothersome. Before the trail ended, we spotted a few photogenic goats posing perfectly for photos.

The trail took us over seven hours; on long paths, such as the Eremo San Giovanni all’Orfento hike , I always wonder if I truly enjoy climbing or simply conquering peaks/achieving goals. Regardless, seven hours surrounded by nature, beautiful views, and being alone (apart from my partner) in the blazing sun was a chance to test my physical and mental strength. I could, like other bloggers, add something about the spiritual experience, but for me, climbing is primarily about testing myself and recharging my batteries, despite physical exhaustion. Is the long route to the eremo worth it? Absolutely.

 Eremo San Giovanni all’Orfento hike – some facts

• Location: Majella National Park, Abruzzo, Italy

• Starting point: Caramanico Terme (Visitor Center registration required) or Decontra

• Distance: ~13 km (round trip)

• Elevation gain: ~900 m

• Time required: 6–8 hours (depending on pace and breaks)

• Difficulty: Hard – long, exposed sections, crawling required

• Highlights: 12th-century rock-hewn hermitage, forests, plateaus, wildlife encounters

• Best season: Spring and autumn (avoid midday summer heat)

• Gear tips: Good hiking shoes, hat, sunscreen, water (fill up at fountains), trekking poles

• I wouldn’t reccomend the Eremo San Giovanni all’Orfento hike  for people with severe fear of heights –  narrow ledges and crawling sections.