The Accumuli Wetlands (Pantani di Accumuli) are located exactly on the border between the Monti Sibillini National Park and the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park. The area is classified as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and is part of Natura 2000, the European Union’s main ecological network for biodiversity conservation. In a recent ruling, Antonio Perinelli, Commissioner for the liquidation of civic uses for Lazio, Umbria and Tuscany, established that the lands of the Pantani area, in the municipality of Accumoli, are collective property belonging to the local community and are part of the civic domain. This ruling saves a precious natural area and rewards the perseverance of Salviamo l’Orso, supported by WWF, Mountain Wilderness, LIPU, CAI, Federtrek and Comitato 3.36.
The decision annuls the authorizations issued by the Municipality of Accumoli and the Lazio Region for the construction of a multi-storey mountain lodge and its access road. According to the ruling, the areas are subject to civic use rights and could not have been designated for construction without the prior change-of-use authorization required by law.
The proceedings before the Civic Uses Court of Lazio and Tuscany began in 2019 following a complaint filed by a citizen who had reported the intention of the Municipality of Accumoli and the Lazio Region to carry out the project in an area of outstanding natural value. Subsequently, during the proceedings, Salviamo l’Orso joined the case as claimant.
A decisive role was played by the court-appointed technical expert report, which reconstructed the legal history of the lands. The analysis showed that the Pantani area has retained the status of civic domain for centuries and that the inhabitants of Accumoli have historically exercised collective rights of grazing and wood gathering. The Commissioner fully endorsed the expert’s conclusions, noting that no evidence had been provided capable of overcoming the presumption of public ownership recognized by case law for this type of land.
The ruling therefore declares that the lands constitute collective property of the citizens of Accumoli, orders their restoration in favour of the Municipality, entrusting implementation to the Lazio Region, and requires the registration of the decision in the Public Real Estate Registers.
The Commissioner also noted that, in 2021, the Municipality of Accumoli had approved the final project for the mountain lodge and the related urban planning amendment without obtaining the necessary authorization required for lands subject to civic use rights. For this reason, the Municipality was ordered to reimburse Salviamo l’Orso for legal expenses, amounting to €10,860 plus statutory charges, as well as to cover the costs of the technical expert assessment. The costs involving the Lazio Region were instead offset.
The Pantani di Accumoli represent one of the most valuable mountain wetland environments in the central Apennines. They consist of small glacial-origin lakes located between the Monti Sibillini and Monti della Laga, in a high-altitude valley surrounded by mountain pastures and panoramic views. The area, particularly striking from spring to autumn, is included in the Natura 2000 network thanks to the presence of three habitats of European interest and numerous protected species.
Among these is the Apennine yellow-bellied toad (Bombina pachypus), a small amphibian endemic to the Apennines and classified as a threatened species. Its survival is closely linked to shallow, temporary pools where it lays its eggs and completes its larval development. The Pantani are also home to the Italian crested newt (Triturus carnifex), another species protected at European level, as well as the Jersey tiger moth (Euplagia quadripunctaria), a butterfly species also of Community interest. It should also be noted that, in recent years, the area has seen an increasingly frequent presence of the Marsican brown bear, whose range in the Rieti area is becoming more established, from Petrella Salto to Amatrice and now also reaching Accumoli.
The area is also one of the most spectacular landscapes of the central Apennines. From the Pantani, the view opens towards the Cime del Redentore and Monte Vettore, while the site is crossed by the Cammino Naturale dei Parchi, a hiking route connecting some of the main protected areas of central Italy. The presence of wetlands, high-altitude pastures and rare species makes this territory particularly sensitive from a conservation perspective.
Lawyer Valeria Passeri, from the Perugia Bar Association and legal representative of Salviamo l’Orso, whom we sincerely thank for her commitment throughout the case, commented on the decision by stating that the ruling “restores legality and protects a fundamental collective heritage”. She highlighted how the Commissioner fully accepted the requests submitted by the association and confirmed the civic and public nature of the lands concerned.
Cover photo: Giuseppe Albrizio