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(by Marta Dosi)

Piana del Voltigno  is located in the oriental part of Abruzzo’s Gran Sasso at an altitude of about 1400 meters. It is a valley belonging to Gran Sasso’s National Park and to Monti della Laga together with Valle D’Angri, a regional reserve (Regional Reserve Voltigno e Valle d’Angri). It is a natural protected area of Abruzzo established in 1989 and it covers a surface of 5.172 hecttares in the provinces of  l’Aquila and Pescara, inside the Gran Sasso’s and Monti della Laga National Park..

The plain is bordered entirely by a majestic beech tree wood and it is a mountain, karstic bowl connected at South-West with Valle d’Angri, a green valley crossed by Tavo river, famous for getting through the so called “Bocca dell’Inferno” cave and then for coming out in another valley in the form of a waterfall of 28 meters, Vitello d’Oro waterfall, one of the most important of the Southern slope of Gran Sasso.

Piana del Voltigno becomes during Winter one of the destinations for cross-country ski lovers thanks to the numerous groomed trails (the widest ring covers 15 km and it is only 40 minutes away from the centre of Pescara and consequently from the sea). The lovers of hiking can try numerous paths in order to make excursions during Spring and Summer Time. The snow melting leaves behind numerous water basins and so the richness of the flora can emerge, which is particularly highlighted by the contrast with the rock walls: Gentiana lutea,Anemone apennina subsp. apenina, Narcissus poeticus and Gymnadenia conopsea, a spontaneous orchid. The tree and bush varieties are distinguished for their richness: maple trees, which become colourful during Autumn, yews, lindens, ashes and Cornelian cherries, while service trees and hawthorns make their appearance in the clearings.

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)