Gran Sasso (or Gran Sasso d’Italia) is a mountain located in the Abruzzo region of central Italy . The Gran Sasso or great stone forms the centerpiece of the Parco Nazionale del Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga which was established in 1993 and holds the highest mountains in continental Italy south of Alps and is part of the Apennines, the mountain range that runs the entire length of the Italian peninsula. L’Aquila is the nearest city to the Gran Sasso, just 16 km from Assergi, the small town at the base of the mountain; Rome is 132 km by road or an hour-and-a-half by car.

The three main summits of the Gran Sasso are Corno Grande (shown here), which at 2,912 meters is the highest peak in the Apennines, nearby Corno Piccolo and Pizzo Intermésoli, which is separated from the other two peaks by Val Maone, a deep valley. Corno Grande and Corno Piccolo’s ash coloration come from their limestone and dolomite composition. The peaks are snow-covered for much of the year though the snow cover appears to be less each decade. Corno Piccolo is referred to as, “The Sleeping Giant”. This is due to the appearance of a profile of a reclined face. This view of Corno Piccolo is evident when viewing the mountain from Pietracamela, a small town near Prati di Tivo, on the north side of the mountain. Corno Grande and Corno Piccolo with their rough vertical walls provide serious rock climbers some of the best climbing in Europe.

Situated below the peak of the Corno Grande is the Calderone glacier, the southernmost glacier in Europe; deglaciation has significantly reduced the glacier’s size. Glaciologists now question whether the glacier will survive past 2020.

The mid- to lower slopes of the Gran Sasso are grazed in spring, summer and autumn by large flocks of sheep guarded by Maremmano-Abruzzese sheepdogs as well as herds of cattle and semi-wild horses. The pastures are covered with field grasses and meadowland wildflowers. The park is also the habitat for diverse wildlife from rare species such as the Apennine wolf, the “Marsicano” bear, wildcat and the Abruzzo chamois, Rupicapra pyrenaica ornata), a beautiful variety of chamois at the very edge of extinction but now making a comeback in the park through a joint effort by WWF Italia and the park administration. Other species of wildlife include wild boar, foxes, grass snakes such as Orsini’s viper, and a wide variety of bird life including golden eagles, peregrine, goshawks, Ortolan buntings, rock sparrows, crested larks, red-backed shrikes and downy pipits.

At the northern base of Corno Piccolo is Prati di Tivo, a ski village. To the east of Corno Grande and Corno Piccolo is Campo Imperatore, a 27 km high plain or plateau. Campo Imperatore is home to Italy’s oldest continuously operating commercial ski area (is connected to Fonte Cerreto by a big lift). A hotel midway on the top of Campo Imperatore is where the Italian fascist Benito Mussolini was imprisoned from August until September of 1943 until he escaped in a Nazi commando operation. The plateau is also the site of the Campo Imperatore station of the Rome Observatory, from which the Campo Imperatore Near-Earth Objects Survey and other astronomical studies are carried out. At the southern edge of Campo Imperatore and within the bounds of the national park are three medieval hill towns once ruled by the Medicis: Calascio, which sits before the ancient fortress ruin of Rocca di Calascio, and Santo Stefano di Sessanio and Castel Del Monte.

In 1984, a 10 km two-lane highway tunnel connecting Rome to Teramo was bored through the Gran Sasso Massif. In 1995, a second parallel tunnel was completed. Construction of the second tunnel included an underground particle physics laboratory at Assergi, the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso or Gran Sasso National Laboratory. The laboratory is composed of three large underground chambers, sometimes referred to collectively as the third tunnel. The laboratory sits beneath 1400 meters of rock. Construction of the laboratory and second tunnel faced fierce opposition from Italian and international environmental groups including Pro Natura, LIPU and Club Alpinio Italiano as well as the World Wildlife Federation and WWF Italia, Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth. Environmentalists noted that the nuclear physics laboratory would lie on or near two major and highly active seismic faults, that construction of the tunnels would interfere with a major aquifer, and that construction waste would degrade an environmentally sensitive and significant area. The underground laboratory, which opened in 1989, with its low background radiation is used for experiments in particle and nuclear physics,including the study of neutrinos, high-energy cosmic rays, dark matter, nuclear decay, as well as geology, and biology. The laboratory employs over 700 scientists from twenty different countries. Many credit the opposition created by the tunnel and laboratory construction with galvanizing the Italian environmental movement and leading to the very creation of the Parco Nazionale del Gran Sasso. In recent years, the laboratory has itself begun promoting preservation of the Gran Sasso environment.

In 2005, a 2424 m (7953 ft) peak previously named “The Gendarme” was renamed “John Paul II Peak” on what would have been Pope John Paul II’s 85th birthday. He had visited the Gran Sasso many times, saying it reminded him of the mountains of his native Poland.

The Gran Sasso is located in the Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park. Running through this nature preserve is a portion of the Italian State Highway 80 (SS80), known as the Grand Highway of the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park (“Strada maestra del Parco”).

While frequented by skiers in winter, and mountain climbers and hikers in other seasons, the Gran Sasso is remarkably free of tourists despite its proximity to Rome. This is especially true in summer with most Italians preferring beach vacations and foreign visitors more likely to visit the mountains of northern Italy.  To the east the plain below the Gran Sasso passes through the the Province of Teramo. One small village in this area is known as Valle San Giovanni, home of the guesthouse Casale.

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Village near Teramo Valle Soprana in Italy Villa Casale