AbruzzoPassion.com
album created by Albina Fabiani
In the heart of Italy's spectacular and little known region of Abruzzo, the beautiful Majella National Park encircles the mountain massif of Monte Amaro, which at 2793m, is the second highest peak in the Apennine Range.
Alpine meadows and forests of beech give way at the massif's highest reaches to an almost desert landscape, with pockets of year round snow. Mountain streams tumble down deep gorges and hidden valleys, where secluded rock hermitages from the Middle Ages can be found. The Park is home to deer, chamois, wild boar, wolves, otters, and a very small number of bears.
The region's agriculture is traditionally pastoral: large flocks of sheep would arrive in June, having travelled in search of summer pastures from the lowlands of Puglia, where they would return in October.
The hillsides are still grazed by local flocks, and you will find ancient beehive-shaped stone huts (tholos) still sheltering shepherds today.
Wikipedia
Abruzzo ([aˈbruttso]) is a region in Italy, its western border lying less than 50 miles due east of Rome. Abruzzo borders the region of Marche to the north, Lazio to the west and south-west, Molise to the south-east, and the Adriatic Sea to the east. Although geographically more of a central than southern region, ISTAT (the Italian statistical authority) considers it part of Southern Italy, a vestige of Abruzzo's historic association with the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.
The Majella National Park (Parco Nazionale della Majella, 740.95 km²) is a national park located in the provinces of Chieti, Pescara and L'Aquila, in the region Abruzzo, Italy.
It is centered around the Majella massif, whose highest peak is Monte Amaro (2,793 m).
The park contains about 500 kilometers of hiking paths through the mountains, cave paintings in Grotta S. Angelo and Grotta del Cavallone (the latter being one of the deepest caves in Europe open to the public). Many tourist centers are located in the park:
The Montagne del Morrone are a mountain group in Abruzzo, central Italy, part of the Apennines. Overlooking the town of Sulmona, they are bounded by the Valle Peligna, the river Aterno and the Majella massif. They are included into the Majella National Park.
The range is composed of limestone, and have their highest peak in the Monte Morrone (2,061 m).
Vegetation include typical Apennine woods of beech and mountain pine, as well as the rare Nigritella widderi specie of orchid. Wildlife include Marsican brown bear, italian wolf, mouflon, red deer, golden eagle, peregrine falcon, Eurasian eagle-owl and Ursini's viper. Until the early 20th century, the bearded vulture was also present.
On a terrace of Mount Morrone are the remains of a Roman villa which allegedly belonged to the poet Ovid, which have been recently recognized as a sanctuary of Hercules Curinus. Here it was found a small statue of Hercules resting, considered by some an original by Lisippus (now in the Archaeological Museum of Chieti). Nearby are is the 13th century Morronese Abbey. In the mountain are also two caves in which St. Peter of Morrone lived his hermitage from 1239 and 1241.
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