Climb the mountains
/Campo Imperatore and Rifugio Duca Degli Abruzzi
Campo Imperatore is a must visit of Abruzzo, it’s commonly named the Tibet of Abruzzo, it’s the largest plateau of the Appenines and it looks like a brown desert sorrounded by mountains.
For its scenic landscape it has been used for many movies and advertising.
You can reach the very center of the plateau driving with your car, while enjoying the view all around.
A good starting point for exploring is the Astronomic square, you can reach it with a car or even better with a cable seat right before reaching the top point, worth it for it’s relaxing and scenic view.
From there you can hike to reach the Rifugio Duca degli Abruzzi, it’s just 40 minutes hiking to reach the top where you can also have lunch and from there you will have a look on the northern side of the mountains and to many hiking walks across the mountains.
40 minutes from Campo Imperatore you can reach the restored town of Santo Stefano di Sessanio and the abandoned fortress of Rocca Calascio.
Rocca Calascio and Santo Stefano di Sessanio
56 km da Panfilo Farmhouse
Rocca Calascio is one of the highest castle in the Appennines at 1450m, close to the Campo Imperatore plateau.
The views all around are stunning and right below the castle there is the very small town of Calascio where you can have a tasty break with typical food.
Santo Stefano di Sessanio is just a few minutes drive from Calascio, and it's worth the visit for the restored stone houses and the charming atmosphere of a small medieval town in the middle of the mountains. Unfortunately at the moment there are many reconstruction works due to the recent earthquakes in the area.
For those who loves hiking it could also be reached with a 1h hike from Rocca Calascio.
Prati di Tivo and Rifugio Franchetti
To reach the starting place of Prati di Tivo it will take 1h drive by car.
• trekking time: 2h one way - 2h return • Itinerary in book: Itinerary 9 (page 36)
From Prati di tivo to Madonnina
Take the Madonnina cable car from Prati di Tivo, make a wish at the Madonnina and ring the bell.
Gran sasso: From Madonnina to Rifugio Franchetti
From the madonnina cable stop you can reach the highest refugee of the Appennines, Rifugio Franchetti, at 2433m. It will take about 2 hours of hiking.