Gran Sasso National Park
Author: VeronicaThe Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga national Park extends itself through 160.00 hectares of which 135,000 in Abruzzo. Inside there are the mountain ranges of Gran Sasso and Laga and it’s one of the largest parks in Italy.
Within its perimeter, the top of Big Horn is raised 2914 m above sea level, in fact it is the highest peak of Appennino Mountains, overlooking several other peaks that surround it, however, all above 2,000 meters. The beautiful conformations of limestone give to the eastern side of the massive, an aspect similar to Dolomites, where the mountains rise with their size directly from the hills.
Big Horn
The western slope presents a Tibetan aspect, with extended highlands, essential shapes profoundly formed by erosion of ancient glaciers and large expanses covered by grasslands, such as those that characterize the solemn landscape of Campo Imperatore. In both sides, steep slopes, steep ridges, pyramidal peaks, glacial cirques, characterize the high altitudes where there is the presence of the Calderone glacier which is at once the only of Appennino and the most southern of the European continent.
The Gran Sasso Mountain has an Alpine footprint, with major peaks and a myriad of paths to high altitudes, from where, in particularly clear days, it’s possibile to see the Adriatic Sea, the Tyrrhenian Sea and a large part of central Italy. Full of woods and streams, waterfalls and lakes, on the border between Abruzzo, Marche and Lazio, in one of the most secret and hidden corners in Italy, the mountains of Laga have a more gentle and undulating aspect.
Throughout the park you find a series of villages from the Middle Ages, often perfectly preserved with the original structures and in part still inhabited, that give these places a strong capacity for suggestion.
FLORA
The flora of the National Park of Gran Sasso and Laga Mounts is very diverse and change radically the accprfong to area where we are. Going to the eastern part of the Gran Sasso chain and from the Aquila side you find a totally different environment from that of the North West. In fact, in the east area the forests are present only at relatively low heights and consist mainly of pine and black oaks (the area of Castel Del Monte, Santo Stefano di Sessanio, Barisciano and San Pio delle Camere). Higher there are only pastures.
Only in the area of Fonte Vetica there is a small section with some pines and birches. In the high area and the plain of Campo Imperatore, soil contains only pastures. The plants that we find are oaks, wild apple trees, many junipers (protected plant), dogwoods, gentian (very abundant on the Gran Sasso, especially in the Aquila side and that is a highly protected species but also collected from the premises to produce the famous Gentian liqueur).
Gentian
In the north area of the Gran Sasso, we find mainly beech trees with endless forests that make the area very picturesque, especially in the area of Pietracamela, a village situated at the foot of the Little Horn, reachable only trhough the main road 80. Among the trees there are also Holly, Maple Mount and several areas with White Spruce. There are some species of plants that deserve a particular mention: Herbaceous Willow, Edelweiss of Appennino (quite common on the Gran Sasso, representing a a protected species), Butterflower, Primerose, Alpine Poppy, Anklebone, Anemone of Appennino.
Edelweiss of Appennino
In the area of Campo Imperatore and that of Monte Cristo, in the autumn, it’s easy to find the mushrooms (Agaricus campestris). There are also many other species of fungi such as the edible mushroom that populates the park.
FAUNA
The most interesting species of the Park is represented by Chamois of Abruzzo, exclusive of Apennine mountains, which until the last century had in Gran Sasso its stronghold. In the territory of the park live other large herbivores such as the Deer and the Roe, and their predator par excellence, the Apennine Wolf, reconstituting small flocks. Ultimately there are also sporadic appearances of Brown Bear. Among the other mammals there are the Marten, the Wild Cat, the Rate, the Faina, the Polecat, and several other species of Rodents. At higher levels, the Arvicola of snow, a small rodent, arrived with the last ice age and there remained as relict glacial.
Among birds you find rare birds of prey such as the Golden Eagle, the Astore, the Peregrine Falcon, and the Owl Eagle. Pastures and lower areas host species, perhaps less glaring, but extremely interesting from the biogeographical point of view and in rapid decline in Europe.
The grasslands are the ideal habitat for Viper, a small snake that feeds on insects. On the Laga mountains is very localized the presence of Frog and Triton, which throughout the central-southern Apennines, in addition to the Park, can be observed in a small area of Calabria. The biogeographical interest of the Park is confirmed by the presence of invertebrate fauna such as insects and other groups rich in endemic entities, sometimes with affinities with the Alpine fauna and that of of Eastern Europe mountains.
How to arrive there
By car:
- Through the Highway 24 Rome – L’Aquila – Teramo (Assergi exit to the side of L’ Aquila and San Gabriel – Colledara for that of Teramo). Then through the main road SS 17bis you reach the departure for the excursions.
- From L’Aquila and Teramo through the main road SS 80 that runs through the Valley of Vomano, on the side of Laga Mountains of Abruzzo
-From Rome and the Adriatic coast through the main road 4 SS Salaria towards slopes of Lazio and Marche.
-The south-west slope is covered along the SS 17 from L’Aquila to Navelli, then moving to Pepoli
- The south-east slope can be reached through the carriageway of the valley of Pescara
-Through the Highway A 14 you reach the slope of Laga Mountains of Marche.
By train: the nearest railway stations are L’Aquila (lines of Terni – Rieti, L’Aquila, Sulmona) and Teramo (line Giulianova – Teramo), then by coach.
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