Thank You for Registering!
We’re delighted that you’ve signed up for the event and can’t wait to have you join us.
If you’d like to make your experience even more special, we’re also offering two exciting excursion options. Feel free to explore the options below and choose the one that interests you most.
If you’d like to participate in one of the excursions, simply proceed with the registration for your preferred option.
We look forward to seeing you soon!
Mt. Aquila
General Information
- Meeting point: Fonte Cerreto
- Starting point: Astronomical Observatory
- Duration: from 2 to 2.30 hours
- Difficulty: E (for all kind of hikers)
- Elevation gain: 400m
- Trail Makers: yes (white-red)
- Best Period: from July to October
If the Apennines is the backbone of the Italian peninsula, the Gran Sasso it is certainly the heart! And you do not pray as to generosity. The excursion to Mount Aquila (2494 m) is not particularly difficult, the difference in height is contained and affordable for everyone, including children and families (children over seven years). If the commitment is low, the satisfaction is great !! Because the Monte Aquila, before elevation of the long ridge of the Eastern Line, is at the center of paradise: from its top the view is spectacular from the Great Horn and his Paretone, Bafile the bivouac, the Valley of Hell, the plateau Campo Imperatore, all other peaks of the Gran Sasso and the sea … in short, the view would have an eagle !!!
The season is the right one … and you will be surprised to walk on a carpet of flowers to the summit. On the way back, travel along the ridge of Mount Portella, and we will make the step-lunch at Rifugio Duca degli Abruzzi (2388 m), the historic garrison opened in 1908. Often destination for everyone, the refuge becomes an approach to the mountains bridge for many the realization of a dream otherwise impossible. For children is a wonderful little house up there on the mountain, where you want to stay overnight, where to stop to eat or enjoy a drink … with the Gran Sasso in the eye.
Equipment Recommended:
Hiking backpack
Trekking boots or mountain shoes with Vibram sole (mandatory)
Base layer (technical T-shirt)
Insulating layer / fleece or sweater (mandatory)
Waterproof shell jacket (Gore-Tex or equivalent) (mandatory)
Recommended:
- Hat and gloves (depending on weather conditions)
- Trekking poles
- Sunglasses and sunscreen
Food & water:
Snack
Water (minimum 1 liter)
Santo Stefano di Sessanio and
Rocca Calascio
General Information
- Starting point: Santo Stefano di Sessanio
- Destination: Rocca Calascio Fortress (1,460 m a.s.l.)
- Mountain group: Gran Sasso Massif – Campo Imperatore plateau
- Region: Abruzzo, Italy
- Protected area: Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park
- Type of route: Historical path / mountain trail
- Difficulty: Easy (E – Escursionistico / Hiking)
- Recommended for: Beginners, families, photographers, cultural tourism
A short but spectacular hike combining natural landscape and cultural heritage. Low physical effort, extremely high scenic reward — ideal introductory mountain experience in the Apennines.
Group will transfer from L’Aquila to Santo Stefano di Sessanio in the mid-morning for the visit of the village and the Torre Medicea.
Then transfer by minivan from Santo Stefano di Sessanio to Calascio. To reach Rocca Calascio, there will be approximately a 30-45 minute walk (+250 m elevation gain). The trail starts from the upper part of Calascio village near the parking area.
A well-marked mule track climbs gently across open pastures toward the medieval hamlet of Santa Maria della Pietà.
Lunch at “the Taberna” is included will be served upon arrival
From here, a short panoramic ascent leads to the hilltop fortress of Rocca Calascio, one of the highest castles in the Apennines.
The terrain consists of:
- compact dirt path
- stone mule track
- grassy sections
- no exposed or technical passages
Equipment Recommended:
- Hiking shoes (or good trekking sneakers in dry conditions)
- Windproof jacket (very exposed to wind)
- Water (no fountains along the trail)
- Sun protection (UV radiation high at altitude)
- Camera (high scenic value)