A small record-breaking territory, the Teramo Apennines. An amazing treasure of nature, history, and hospitality still very little known but worth discovering and savoring down to its most intimate folds. Not everyone, for example, knows that here lie the highest peaks of the Apennines (the Corno Grande of the Gran Sasso-Monti della Laga), the southernmost glacier in Europe (the Calderone), the most imposing Bourbon Fortress of the Old Continent (that of Civitella del Tronto) and five of the most beautiful Abruzzo art cities: Campli, Castelli, Atri, Teramo, and Civitella del Tronto. Added to this is a rich array of archaeological assets, ranging from Neolithic caves to medieval hermitages; very ancient and characterful villages; festivals and traditions that have won the challenge of time; “natural gyms” (bridle paths, rafting rapids, trekking and mountain-bike trails…) for those who love sports and outdoor life; agritourisms with straightforward and genuine hospitality; absolutely unique food and wine products (from lamb to Marchigiana beef, pecorino cheeses, ventricina sausage, solina soft wheat bread, sweet pizza and bocconotti pastries, the Montepulciano of the Teramo Hills…), which have earned the province of Teramo the title of the region’s gourmet hideout.
From an environmental point of view, one of the most spectacular corners of the Teramo Apennines is located in the Laga range and is the Gole del Salinello, a limestone canyon shaped by the rapids and waterfalls of the stream, watched from above by the golden eagle, which lives here undisturbed, and by the ruins of Castel Manfrino, a fortress of ancient origins, rebuilt first by the Lombards and then by the Swabians, which, perched midway along the canyon, controlled the ancient communication route. In such a harsh environment, during the medieval period, numerous hermitages began to nest, which time has preserved intact and which are an integral part of the landscape and territory. From the bottom of the Gole, there is even a small path, requiring climbing experience, that climbs up to the Hermitage of Santa Maria Scalena; while from Ripe, a hamlet of Civitella del Tronto, there is an easy and pleasant walk leading to a cave, already a place of worship in the Neolithic period, which, from the Middle Ages onwards, became the Hermitage of Grotta Sant’Angelo.
But also beautiful are the trails leading up to Monte Foltrone, the “roof” of the Montagna di Campli, and to Monte Girella, which marks the summit of the so-called Montagna dei Fiori. Although their altitudes are more modest than those of the Monti della Laga and the Gran Sasso, these peaks certainly deserve a walk: from up there, on clear days, the eye can even catch the coastline and the Sibillini Mountains chain.
And then there is the bridle path, one of the highlights of the Gran Sasso-Monti della Laga Park. A large loop running all around the Gran Sasso massif, enriched by a network of shorter circuits, for a total of about 300 km of trails, which follow those used by farmers to reach the fields cultivated at altitude. The route develops on all three sides of the Park (Teramo, L’Aquila and Pescara sides) and is served by equipped rest areas for horses and riders. One of these is the Complesso Paladini, in the municipality of Crognaleto, equipped with a guesthouse with 50 beds, a restaurant, an information point, and a stable that can host up to ten horses.
