Visiting the Gran Sasso
The highest massif in the Apennines, in the heart of Abruzzo, less than two hours from Rome. The Corno Grande tops out at 2,912 metres, and at its foot lies Campo Imperatore, a high plateau of short grass where horses roam free, often compared to Tibet. All around, a national park covers the slopes as far as the Laga mountains.
On the southern side, grey stone villages such as Santo Stefano di Sessanio or Castel del Monte have kept their medieval lanes, built by shepherds who went down to Puglia every winter. Below, L'Aquila is raising its churches again after the 2009 earthquake. You come for the mountains, the open spaces and a side of Italy few visitors know.
You'll love it if
- You like walking through open landscapes, far from the crowds
- You're after medieval villages that have stayed authentic
- You want wild mountains two hours from Rome
Look elsewhere if
- You're travelling without a car: the villages are poorly served
- You want lively resorts and lots of services
- You dislike mountain roads and winter cold
The must-sees
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1 The Campo Imperatore plateau
A cable car climbs from Fonte Cerreto to the edge of the plateau, at over two thousand metres. Before you lies an immense treeless meadow, free-roaming horses and the pyramid of the Corno Grande. At sunset, the grass turns gold.
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2 The fortress of Rocca Calascio Castle
At almost 1,500 metres, one of the highest fortresses in Italy watches over the Tirino valley. Its round towers and the small octagonal church next to it have served as a set for several films. Walk up from the village at dawn or late in the day.
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3 Santo Stefano di Sessanio Village
A village of honey-coloured stone with vaulted lanes, once Medici land, where the family traded in wool. Houses here have been restored with nothing modern in sight. Try its lentils, grown in the fields above the village.
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4 Climbing the Corno Grande Mountain
The summit of the Apennines can be climbed in a day from Campo Imperatore, by a stony normal route with no difficult climbing for a fit walker. Up there, the Calderone glacier is the southernmost in Europe. Set off early and check the weather.
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In L'Aquila, its façade of pink and white stone forms geometric patterns. A pope was crowned here in 1294, and every late August the city still celebrates the pardon he established. Restored after the earthquake, it has reopened its doors.
The classic trap
Heading up to Campo Imperatore in mid-winter counting on the road. Part of it closes with the snow, and you'll then only reach the plateau by cable car. In spring and autumn the weather can turn fast up high: bring a warm jacket, even in high summer, and head back before the fog.
Our itineraries in the Gran Sasso
| Length | Route | What you see |
|---|---|---|
| 3 days | L'Aquila › Campo Imperatore › Santo Stefano di Sessanio | The city, the great plateau and a medieval village |
| 5 days | L'Aquila › Campo Imperatore › Rocca Calascio › Castel del Monte | The plateau, the fortress, the southern villages and a hike |
| 1 week | From the southern side to the Teramo side, through the Gran Sasso tunnel | Both faces of the massif, the Corno Grande and the potters' villages |
Start with L'Aquila and its churches, then go up to the Campo Imperatore plateau. The next day, head to Santo Stefano di Sessanio and the fortress of Rocca Calascio, ten minutes away. Got a week? Try the Corno Grande in fine weather, then cross to the Teramo side, greener and steeper.
When to visit the Gran Sasso
| Appeal | Season | Temperatures | Highlight | Crowds and prices |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WinterDec. to March | -10 to 6 °C | Skiing at Campo Imperatore and villages under snow | Medium | |
| SpringApril to June | 2 to 20 °C | Meadows in flower on the plateau, in June | Low | |
| SummerJuly and Aug. | 10 to 27 °C | The Corno Grande, the flocks and cool nights | Medium | |
| AutumnSept. and Oct. | 4 to 20 °C | Russet beech woods and empty trails | Low |
Our advice
Come from late June to late September for hiking: the plateau road is open and the Corno Grande clear of snow. In late June, the meadows of Campo Imperatore are in flower. Avoid 15 August if you want peace: Italians drive up to the plateau in large numbers for the day.
Getting to the Gran Sasso
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By plane to Rome or Pescara The simplest
Rome has direct flights from London and many UK cities, and Fiumicino airport is about two hours' drive from L'Aquila. Pescara, smaller, also has flights from London and is only an hour from the eastern side of the massif.
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By bus from Rome Without a car at first
Frequent buses link Rome and L'Aquila in under two hours, faster than the train. From there, a few lines go up to Assergi and the villages, but they remain rare.
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By hire car Once there
Hire a car at the airport: by motorway, L'Aquila is just over an hour from Rome. A car remains the only practical way to get from village to village, and a UK licence is all you need.
Once there, a motorway crosses the massif through a long tunnel, linking L'Aquila to the Teramo side in half an hour. The roads to the villages and the plateau are slower, narrow and winding, and part of them closes in winter.
Getting around the Gran Sasso
A car is essential: buses serve L'Aquila but hardly reach the villages. The cable car from Fonte Cerreto goes up to the plateau in winter and summer alike, with maintenance breaks between seasons. On foot, the park's waymarked trails link the villages and climb towards the summits.
Good to know
On the plateau there is no petrol station or cash machine, and mobile coverage is patchy. Fill up in L'Aquila or down in the valley. In winter, snow tyres or chains are compulsory on mountain roads. Remember that Italians drive on the right.
What to eat in the Gran Sasso
- Arrosticini: small skewers of mutton grilled over a wood fire, eaten by the dozen.
- Santo Stefano lentils: tiny and brown, grown at altitude, served as a soup.
- Canestrato di Castel del Monte: the aged sheep's cheese of the plateau's shepherds.
- Pecorino di Farindola: a rare sheep's cheese, curdled with pig rennet.
- Saffron from L'Aquila: grown on the Navelli plateau, at the foot of the massif.
- Mortadella di Campotosto: a small oval salami with a stick of lard in the middle.
To eat like the locals, look on the plateau for one of the little kiosks where you buy the meat at the counter and grill it yourself over braziers. In the villages, trattorias serve pasta alla chitarra with mutton ragù. In the evening, book ahead: many close early out of season.
Where to stay in the Gran Sasso
| Area | What for | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| L'Aquila | City, churches, access to the cable car | The most practical |
| Santo Stefano and Calascio | Medieval village, fortress | The most beautiful |
| Castel del Monte | Shepherds' village, plateau | The most central |
| Teramo side | Forests, Prati di Tivo, ceramics | The greenest |
How much does a trip in the Gran Sasso cost?
| Trip | Length | Budget per person |
|---|---|---|
| Budget (B&Bs, trattorias, arrosticini) | 5 days | €350 to €550 |
| Comfort (village hotel, hire car) | 5 days | €650 to €1,000 |
| Luxury (albergo diffuso in a medieval village) | 5 days | €1,200 to €2,000 |
- The hire car: include it in your budget, you'll hardly manage without it.
- The cable car: its fare adds up if you go up to the plateau without a car.
- Arrosticini: grilled yourself on the plateau, they make a full meal for little.
- The season: in June and September you often pay less than in August.
- 15 August: village rooms go early, book weeks ahead.
Traditions and way of life in the Gran Sasso
For centuries, the Gran Sasso lived from wool. Every autumn the shepherds drove their flocks down to Puglia along the great transhumance routes, then came back up in spring. The stone villages of the southern side, such as Santo Stefano or Castel del Monte, were born of this trade, and the Medici drew part of their fortune from it.
In the 20th century emigration emptied these villages, and the 2009 earthquake struck L'Aquila and its surroundings hard. Since then, houses have been raised again one by one, sometimes turned into hotels spread through the village. Sleeping in a former sheepfold? It may have watched the flocks set off for the sea.