Abruzzo Mountains
Gran Sasso, Maiella & the Wild Peaks
The spine of the Apennines rises here wild, silent, and utterly unhurried. From the windswept plateau of Campo Imperatore to Maiella's ancient hermit caves, these mountains reward those who take their time.
Up to 2,912 m altitude
National Park Territory
Best season: May-October
Italy's highest peaks south of the Alps and one of its least-visited.
The Territory
A mountain world with its own rules
The Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park covers over 150,000 hectares protecting the highest Apennine peak, the southernmost glacier in Europe, and hundreds of species found nowhere else on earth. The Maiella, rising separately to the south, has been a place of hermits, pilgrims, and shepherds for millennia. Together, these mountains form a landscape that moves at a different pace.
borGO connects you to local guides, shepherds, and community hosts who know these mountains the way very few still do not as a backdrop, but as home.
150,000+
Hectares of National Park
2,912 m
Corno Grande - highest peak
3
Protected National Parks
800+
KM of marked hiking trails
Sub-Areas
Choose your mountain
Each area has its own character: altitude, light, history, people.
Here below is how we read the landscape so you can choose what calls to you.
Gran Sasso AQ — Campo Imperatore & the High Plateau
The L'Aquila side of the Gran Sasso opens onto Campo Imperatore, a vast high-altitude plain nicknamed "Little Tibet" — treeless, windswept, deeply cinematic. The cable car from Assergi lifts you to 2,130 m where wolves, wild horses, and a tiny observatory share the plateau. Below, the medieval city of L'Aquila anchors every valley walk.
Trekking · Cable Car · Saffron · Skiing
Gran Sasso TE — Valleys, Caves & Ceramics
The Teramo side descends through chestnut forests and olive groves into a quieter world. Isola del Gran Sasso, Pietracamela, and the ceramic village of Castelli each carry a story best told in the local dialect.
Crafts & Ceramics · Historic Villages
Majella Occidentale — Pilgrims & Stone Villages
The western flank of Maiella is the mountain of monks. Ancient hermitages carved into cliffsides, quiet towns like Pacentro and Raiano, and the deep gorges of the upper valley make this side meditative and layered with history.
Hermitages · Medieval Villages
Majella Orientale — Wild Gorges & Shepherd Trails
The eastern face plunges into the deep gorges of the Aventino and Sangro rivers. This is wilder, less visited terrain — bears have been spotted, transhumance trails still cut across ridges, and Guardiagrele's medieval cathedral anchors the lower hills.
Wild Nature · Bears & Wildlife
Valle Subequana — The Enchanted Valley
Tucked between Gran Sasso and Maiella, Valle Subequana is a slow valley of walnut groves, medieval towers, and river walks along the Aterno. Goriano Sicoli, Castelvecchio Subequo, Castel di Ieri — names almost no tourist knows yet.
Off the Beaten Path · History
Alto Sangro & Parco Nazionale d'Abruzzo
The southernmost arc — Roccaraso, Castel di Sangro, and the original Abruzzo National Park — shelters Marsican bears, Apennine wolves, and the chamois. The landscape softens here, pastoral and deeply connected to Italy's transhumance heritage.
Wildlife · National Park
Your Journey,your pace
Not finding what calls to you? Get a personalized itinerary!
Every corner of these mountains has a story that no fixed itinerary can fully tell. If you have a particular valley in mind, a season, a rhythm or simply a feeling you are looking for, we will shape an experience around you. Small group or private, half a day or a full week in the peaks.