Start by going downhill from the centre of Ponticelli, a trail that alternates between paved and dirt roads surrounded by a landscape of olive groves and oak trees until you reach Poggio Corese. To the left you’ll spot Castello Orsini in the town of Nerola. At some places the route crosses paths with the old Via Salaria. When you reach Acquaviva you can eat and drink something refreshing in the town centre. The trail takes you down into the valley and then up again to the town of Montelibretti, home to the lovely Palazzo Barberini. The landscape is graced by olive groves, large orchards and fertile fields of crops. You will find the Via Vecchia Nomentana, another old Consular road built by the Romans. There are ascents and descents, so walk at a slow and even pace. In the distance the XIII century Torre della Fiora reaches into the sky, this is the Roman countryside, and you almost forget how near Rome really is. You pass through the Macchia di Gattaceca natural reserve and the scenery changes again, now featuring fields of wheat and pasturelands until you reach the centre of Monterotondo, an old feudal holding of the noble Barberini family.