Campo Imperatore is a high karst plateau in the Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga national park in Abruzzo, stretching approximately 27km × 10km at an average altitude of 1,600-2,000 metres. It is the highest and largest plateau in the Apennines, a treeless grassland of extraordinary emptiness surrounded by the highest peaks of the Apennine chain, with the Gran Sasso massif (Corno Grande, 2,912m, the highest point of the Apennines south of the Alps) above it to the north. Walking on Campo Imperatore in any season produces a sensation of being in a landscape with no modern human presence, the plateau looks like the set of a Western (it was used as one: Leone shot sequences here) and feels like it belongs to a different country. The closest thing in Italy to a genuine highland wilderness experience, accessible from Rome in 2 hours.
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Getting to Campo Imperatore
By cable car from Assergi (exit Gran Sasso on the A24 motorway, 5km from the toll): the Funivia Gran Sasso takes you from 1,000m to 2,125m (Campo Imperatore station) in 10 minutes. From the cable car station, the plateau opens in every direction. By road: the SS17bis climbs from the L'Aquila side (open in summer, closed in winter after snowfall) to the plateau, the approach from below gives a dramatic arrival. The road from Campo Imperatore to Castel del Monte (on the south side) is one of the most scenic mountain roads in the Apennines.
What to Do on Campo Imperatore
Hiking: the plateau itself is walkable in any direction without trail marking, the landscape is open enough that navigation is intuitive. The ridge walks toward Corno Grande require experience and appropriate equipment. The network of marked trails (Club Alpino Italiano, maps available at Rifugio Duca degli Abruzzi) covers the main approaches to the high peaks. Skiing: Campo Imperatore has a small ski area (10 pistes, reliable snow from December to March) that is the nearest skiing to Rome (2h by car from the city) and among the most scenic in the Apennines. The Apennine chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica ornata) is present on the plateau and the surrounding slopes, the best chance of seeing it is in the early morning at the plateau edges. Astrophotography: Campo Imperatore is designated as an official dark sky reserve, the INAF observatory here (operational since 1948) was chosen for the absence of light pollution, which persists. Clear nights on the plateau give a night sky that is impossible to see from any populated area of central Italy.
Questions About Campo Imperatore
Is Campo Imperatore good for families?
Yes, the open plateau is good for children who need space to run. The cable car is exciting. The absence of traffic on the plateau makes it safe. In winter, the gentle ski slopes are appropriate for beginners and children. The observatory has a visitor program (prenotazione obbligatoria).
What is the Mussolini connection to Campo Imperatore?
Benito Mussolini was imprisoned at the Hotel Campo Imperatore (the hotel at the top of the cable car) from August to September 1943, after his arrest following the Fascist Grand Council vote. On September 12, 1943, Otto Skorzeny led a German commando operation (Operation Eiche) that landed gliders on the plateau and freed Mussolini in 10 minutes. The hotel still exists and operates in summer. The room where Mussolini was held is preserved with period furnishings. It is one of the more surreal historical sites in the Apennines.
Curiosità su Campo Imperatore
Il Corno Grande (2,912m), la cima più alta degli Appennini, ha il ghiacciaio del Calderone, l'unico ghiacciaio degli Appennini e il ghiacciaio più meridionale d'Europa. Il Calderone si è ridotto drammaticamente negli ultimi decenni, aveva una superficie di 30 ettari nel 1794 (prima misurazione documentata), è sceso a 6 ettari nel 2005, e oggi è quasi completamente scomparso. I glaciologi stimano la sua totale scomparsa entro il 2030. Visitare il Corno Grande oggi significa vedere la fine di qualcosa che era vecchio prima che l'Italia fosse un paese, il ghiacciaio del Calderone esisteva prima della nascita dello Stato italiano nel 1861. Campo Imperatore è quindi non solo un paesaggio straordinario ma un termometro della crisi climatica europeo-mediterranea visibile a occhio nudo. Vedi anche: Abruzzo · Santo Stefano di Sessanio · Dolomiti.
