The mountains of Abruzzo

Published on 7 Gennaio 2019 by admin On Itinerari in Abruzzo

Useful information for discovering the mountains of Abruzzo

In Abruzzo, the kindness of the locals makes it possible to discover and explore all the places and treasures of the Abruzzo mountains, from north to south, while enjoying warm hospitality. Nature areas, now largely National and Regional Parks and Reserves, are The common thread in the discovery of this region. In addition, the best sources of information about places in Abruzzo are the very people there: the Abruzzese.

The region of Abruzzo is in the center of the Italian peninsula and occupies an area of 10 831 km². It is divided into four provinces: L'Aquila, Pescara, Chieti and Teramo. It is bordered to the north by Marche, to the east by the Adriatic Sea, to the west by Lazio and to the south by Molise. It is divided into a coastal part on the eastern side with the beaches of the Adriatic Sea, and a mountainous part on the western side with the Gran Sasso d'Italia (2,914 m a.s.l.), Sirente-Velino (2,487 m a.s.l.) and Majella (2,793 m a.s.l.), which are in fact the three highest mountain massifs in the Apennine chain.

THE MOUNTAIN IN WINTER

THE MOUNTAIN IN THE SUMMER

The main mountains of Abruzzo (or the main mountains of Abruzzo)

Gran Sasso (Corno Grande 2914 m)
Majella (Mt. Amaro (2795 m))
Mount Velino (2487 m)
Mount Gorzano (2455 m)
Mount Sirente (2349 m)
Mount Greco (2285 m)
Monte Petroso (2247 m)
Mount Viglio(2156 m)

List of caves located in Abruzzo:

Stiffe Caves(San Demetrio ne' Vestini)
Cavallone Caves (Taranta Peligna)
Cave of the Hill (Rapino)
Pietrasecca Caves Special Nature Reserve (Carsoli)
Luppa Caves Regional Nature Reserve (Sante Marie)
Sant'Angelo Cave (Lama dei Peligni)

Secondo l’Huffington Post e la CNN statunitense (leggi questo articolo), l’Abruzzo è quinta tra le dodici migliori regioni al mondo per la qualità della vita. Vanta il titolo di “Regione verde d’Europa“, grazie alla presenza dei tre parchi nazionali (il Parco nazionale d’Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise, il Parco nazionale della Majella e il Parco nazionale del Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga), del Parco naturale regionale Sirente-Velino, dell’Area marina protetta Torre del Cerrano e delle trentotto aree protette che rappresentano più del 35% della sua superficie totale. Inoltre, nelle aree protette abruzzesi è custodito oltre il 75% delle specie animali e vegetali d’Europa.

The region holds the highest peaks of the peninsular Apennines, with the Gran Sasso (Corno Grande) and the Maiella massif (Monte Amaro), the elevations of the Laga Mountains on the border with Lazio and Marche, the Sirente-Velino group, the mountains of the Abruzzo National Park on the border with Latium and Molise and the Simbruini Mountains in common with Latium.

Most of them consist of mostly limestone, marine-derived rocks belonging to the Mesozoic (Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous).

Moving inland into Abruzzo, the climate becomes continental until it is typical mountain climate on the higher elevations. The province of L'Aquila, followed by those of Teramo and Chieti, is the coldest province. In fact, in winter in the inland areas, in the Conca aquilana, and in Marsica, frosts are frequent and intense with temperatures that can frequently drop below 25°C below zero. Even in the Fucino Plain, they reach very low temperatures such as when -27°C was recorded in 1985.

Precisely because of its rocky, limestone nature, the region is also rich in caves. Some can be visited by the public while others are very technical routes intended for the more experienced.