The growing development of active, sports and adventure tourism is a challenge that Abruzzo has met by playing its trump cards of strong nature, unspoiled territories, countless trails through gullies, torrents, castles, retreats, peaks, highlands, woods, ancient villages: a thrilling mix for very much out-of-the-ordinary holidays.
Abruzzo’s 130 kilometres of coastline, the tallest Apennine peaks soaring sheer above the sea, a boundless system of intramountain plateaux, three large National Parks and a Regional Park, not to mention over 30 Nature Reserves, are the perfect scenario for those who prefer an active holiday,where sport and movement are not only the end, but also the means for enjoying the extraordinary environmental resources of this region.
If the truth be told, from the coast to the mountains there is no lack of choice, because Abruzzo destinations offer countless possibilities for spending free time immersed in nature and for doing what we like best.
The almost unique aspect of this region is actually the way it encapsulates in what is not a particularly big territory, a system of very varied milieus, composing an anthology of the entire Italian landscape: ranging from typically Mediterranean marine and coastal habitats (with pine groves and coastal woods, dunes and cliffs, vast beaches and isolated coves) to what can only be called the alpine mountainscapes (including the tallest peaks on the Apennine),with a middle area of compact hills tidily furrowed by valleys, boasting a fine agricultural countryside dotted with tiny towns, and rising fast towards the mounts.
The complex mountain system, comprising three great massifs, tall rocky peaks, vast plateaux and wooded crests, gazes across the Adriatic like some magical balcony: the sea is in the air even on the highest peaks, and is clearly visible just a few kilometres away, as the crow flies. If you feel so inclined, a stroll through the mountains in the morning, can be followed by a swim in the sea during the afternoon, and the day can close with a starlit dinner out in the countryside.
The mountains of Abruzzo
This is above all a mountain region. Wherever your gaze turns inland from any point on the coast, you will encounter an endless theory of rocky peaks soaring skywards: from north to south, the massifs of the Laga, Gran Sasso and Majella ranges.
A fantastic high-altitude universe that is the rocky backbone of this region, constituting the most formidable Apennine mountain complex (with obviously alpine features), in the heart of Italy and the Mediterranean.
There are sharp peaks that skim 3,000 metres in height, immense intramountain plains, narrow gorges eroded by impetuous torrents and wide valleys cut by ancient glaciers, lakes, cascades,wild ravines and rolling pastures, endless woods,mugo pine grove and high-altitude steppe.
All basking in the scent of sea air, because the Adriatic is only a few kilometres away. In between the gentle hillsides with their olive groves and vineyards, plunged in tradition and atmosphere.
The great plateaux are absolutely the most alluring aspect of the Abruzzo mountains:who would think of seeingTibet just an hour from Rome.
These huge intramountain plains, in some cases only a few kilometres wide, in other instances roll on for many kilometres, were formed during the geological eras by the action of glaciers and by the very karstic nature of these mountains.
A first visit to one of the great highlands of Abruzzo, especially if we refer to Campo Imperatore (the most spectacular,with its breathtaking space so reminiscent ofTibet) is a fascinating experience and may well remain etched forever in your mind.
Apart from Campo Imperatore,we could suggest Piano di Cascina, north of L’Aquila and near the Latium border; theVoltigno, looking over the province of Pescara from the crest of Gran Sasso; the delle Rocche plateaux,wedged between the Sirente andVelino peaks,with the neighbouring Piani di Pezza and Prati del Sirente; Passo San Leonardo, the Majella plateau; and to close, in the southern mountain area, another enormous complex, the articulated great plateaux or Altipiani Maggiori of Abruzzo: Piano delle Cinquemiglia, Piano d’Aremogna (above Roccaraso), the plains among Roccaraso, Rivisondoli, Pescocostanzo, the Sant’Antonio wood and the Forchetta pass.
Then there are the plain-type environments amidst the peaks,which geologists and geographers call “high-altitude summit plains”,which have in store some equally thrilling emotions,with their extreme moonscape atmosphere:we refer to the Femmina Morta ravine on Majella; Serra di Chiarano, connecting Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise National Park to Majella.
Places that may be difficult to reach but which offer a unique experience in nature.
Mountain Walking in Abruzzo
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