Ski facilities

In 1958, on the initiative of Dr. Walter Pizi, the interim Director of CARISAP (Savings Bank of Ascoli Piceno ), the “San Marco Chairlift Company “ was established. The name of the organization originated from the original plan to build a chairlift starting from S. Marco Hill.

It was a mixed-ownership company, with both public and private participation, funded through the subscription of shares valued at 10,000 lire each.

Among the founding entities were the Province, the Municipality of Ascoli Piceno, and the Tourism Board for Health and Recreation.

The goals were to promote skiing, particularly by encouraging youth involvement in a sport that was still underdeveloped in the Piceno area at the time. In fact, the only existing ski facilities were at Forca Canapine in Arquata.

After a thorough analysis of the territory, the initial project was modified, opting instead for the construction of a cable car from S. Giacomo di Valle Castellana to Piselli Mount.

The aim was to place the facility in an area with more reliable and lasting snowfall, which S. Marco Hill, situated at an altitude of 700 meters above sea level, could not provide. The Province of Ascoli Piceno, under the leadership of Professor Ramazzotti, committed to building a new road from S. Marco Hill to S. Giacomo, along with a large parking area at the arrival point.

Between 1964 and 1966, the cable car was built, supported in part by funding from the Ministry of Tourism. The ski resort included three ski runs and two beginner areas on Piselli Mount, where a double ski lift was installed, and the existing refuge was transformed into a hotel/restaurant.

The facility’s success exceeded the most optimistic forecasts, attracting significant numbers of visitors from Marche and Abruzzo.

In 1998, the first Consortium was replaced by a newly established one, CO.TU.GE. (the Tourism Consortium of the Monti Gemelli District). This new consortium included four entities from the Marche region: the Province of Ascoli Piceno, the BIM Tronto River Consortium of Ascoli Piceno, the Municipality of Ascoli Piceno, and the Municipality of Folignano, holding 50% of the capital. The other 50% was held by seven entities from the Province of Teramo: the Province of Teramo, the Municipality of Valle Castellana, the Municipality of Civitella del Tronto, the Municipality of Campli, the Monti della Laga Community, the BIM Tronto River Consortium of Teramo, and the BIM Vomano Tordino Consortium.

On February 14, 2020, the Consorted Entities adopted a new statute through a revised framework agreement.