Gran Sasso and Laga Mountains National Park

The Park's territory

Gran Sasso and Laga Mountains National Park has been officially founded in 1991, covering a very large area, of over 200.000 hectares, including 3 Italian regions: Marche, Abruzzo and Lazio - 5 provinces - Ascoli Piceno, L'Aquila, Pescara, Rieti and Teramo - and 44 municipalities. Its large territory is divided in 11 districts, with 80 itineraries to discover while admiring the natural and cultural treasures of the Park: "Tra i due regni" (Between Two Kingdoms), "Cascate e boschi" (Waterfalls and Woodlands), "Strada maestra" (Major Road), "Valle siciliana" (Sicilian Valley), "Grandi Abbazie" (Great Abbeys), "Valle del Tirino" (Tirino Valley), "Terre della Baronia" (The Barony Lands), "Alte vette" (High Summits), "Alta Valle Aterno" (Upper Aterno Valley), "Sorgenti del Tronto" (The Springs of Tronto) and "Via del Sale" (The Way of the Salt).

The Gran Sasso

The higest mountain chain from the park is Gran Sasso, situated in DAS GEBIET of the Provinces of Teramo, Pescara and L'Aquila. Corno Grande, with a height of 2912 metres, is the highest peak of Gran Sasso and of the Apennines. Caldarone Glacier from Corno Grande is the only glacier of the Apennines and the southernmost in Europe.

L'ippovia del Gran Sasso

"L'ippovia del Gran Sasso", a horse route of about 320 km is situated entirely within the Gran Sasso and Laga Mountains National Park.

The route is suitable also for mountain bike or by foot, offering the travellers different restaurants and rest areas every few km.

Gran Sasso's flora and fauna

In the Park's territory there are over 2,000 species of plants. The remarkable richness of the vegetation is due to the high altitudes and to the different geological conditions of the main massifs. The most precious floral elements grow on the highest peaks, with many glacial relicts of northern or eastern origin coming from the Eurasian steppes and from the Balcanic mountains and endemic plants which make the Park one of the most interesting Mediterranean areas from the floristic point of view, with a great biological diversity. Among the various endemic species, the most famous are: the Androsace Mathildae, the Adonide ricurva, the violet of the Majella, the Apennine edelweiss, the wormwood, many species of saxifrage and others. As regarding the fauna, we'll find rare animal species such as the Marsican brown bear, the Apennine wolf, the Abruzzo Chamois and rare birds of prey like Golden Eagles, Goshawks, Peregrines, Lanners and Eagle Owls.