For those who associate the summer months with the wild nature and crisp temperatures of the Apennine peaks, there is a natural event of extraordinary magnitude that is redesigning the high-altitude geography of central Italy. In the heart of the Sibillini Mountains National Park, the only basin of glacial origin in the Marche has recovered its most spectacular physiognomy. Lake Pilato has in fact returned to show its famous glasses shape, a hydrological phenomenon that has not been recorded for about a decade and which immediately captured the attention of scientists, hikers and mountaineers.
The rebirth of the double basin at 2000 meters above sea level
Lying at 1,941 meters above sea level on the steep slopes of Monte Vettore, the site had been heavily penalized in recent times by a prolonged drought and the drastic reduction in winter snowfall. These unfavorable climatic conditions had progressively impoverished the basin, leaving the two glacial basins separated and isolated from each other like two distinct ponds.
However, the abundant snowfalls accumulated during the last cold season have reversed the trend: the gradual melting of the residual snow at high altitude has released a flow of water capable of bridging the difference in altitude, uniting the two bodies of water once again in a single and evocative geometric figure.
Expert monitoring and protection of the Marchesoni Chirocephalus
The union of the water bodies was documented by the mountaineer Sara Marcelli who, during an excursion along the paths of the massif, noted how the current volumes are continuing to grow thanks to the snow accumulations that still cover the rocky slopes. The restoration of the original water level not only represents a landscape achievement of rare beauty, but constitutes a vital element for the local ecosystem.
These very clear waters are in fact the only terrestrial habitat in which the Marchesoni Chirocephalus survives, a very rare endemic crustacean unique in the world which strictly depends on the biological and thermal stability of this Apennine basin. For lovers of slow walking, the mountain has returned its most precious symbol.
You might also be interested in:
