Gran Sasso, Abruzzo, Italy by Antonio Castagna

Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced walker, you will find the right track for you. The terrain of the Apennines is diverse and there are hundreds of hiking trails of all levels of difficulty to choose from, ranging from walks in sandy pine groves on the shore through rustic farmland plains and shadowy forest lanes to paths winding high in the alpine meadows and rough rugged paths leading to steep rocky peaks 3000 metres above the sea.

Abruzzo is home to three National Parks and over thirty nature reserves protecting more than a third of its area, making it the greenest region of Europe. You will find striking, awe-inspiring sceneries in any place you visit. The trails to the stunning Zompo Lo Schioppo and Morricana waterfalls offer fascinating views as a reward for completing the hike. Maiella’s deep canyons, narrow gorges and vast karstic plains are great for a bit more adventurous tours around their extraordinary landscape forms. Grassy highlands with ancient dry stone huts, wooded slopes with castles and ruins to discover on hilltops and wildflower-scented alpine meadows where you may run into a grazing herd of chamois blending into deep forests where Apennine wolves and Marsican bears roam are other wondrous features of Abruzzo. Its mountain lakes – Scanno, Vivo, Campotosto and Bomba – are also delightful destinations for pleasant walks in the heart of nature. But above all, you must not miss the opportunity to trek in the pastoral landscapes of the Little Tibet of Europe – the vast Campo Imperatore plateau that resembles the Asian steppe.

Campo Imperatore, Abruzzo, Italy by Stefano Maule

The 2900 metres high peaks of Corno Grande, the highest mountain of Gran Sasso, are accessible even to unexperienced mountaineers and offer spectacular views and breathtaking panoramas of the whole region. But if you’d like to train in nature trekking before setting out on your first hike, you have four nature trekking schools and mid-mountain guides in L’Aquila, Spoltore, Villeta Barrea and Caramanico to choose from! Abruzzo is now easily reached by road, rail or air from most parts of Italy and Europe.

For more information on Abruzzo visit the official Tourist Information website www.visitabruzzo.co.uk.

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