Straddling the central Italian regions of Marche and Umbria, the National Park of the Sibillini Mountains protects the mountain chain of the same name, which includes the highest peak of the Umbria-Marche Apennines, the Monte Vettore (2476m), and the surrounding hilly landscape, dotted with medieval villages, castles and abbeys, farms and cultivated fields.

The three major earthquakes that struck central Italy in 2016, the first one on August 24, and then again on October 26 and 30, hit hard on these areas; towns like Arquata del Tronto and Castelluccio, both located inside the national park, were completely or largely destroyed. Many trails and agriturismi were closed because deemed unsafe, causing added suffering to an area that bases most of its economy on tourism.