The National Park of Abruzzo Itineraries
Recommended period: Spring - Autumn
(Sulmona - Cocullo - Pescasseroli - Opi - Villetta Barrea - Scanno
- Sulmona)
Imagine driving out of New York City at 10 am and being in Yellowstone Park by noon. If that idea appeals to you, and you are in Rome, or you are planning a vacation there, consider the National Park of Abruzzo.
You can take the A24 autostrada from Rome for about 50 miles, exit onto the A25 "Strada dei Parchi" (Parks expressway) and then get off at the Pratola - Peligna exit, and drive to Sulmona.
The trip begins in Sulmona (403 mts above sea-level), a town situated in the heart of the Peligna valley. The town, which is well-known as the birthplace of Ovidio, the poet of love, is known nowadays as being the land of confetti (there is also a museum of confetti). Its many fine monuments date back, mostly, to the economic and cultural heyday of the town, during the XIV and XV centuries The Natural History Museum of the Mountain Community, with its entomological section containing almost 7,000 examples of local insects, is worth a visit.
The next stop is the town of the snake-catchers, Cocullo, whose
residents have combined the millenary Marsican traditions with the
Christian devotion to S. Domenico. From here the trip continues on
the provincial road to Ortona dei Marsi, going through a karst
depression area. Then it reaches Bisegna passing through the
lovely Giovenco valley, and from here it ends up in the heart of
the National-Park, i.e. the town of Pescasseroli.
Still proceeding along the Sangro valley, the tour touches Opi and afterwards the town of Villetta Barrea, whose artificial lake hears the same name. The tour starts back from the lake of Barrea and, following the S.S. (State road) n. 479, it climbs the -mountains through the woods of Scalone up to the pass of Monte Godi and then it descends to the town and lake of Scanno.
Here it is worth making a stop and taking a walk in the narrow
streets, many of which contain the typical fights of steps. In
this way you can admire the characteristic women's clothes of
oriental origin that some elcerly women still wear, especially of
holiday. And you can also do some shopping in the goldsmith's
shops. After leaving Scanno, the tazir goes through Villalago and,
at the end of the Sagittario Valley, Anversa degli Abruzzi, the
town where D'Annunzio's play "La fiaccola sotto il moggio" is set.
After driving 20 more kilometers the trip ends back in Sulmona.
Fauna
The Park is
inhabited by bears, chamois, wolves, deer. The symbol of the Park
is the Marsican Brown Bear, which represented, until recently, an
endangered species. At present, this danger seems to have been
averted, thanks to the punctual protection activity of the Park
Board. Indeed, there are about 80 examples of bear living both in
the Park area and in the nearby mountains. The Board of the
National Park of Abruzzo has also taken several initiatives about
other areas.
An example of this activity is represented by the Operation Chamois that has favored the reappearance of this mountain goat even on the Eastern Majella and the Gran Sasso.
There are about 40 wolves living in the Park. The Operation San Francesco (started 20 years ago) has made possible the creation of a Tour Information center dedicated to them and a special Faunal Area.
At the moment an investigation is going on to find out whether it is possible to introduce again the Lynx in the Park.
photos © Alfredo Scamponi e Marco Branchi
© 1997-2010 Enrico Massetti
TangoItalia - Food, Wine, Travel, and... tango in Italy.
Visit Abruzzo:
National Park
Old villages
Chieti Good Friday
L'Aquila
Sheep farming
Pescara
Castelli majolica
Rocca Calascio
Campings
Festivals
The seacost:
- north coast
- central coast
- south coast
coast-mountain
History:
- Pre-Roman
- Roman Age
- Middle Ages
- Renaissance
- Modern age