Walking in Abruzzo

Just two hours from Rome, Abruzzo is one of Italy's wildest and most rewarding walking regions, yet it remains largely unknown to international visitors. Three national parks and a regional park encompass a dramatic landscape of high Apennine ridges, deep gorges, ancient villages and some of the richest wildlife in Europe, including wolves, Marsican brown bears, chamois and golden eagles.

With walks suitable for beginners and experienced mountain walkers alike, this Cicerone guidebook by Stuart Haines covers 40 day walks across Abruzzo, ranging from 4 to 25km (2 to 16 miles) and taking between 2 and 8 hours to complete. Route descriptions are paired with 1:50,000 mapping and downloadable GPX files, with practical guidance on access, accommodation and getting around the region.

• 40 graded walks are included across four protected areas, covering the Maiella, Gran Sasso, Abruzzo and Sirente-Velino parks, with routes graded 1 to 3 from straightforward valley walks to mountain routes requiring experience in exposed terrain
• 1:50,000 mapping and downloadable GPX files for every walk, with an Italian-English glossary, notes on local geology, wildlife, food and drink, and detailed information on planning and access
• Corno Grande, the highest peak in the Apennines of peninsular Italy at 2912m, is covered with two distinct ascent routes from Campo Imperatore, one of the most dramatic high plateaux in the Italian mountains
• Exceptional wildlife throughout, with Abruzzo National Park one of the few places in Europe where you can walk in genuine wilderness habitat supporting wolves, Marsican brown bears, Apennine chamois and Eurasian lynx
• Dramatic landscapes can be found at every turn, from the Fara San Martino gorge and the Val di Rose in the Abruzzo National Park to the medieval village of Rocca Calascio and the high plateau of Campo Imperatore

Abruzzo is Italy's best-kept secret for mountain walkers, offering serious Apennine terrain and extraordinary wildlife in a region that most visitors to Italy never reach. This guidebook is the essential companion for discovering it.