Rome · Abruzzo Gran Sasso High Road
A 263 km loop from L’Aquila
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Why this ride
Big empty plateau roads above Rome. A 263 km loop that starts and ends near L'Aquila, about 5 h 03 of riding. It goes by way of Gran Sasso view road and Santo Stefano di Sessanio. Campo Imperatore is the high point. It tops out at about 1,300 m. It is a high-mountain day.
Roadbook
- L’Aquila fuel gate
fuel
L'Aquila lies in a high bowl of the central Apennines, at about 700 metres, ringed by the snow-covered limestone of the Gran Sasso to the northeast and the Sirente-Velino range to the southeast. It is the capital of Abruzzo, and looks more like a mountain fortress than the coastal region's reputation suggests. The city was founded in the thirteenth century when the people of dozens of surrounding villages came together under imperial authority, and the legend says that each village built its own piazza and church within the walls, hence the Fontana delle 99 Cannelle, a long wall of ninety-nine spouts, one for each of them.
On the night of 6 April 2009, a powerful earthquake destroyed much of the old centre and killed more than three hundred people. The scaffolding and cranes that filled the historic quarter for years have gradually given way to restored palaces and churches, but you will still see the signs of the scale of the damage, and the rebuilding continues. It is respectful to treat the place as somewhere people live and are putting back together. The Basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio, with its pink-and-white patterned facade, is one of the most beautiful Romanesque churches in Italy, and is where Pope Celestine V was crowned in 1294. The ceremony of the Perdonanza, a pardon granted to pilgrims, takes place here every August.
For a motorcyclist, L'Aquila's role is practical: it has fuel stations, supermarkets and restaurants, and it is the last place with real services before the mountains. From here, the roads climb to Campo Imperatore and the high plateau beneath the Gran Sasso, or head east through Santo Stefano di Sessanio, a stone village on a hilltop that has been carefully restored. The roads are twisty and quick, with good surfaces in places and potholes in others, and winter closures are common at altitude, so check before heading up in the cooler months.
Food in Abruzzo is hearty and straightforward. Arrosticini, small skewers of mutton grilled over charcoal, are the signature, along with saffron grown on the plateau and pecorino cheese from shepherds who still move flocks between pasture and plain. Watch the weather, because at this height, a clear morning can turn to cold fog in an hour.
- Campo Imperatore
high
Campo Imperatore is a high plateau of grass, stone and sky under the Gran Sasso, so wide and bare that Italians call it Little Tibet. It lies at about 1,800 metres in the Abruzzo, a long basin among the highest peaks of the Apennines, and above it rises the Corno Grande, at 2,912 metres the highest mountain in the range. The landscape feels unlike most of Italy. There are no villages on the plain itself, only distant ridges, sheep and horses grazing among the tussocks, and a road that crosses the middle like a thin grey thread.
The plateau has a long working history. For centuries shepherds drove their flocks up here from the lowlands in summer, a seasonal migration known as transhumance, and the tradition survives in a quieter form. Sheep cheese, pecorino, and the grilled skewers called arrosticini, made with mutton, are the local food, and the small lentils grown around Santo Stefano di Sessanio are prized. On the plateau's edge stands a hotel and cable car station that played a part in modern history. In 1943, after Italy's armistice, Mussolini was held prisoner there, until German paratroopers landed gliders nearby and flew him out in a daring raid.
Riding here is a pleasure of distance and light. The road climbs from the valley in a series of bends, then runs along the plateau with long views in every direction and few vehicles. The surface is generally good, though winter frost leaves patches, and snow can close the road from late autumn well into spring, so check before you go. Wind is a constant companion, and cloud can drop quickly onto the high ground, cutting visibility to a few metres. Even in midsummer, bring a warm layer, because the air at this height is cool and the temperature falls fast after sunset.
Nature is part of the draw. Below the Corno Grande lies the Calderone, once described as the southernmost glacier in Europe, though it has shrunk dramatically and is now a small remnant. Golden eagles and chamois live on the crags, and in June the meadows bloom with wildflowers. At night, the stars are fierce.
L'Aquila, about seventeen kilometres away, and Isola del Gran Sasso on the other side are the nearest places to fill up, and small mountain refuges and kiosks serve coffee and simple food in season. Check opening hours, since many close early or shut outside the summer and ski months.
Stop at a pull-off and switch off the engine. The silence is large, and it is a fine reward for the climb.
- Gran Sasso view road
photo
The northern side of the Gran Sasso looks like a different mountain from the southern one. Here, on the Teramo side, the slopes are steeper, greener and wetter, the villages cling to ridges, and the great rock face of the Corno Grande rises abruptly above forest and meadow. On a clear morning, the view from the road stretches in two directions, up to the pale wall of limestone and down to the foothills rolling toward the Adriatic, which shows as a thin silver line far to the east.
Isola del Gran Sasso is the nearby town, and it is better known than its size suggests. Above it stands the sanctuary of San Gabriele dell'Addolorata, a modern pilgrimage site that draws large numbers of visitors every year, especially on feast days, when the roads fill with coaches and cars. A short distance away, villages such as Pietracamela, high on the mountainside, preserve stone houses and steep lanes, and the ski area of Prati di Tivo lies above them. Below, in the valley of the Vomano, the town of Montorio al Vomano offers a more ordinary mix of shops and cafés.
The riding on this side is more tightly wound. The roads wind up through beech and oak forest, with narrow bends and a surface that varies from smooth to patched, and hairpins that need care when the road is wet. Traffic is light, apart from weekends and pilgrimage days, and the climb is rewarded with open views as the trees fall away. The Gran Sasso road tunnel, one of the longest in Europe, runs under the mountain, but the old road over the top is the better way to see it.
The wildlife here is notable. The Apennine chamois, once nearly extinct, has been reintroduced in the park, and wolves and brown bears live in the wider region, though you are unlikely to see them from the saddle. Eagles patrol the cliffs, and in spring the slopes are full of birdsong.
Fuel is available at Montorio al Vomano, about fifteen kilometres away, and in Isola del Gran Sasso, which is smaller. Higher up the road there is nothing, so fill up beforehand. Small restaurants in the villages serve local dishes, such as pasta with lamb sauce, grilled meats and soft cheeses, but they often close in the afternoon and on weekdays out of season.
Weather changes fast, and cloud can swallow the road in minutes. Take a rain layer and warm clothing, and enjoy the high air.
- Santo Stefano di Sessanio
sight
Santo Stefano di Sessanio, late in the day.
- Back to L’Aquila
finish
Back at L’Aquila. That is the ride.