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The Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park is a natural park in Italy, established in 1991. It has an area of 2,014 square kilometres. The terrain is predominantly mountainous. It is managed by Ente Parco Nazionale Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga, with headquarters in Assergi, in the Province of L’Aquila, Abruzzo. The Grand Highway of the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park runs through the park between the Gran Sasso mountain peak and the chain known as Monti della Laga.
Geography
The park is one of the largest protected areas in Europe, the show-piece being the massif of Gran Sasso, which dominates the surrounding landscape; it rises vertically on the immense pastures of Campo Imperatore. On the east side, from Teramo, there is the majestic “Paretone” which is a part of the central Adriatic landscape. It is the kingdom of perennial snow, rocks and wind. On the north the profile of Monti della Laga chain, where thousands of migratory birds stop on the shores of Lake Campotosto. This part is completely covered by woods of beeches, firs, turkey oaks and chestnuts. There are over 200 kilometres of horse tracks which can be used to visit it.
Abruzzo Chamois on the Gran Sasso mountain. Apollo Butterfly of the Gran Sasso mountain
Abruzzo Edelweiss on the Gran Sasso mountain – Monte Camicia.
Nature and wildlife
The park is one of the areas in Europe with the greatest biological variety. Its nature is borderline between the Mediterranean and Europe, more than two thousand plant and vegetable species, some of which are found exclusively in this area, as Abruzzo Edelweiss, and fauna which is equally precious. Many species of wildlife inhabited in the park, rare animals such as Abruzzo Chamois, wolf, roe deer, stag, wildcat, wild boar, foxes and squirrels; Birds as the Golden Eagle, the goshawk and the peregrine. Butterfly as Apollo.