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Monti della Laga is a mountain range in the central Apennines of Italy. Their ruggedness and inaccessibility makes them one of the lesser known areas of the Italian peninsula.
The mountains run for a length of about 24 kilometres (15 mi) between the Italian Regions of Abruzzo, Marche and Lazio. In doing so they border the Italian Provinces of Teramo, L'Aquila, Ascoli Piceno and Rieti.
Monti della Laga is cut off from the Gran Sasso d'Italia mountain chain by the narrow Vomano Valley which itself leads to Passo delle Capannelle and the Lago di Campotosto (Lake of Campotosto). Within the Vomano Valley is the State Road SS 80. Also present are traces of a branch of the ancient Via Cecilia.
The landscapes differ on the various sides of Monti della Laga. The Marche area is noted its harshness, Lazio for its profound steep banked gorges, and Abruzzo for its smooth undulating hills and valleys. The crest line begins at Monte Comunitore and leads up to the peak of Macera della Morte (standing at 2,073 metres where the three Italian regions intersect). It then rises once again to a height of 2,458 metres at Monte Gorzano, the highest peak in this chain and the highest peak in the Lazio region. Nearby mountain peaks of note include Cima Lepri (2,445 metres), Pizzo di Sevo (2,419 metres), Pizzo di Moscio (2,411 metres) and, standing at the southernmost point of the Monti della Laga mountain chain, Monte di Mezzo (2,155 metres).
The landmass of Monti della Laga has a more rounded off characteristic in comparison with many of the other Apennine areas. This phenomenon is because the soil is far more arenaceous (sandy) and has marble formations that are not found in other parts of the central Apennine Mountains farther to north and the south. Hence the geological name given to the area, "Formazione di Laga". More characteristic of the Apennine mountains are soils, rocks, and land formations made up of coal and dolomitic limestone.
The soil of this area tends to be rather impermeable, which leads to a good many streams and small lakes. The irregularity of the land results in several magnificent waterfalls. Among the most beautiful and best known are those of Morricana al Ceppo, Volpara a Umito, Le Barche, Le Scalette, and L'Ortanza near Amatrice. In the cold winter months they sometimes freeze over, thereby offering ice climbing opportunities.
The area is not densely inhabited but is dotted with numerous small, and at times rather remote, villages.
Living in this mountainous zone are numerous species of wild animals including the Apennine wolf, deer, badgers, and the extremely rare Marsican brown bear. Among insects the butterfly Erebia pandrose has in these mountains its sole Apennine population. [1]
The area is known for its vast and lush forests of beech, white pine, oak, chestnut, maple, basswood, ash, elm, and holly trees. Several uncommon silver birch stands can be found. A variety of orchids abound, including one rare species that has no leaves.
Located in this area are several trails containing vado, that is, narrow suspension bridges. They serve to link the opposing sides of the narrow valley passes and are now most used for hiking excursions. In times past these structures were rather rare and functioned as important transportation routes connecting Rome and the surrounding region of Lazio with Abruzzo and the Adriatic Sea. One of the most famous is called the Tracciolino di Annibale, taking its name from the legend that Hannibal once traveled over this route on his way from Carthage to Rome.
Many of the high plains areas of Monti della Laga are grazed as sheep pastures. Traditionally, the herds travel to the area to spend the summer in these high, and relatively cooler, elevations, escaping the lowlands where little grass grows thanks to low rainfall. Throughout the area are the sheep droves used by shepherds for this transhumance, the migration of sheep and people in the fall and spring from Abruzzo to Apulia and back.
For the past century and a half, on a high pasture known as Piano Roseto (a location midway between the villages of Cortino, San Giorgio and Crognaleto), a livestock raising celebration, known as the Fiera della Pastorizia has taken place in early July.
The Apennines or Apennine Mountains are a mountain range consisting of parallel smaller chains extending c. 1,200 km (750 mi) along the length of peninsular Italy. In the northwest they join with the Ligurian Alps at Altare. In the southwest they end at Reggio di Calabria, the coastal city at the tip of the peninsula. Since 2000 the Environment Ministry of Italy, following the recommendations of the Apennines Park of Europe Project, has been defining the Apennines System to include the mountains of north Sicily, for a total distance of 1,500 kilometres (930 mi). The system forms an arc enclosing the east side of the Ligurian and Tyrrhenian Seas.
Gran Sasso d'Italia is a massif in the Apennine Mountains of Italy. Its highest peak, Corno Grande, is the highest mountain in the Apennines, and the second-highest mountain in Italy outside the Alps. The mountain lies within Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park.
The Province of L'Aquila is the largest, most mountainous and least densely populated province of the Abruzzo region of Central Italy. It comprises about half the landmass of Abruzzo and occupies the western part of the region. It has borders with the provinces of Teramo to the north, Pescara and Chieti to the east, Isernia to the south and Frosinone, Rome and Rieti to the west. Its capital is the city of L'Aquila.
The Province of Teramo is a province in the Abruzzo region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Teramo. The province has an area of 1,948 square kilometres (752 sq mi), a population of 313,029 (2012), and is subdivided into 47 comunes, see Comunes of the Province of Teramo. The Province of Teramo shares its northern border with the Province of Ascoli Piceno in the Marche Region, southern and southwestern borders with the Province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo Region, and a western border with the Province of Rieti in the Region of Lazio. To the south is the Abruzzo Province of Pescara and to the east is the Adriatic Sea.
The Province of Rieti is a province in the Lazio region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Rieti. Established in 1927, it has an area of 2,750.52 square kilometres (1,061.98 sq mi) with a total population of 157,887 people as of 2017. There are 73 comuni in the province.
Montorio al Vomano is a town and comune in the province of Teramo, in the Abruzzo region of central-southern Italy. It is located in the natural park known as the Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park.
Campotosto is a comune and town in the province of L'Aquila, in the Abruzzo region of central Italy. Olympian Mariano Antonelli was born here.
Crognaleto is a comune and city of slightly less than 2,000 people in the Province of Teramo, central Italy. Crognaleto sits at an elevation of 1,105 metres (3,625 ft) and has its communal administrative offices in the frazione of Nerito. The commune of Crognaleto sits on the slopes of the Monti della Laga mountain range and extends across both the northern and the southern slopes of the Vomano Valley. It lies within the Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park.
Valle Castellana is a village and comune in the Province of Teramo, in the Abruzzo region of central Italy. It is a member of the Italian community of surrounding mountain villages, Monti della Laga. It is located in the natural park known as the Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park.
Campo Imperatore is a mountain grassland or alpine meadow formed by a high basin shaped plateau located above Gran Sasso massif, the largest plateau of Apennine ridge. Known as "Little Tibet", it is located in Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park, near L'Aquila, Abruzzo, Italy.
The Grand Highway of the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park is located in the Abruzzo Region of east−central Italy.
The Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park is a natural park located mostly in Abruzzo, Italy. It was established in 1991, it has an area of 2,014 square kilometres (778 sq mi), and it is mainly spread out across the province of Teramo, L'Aquila, Pescara, with small areas in the province of Rieti and Ascoli Piceno. The terrain is predominantly mountainous with alpine plains.
The Capannelle Pass is a mountain pass in Italy. It sits at an altitude of 1300 meters above sea level in the Province of L'Aquila in Italy's Abruzzo Region. It is located on the Italian State Highway 80 which passes near the Gran Sasso in the Apennines.
Lago di Campotosto is an artificial lake in Abruzzo, Italy. The reservoir is located at an elevation of 1,313 m and comprises an area of 14 square kilometres. It is located in the natural park known as the "Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park".
The Tronto is a 115-kilometre (71 mi) long Italian river that arises at Monti della Laga and ends in the Adriatic Sea at Porto d'Ascoli, San Benedetto del Tronto. It traverses the Lazio, Marche, and Abruzzo regions of Italy.
Figliola is a frazione of the comune of Crognaleto, in the Province of Teramo within the Abruzzo Region of Italy. It is between the towns of Crognaleto, San Giorgio and Aiello in the Vomano Valley. Figliola faces the Gran Sasso and can be reached via a road that is partially paved.
Monte Gorzano is the highest peak in the Monti della Laga, in northern Abruzzo, central Italy. It has an elevation of 2,458 metres (8,064 ft) and is also the highest peak of Lazio. It is located on the boundary with the provinces of Teramo in the Abruzzo region and Rieti in the Lazio region. The source of the Tordino is near Monte Gorzano (Fiumata).
The Apennine deciduous montane forests are a temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion in the Apennine Mountains of Italy. The development of these forests is ensured by the high rainfall in the Apennines, combined with a temperate-cool climate. Because of climate change, the presence of silver fir, although still widespread, has been dramatically reduced in favour of beech.
The Monti Marsicani are the sixth-highest group of Apennines located in the Abruzzo region, mostly in the Province of L’Aquila and partly in the Province of Frosinone and Province of Isernia. The highest peak is Monte Greco (2285m). They are limited in north by the Fucino plateau and Peligna Valley, on the east by the River Gizio and Altopiano delle Cinque Miglia, on the south by the Valley Sangro and Volturno, on the east by valley Liri and Melfa.
Mortadella di Campotosto is a salami produced in limited quantities in the territory of the municipality of Campotosto in the province of Abruzzo.
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