We decided to spend the end of 2021 and the beginning of 2022 in Abruzzo, a region in central Italy, not too far from Rome. One of the main attractions is Gran Sasso, an imposing 3,000 meter mountain, the highest in central Italy. A nuclear physics laboratory sits underneath.

Abruzzo is not well-known to tourists, but there are plenty of things to do and see there. We flew into Roma Fiumicino airport and then rented a car and drove to Teramo, our base for our exploration of Abruzzo.

Day 1: Prati di Tivo

To get a closer look at Grans Sasso, we drove from Teramo along SS80 toward Montorio al Vomano and then turned left toward Pietracamela. At the end of the road is Prati di Tivo, located at the bottom of Gran Sasso. It is a 1 hour drive from Teramo.

The mountain is imposing and picturesque in the winter. We hiked a trail from Prati di Tivo toward Rifugio Franchetti, but since it was snowy and icy we did not go very far.

Day 2

Santo Stefano di Sessanio

We decided to leave Gran Sasso behind and explore other parts of Abruzzo. From Teramo we drove to L’Aquila via highway A24 and then took SS17 to Barisciano and then drove to Santo Stefano di Sessanio. It is a medieval town in the middle of hills and mountains, with stunning views from left and right. The town consists of narrow, steep streets and archways. It is fun to explore and get lost in the narrow alleys. They made a movie about it, telling the story of Daniele Kihlgren and Sextantio.

Rocca Calascio

After Santo Stefano di Sessanio, we drove to Rocca Calascio. We parked right before the town of Calascio and asked the locals for the trail up to the rocca (“fortress”). We hiked up the hill. You can also drive, but hiking is definitely more rewarding.

Rocca Calascio consists of a few ruins of a military defense structure. As it sits on top of a hill, it dominates the territory underneath. The view is grand. There is also a good restaurant, popular with tourists and locals. Dishes are simple and earthy.

Castel del Monte

As our final stop, we drove to Castel del Monte, another picturesque medieval town in the middle of hills and mountains. Like Santo Stefano di Sessanio, Castel del Monte consists of narrow and steep streets. The signs of the 2009 earthquake are still visible on many buildings and the work of reconstruction has not yet been completed.

Be back!

We decide that we should come back here. Instead of driving from one town to the next, a better idea is to hike through the hills from one town to the other, and take in the views more slowly and mindfully.

Day 3: Roccaraso

On another day we visited one of the most famous ski resorts of central Italy, Roccaraso. The drive from Teramo is long, about 2 hours. We first took the highway along the Adriatic sea toward Chieti-Pescara and then E80 towards Rome and took the exit at Pratola Peligna. Then, we drove south along SS17 finally arriving to Roccaraso. There are some interesting towns along the way, like Sulmona and Pacentro, but did not have time to stop and visit them.

Roccaraso is a busy ski resort. It feels quite different from the rest of Abruzzo, busier and touristy. We hiked up a trail and got a pretty good view of the surrounding mountains. We also took a gondola all the way to the top of a very steep mountain!

Day 4

Campotosto

Back in Teramo, we drove to Lago di Campotosto. It is a large reservoir of water, surrounded by picturesque mountains. We walked along the shore of the lake and then decided to drive further to the town of Amatrice.

Amatrice

Amatrice is famous for bucatini all’amatriciana. Bucatini are like spaghetti but they have a hole in the middle. Amatriciana is a red tomato-based sauce with guanciale (a bit like pancetta or bacon, but not exactly).

The other thing Amatrice is known for is the devastation following the 2009 earthquake. Walking through the town, one can still see the force of the earthquake able to destroy entire buildings and crash them to the ground with no mercy.

Mascioni

Our last stop for the day was the little town of Mascioni. We drove back to Camposto from Amatrice. The town sits on a hill along the lake. At first, there is nothing interesting about this town except that one can see the destruction following the earthquake. But this is nothing new for Abruzzo.

The locals like this place for the sunset. To see the sunset, we walked up to to the main square. From there, one can see the snowcapped mountains all around and a beautiful sunset. It was a magical and unexpected gift before the end of the day.

Day 5: Teramo

Since our base was the town of Teramo, we decide to explore it a bit. We wandered around the city center. We should have probably done some historical research, but we just visited the main church and then sat outside in a cafe overlooking the main square. We thought we could have a glass of wine before dinner or an aperitivo, but instead, the municipality decided to issue an ordinance that prohibited alcoholic beverages after 6 PM. Perhaps with good reason, since it was the evening of December 31st. So we reverted to espresso and fruit juice.

Day 6: Campo Imperatore

Before leaving, we wanted to get another look at Gran Sasso, this time from Campo Imperatore. We drove along highway A24 from Teramo and then took the exit at Assergi. The highway runs for several kilometers in a tunnel underneath Gran Sasso. Assergi is right after the end of the tunnel, coming from Teramo. The SS17bis goes all the way up to Campo Imperatore, but because of the snow, the road is closed in the winter.

We parked our car at Fonte Cerreto where there is a cable car that goes up to Campo Imperatore. Instead of taking the cable car, however, we took a steep trail uphill. We made it almost all the way to the top, but the last bit proved to be too dangerous. There was snow and ice, and sheer drops below. The snow was also –at times– too deep and without snowshoes, it was difficult to make progress.

We hiked back down and took the cable car to the top. It was probably a good idea. It would have been too risky to hike. The view from the top is stunning. One would not expect so much open space up there. Some call Campo Imperatore the Tibet of Italy.