Hiking in Campo Imperatore and Gran Sasso National Park
Whether you are a mere "tourist" or an avid hiker a hike in the Campo Imperatore area is a must
From Caporciano it is about 30 to 45 minutes by car, depending on where you choose to start. There are several options, with various levels of duration and difficulty, which you can find in any printed or online guidebook. We limit ourselves here to suggest a very brief selection, referring you to the CAI maps and various guidebooks for route details.
On the way back, always better not to delay the start of the mountain walks, you can stop in one of the villages you encounter along the way, all very beautiful and each with its own characteristics: Santo Stefano di Sessanio with its Medicean tower, Calascio with its fortress, Castelvecchio Calvisio with its characteristic walled core.
Three Lakes Ring
In about 35/40 minutes from Caporciano, through San Pio delle Camere, Calascio, Santo Stefano di Sessanio and, from there, going up the provincial road, we arrive at Rifugio Racollo, our starting point for this walk .
The easy route, on comfortable terrain, covers 13 km with only 400 meters of elevation gain, but allows for fantastic views of the plateau. Shortly after the start, you pass the ruins of the Cistercian grange of Santa Maria del Monte, a medieval outpost of sheep farming.
On the way back we suggest a restorative break at Rifugio Racollo. In the summertime, reservations are recommended to eat a full meal, but you can always buy excellent sandwiches from them, especially the prosciutto, pecorino, and “giro d’olio” ones.
Pericoli Field Ring
Another easy and scenic route, this time at the foot, or rather better said “flanks” of the Gran Sasso itself.
From Caporciano by car, it takes about 50 minutes to reach the hotel at Campo Imperatore, also the terminal of the cable car from L’Aquila. From here, elevation 2130 meters, proceed to the left of the Observatory and climb through a few hairpin bends, at the end of which you go to the right and to the slopes of the Passo di Monte Portella (2260 meters). Continue to the Sella di Monte Aquila saddle, at about 2330 meters.
You then descend to the right crossing Campo Pericoli. This is a glacial basin around 2100 meters. At the first fork you go left arriving at Rifugio Garibaldi, 2231 meters, the oldest on the entire Gran Sasso, built in 1886 (12 beds and 8 in a small room). Then descend again to the 2156 meters of Passo del Lupo, cross the southern slope of Monte Portella to return to Campo Imperatore.
The total route is about 9.5 km with about 600 meters of elevation gain.
The Brancastello Ridge
This is one of the most interesting and scenic trails on the Gran Sasso. From the trail you can admire the pyramid of the Corno Grande that rises with extraordinary grandeur above the Valle dell’Inferno. The trail includes a steep tear but is still elementary.
The starting point is reached from a left turn (1800 m) of the paved road to the Campo Imperatore hotel, where a dirt road, recognizable by the old picnic tables at the beginning, branches off to the right and climbs halfway up the hillside to Vado di Corno.
On foot follow the dirt road, which bends to the right and gives way to a path indicated by trail markers 106 and 6. An easy ascent leads to Vado di Corno (1924 m), cut by a service road to the Tunnel ventilation tunnel construction site, which passes vertically (evidence of the impact of the work even on the surface)
The trail climbs and continues on the rocky and spectacular ridge line, avoiding a landslide and reaching another saddle.
The trail, which splits into several tracks, climbs a grassy drop of the ridge, traverses to the right and reaches a plateau (2118 m), opposite the clearly recognizable Pizzo San Gabriele. On the Isola side the stazzo of Rigo Rosso can be seen. Edelweiss begin to appear here. You pass a second steep section, and come out into a sloping basin. Go around a grass and gravel knoll, leave the little path to Pizzo on the left (2210 m), and continue in the direction of Monte Brancastello.
Total duration about 4/5 hours for 11 km in length and 700 meters in elevation gain.
Countries to Visit
The suggested itinerary offers the opportunity to visit very interesting countries.
The choice depends on you and the time you want to devote to sightseeing versus walking, which we suggest doing mostly in the early morning. If you are not particularly athletic, you can concentrate on the villages–the good air and scenery are assured.
Castelvecchio Calvisio
Most interesting is the walled historic center with characteristic staircases cut out of the narrow alleys to allow the passage of some. Note the clock tower and the church of St. John the Baptist and, isolated outside the old town, the church of St. Cyprian with its ciborium
Calascio and its Rocca
The fortress of Calascio is one of the iconic images of Abruzzo and, today, of Italy in general, appearing in countless films and commercials.
The village overlooks a breathtaking panorama and offers various points of interest: the Church of St. Anthony Abbot, that of St. Charles, aristocratic palaces that testify, as in other villages in the area, to the wealth once generated by sheep, for their wool. Don’t miss the museum (workshop) of goldsmith art.
Santo Stefano di Sessanio
Now a well-known destination (avoid going on summer weekends), its streets alternate between renovated old mansions, noble palaces and the famous Medicean Tower.
Castel del Monte
On the edge of the Campo Imperatore plateau, the capital of sheep farming for centuries, the village is rich in historical insights, from the tower, to the numerous churches, to the “diffuse” ethnographic museum that shows ,in various dwellings, objects and ways of life of the past. Note the monument to the miners who died in the Marcinelle mine, many of them Abruzzese
Barisciano
Large center along S.S.17, rich like many other centers in churches and beautiful mansions, now often carefully restored. Of note, outside the town, is the Park Botanical Garden at the convent of Santo Colombo
USEFUL INFO.
- From Caporciano to get to the various starting points for the Campo Imperatore hikes consider a good hour’s drive
- On the outward journey, the best way is up from San Pio delle Camere, Castelvecchio Calvisio, Calascio Santo Stefano di Sessanio, then by the provincial road that passes the Racollo refuge (starting point of the Three Little Lakes itinerary), then turning left at the crossroads to the Campo Imperatore/Funivia hotel, starting point for various itineraries around the Gran Sasso
- In the summer period, the suggestion is to avoid weekends, to avoid the peak of visitors
- Appropriate shoes and clothes are also recommended in the event of sudden weather changes
- Along the plateau you can find some shepherds selling cheese and sandwiches.
- The complete loop is about 105 km
REFERENCES
- Rifugio Racollo
Location Lake Racollo, 67020 Santo Stefano di Sessanio AQ
Phone: 328 164 9396
Location 42.39853015874543, 13.656831456717306 - Il Palazzo Locanda and Residence
Via Gabriele D’Annunzio, 13, 67020 Santo Stefano di Sessanio AQ
Phone: 328 161 5128 - Calascino Cafe
Provincial Road 7, 61, 67020 Calascio AQ
320 876 0658 - Museum of Jewelry – Calascio
Verna Jewelry
Email: info@vernaoro.it
Tel: +39 085380288
(The museum is private, contact to verify visits) - Consorzio Produttori del Canestrato di Castel del Monte
Strada Provinciale, 1
67020 Calascio (AQ)
Tel: 0862/930345 - Capra&Co.
(cheese production and sale in Santo Stefano di Sessanio)
Tel. 335 600 2838
capreeco@gmail.com - Aquilana – Wool and wool garments
Piazza Medicea, 8 and 9, 67020 Santo Stefano di Sessanio AQ
Phone: 347 658 8531
Whether you choose one of our suites or one of the apartments, Palazzo D’Alessandro welcomes you with harmonious spaces, refined atmospheres and an elegance that accompanies every moment of your stay.
