Campo Imperatore is a vast plateau of glacial and karst-alluvial origin. Located at about 1800 m above sea level in the province of L’Aquila between the municipal areas of Barisciano, Calascio, Carapelle Calvisio, Castelvecchio Calvisio, Castel del Monte, L’Aquila and Santo Stefano di Sessanio. It is located in the heart of the Gran Sasso d’Italia massif and within the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park. It is home to important cultural and sporting facilities.
The plateau, among the largest in Italy, extends for a maximum of 18 km in length and 8 km in width on the north-west to south-east axis. It has a total area of about 75 km², at an altitude ranging from 1460 m in Val Voltigno up to 2138 m at the meteorological station, and is included in the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park. The well-known mountaineer Fosco Maraini compared it, on a small scale, to the Phari Dzong valley, coining the term Little Tibet which is still in common use today.
The quote
«This plain between very high mountains makes for a beautiful view. When the shepherds are grazing with their animals, it seems to be a very large army seeing so many huts and so many tents, especially in the evening when everyone has lit the fires. (Francesco De Marchi, “The Corno Monte”, 1573)
For more information: www.ilgransasso.it
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