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Along the ridge of Mount Subasio, there are some isolated peaks: the most important are, from north to south, Mount Subasio (4.232 ft), Mount Civitelle (4.200 ft), and La Sermolla (3.907 ft).
San Rufino hill (3.641 ft) can be clearly seen over the north-western end of the ridge, while Madonna della Spella (3.208 ft) stands on the south-eastern part of the relief; further south, separated from Fosso Renaro Valley, there’s Monte Pietrolungo (2.999 ft).

The peculiar rounded shape and the towns of Assisi and Spello along its slopes, make Mount Subasio easily identifiable in that Umbrian plain.
The mountain actually separates and connects at the same time the historic city centers of Assisi, Spello, Nocera Umbra, and Valtopina – it really looks like some sort of natural frame and a unifying element of the landscape.

The top of Mount Subasio, mostly flat and with prominent karstic phenomena, makes a striking contrast with its steep slopes, especially on its eastern face.

Today, the slopes of Mount Subasio are covered by some important trees arranged into three specific belts: the first one features olive trees, whose cultivation stretches from Assisi to Spello on one side, and from Costa di Trex to Armenzano and San Giovanni on the pother; the second belt is made of spontaneous Turkey oaks, downy oaks, black hornbeams, ashes, maples, beeches and holm oaks. A thick grove of tall resinous trees, created by re-forestation, is the most important feature of the third belt, together with cacuminal pasture meadows.

The remarkable variety of natural environments hosts a very poor fauna, despite the strict ban on hunting which has been enforced for some decades; wolves are occasionally spotted, while golden eagles were seen until the 1960s along with rock partridges.

The current management of the mountain favors the new colonization of grey partridges, wild cats, squirrels, rock pigeons, Eurasian magpies, jays, porcupines, badgers, foxes, weasels, stone martens, and wild boars. Among the birds of prey, especially on the eastern face of the mountain, there are buzzards, goshawks, and scops owls.

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)