The mountain chain of the Gran Sasso d’Italia, well visible from our B&B terraces, includes the highest peak of the Apennines, Corno Grande, 2912 metres above sea level, hosting the Calderone, the only glacier of Apennines and the most Southern of Europe.  The Gran Sasso is constituted by limestone and dolomite rocks that give the mountain a majestic look, with very high and vertical rock faces, unique in all the Apennine chain.

More modest, rounded off and calm: this is the look of the Monti della Laga, reaching 2458 metres above sea level with Monte Gorzano. These mountains are constituted by sandstone rocks that make the waters flow very fast on surface, giving birth to brooks, streams and rivers that rush towards the valleys forming dozens of wonderful waterfalls. Among the highest and the most beautiful waterfalls you can admire: the Morricana, the Volpara, the waterfall of Barche, the Cavata della Fiumana. When they ice up, in Winter time, they show all their rare and enchanting beauty.
Between the Monti della Laga and the hills surrounding Civitella del Tronto, we can see the Montagna dei Fiori and the Montagna di Campli, which are also called, because of their very similar symmetrical silhouettes, the Twin Mountains. The deep and spectacular gorge of the Gole del Salinello separates the two twin mountains. From the bottom of the gorge you can climb up again reaching the ruins of Castel Manfrino.

The unequalled suggestion of the sceneries of our mountains has been the decisive element to be chosen as the ideal location for Italian and international films and TV productions. The supremacy is up to Campo Imperatore whose boundless wilderness seems to be the perfect set for cinema, TV programmes, documentaries and also commercials.




The protected area houses lots of extremely interesting species of flora and fauna: they are very rare or endogenous ones. Some of them are also endangered species. Watching and listening attentively, every day can disclose lots of surprises: the footprint of a wild animal to guess, an unusual plant to photograph, the twittering of a very rare bird to recognize.

The possibility cannot be ruled out: you might also listen to the howling of the Apennine Wolf or catch sight of a Royal Eagle in the sky. Hiking over the altitude prairies will allow you to watch some specimens of rare butterflies that live there:  the Apollo butterfly, with its red and white spotted velvet wings. These altitude places house the snow Arvicola, too, a little and rare rodent survived to the Ice Age, and also the viper of Ursini, a very endangered species which is endemic in these areas.

In Spring and Summer time, do not miss relaxing and wonderful walks along the Tirino river near Capestrano, aside the waterfalls of the Monti della Laga, near Cortino or around the Campotosto Lake. In fact the water ecosystems represent the fundamental element of the local natural treasures: sources, streams, rivers and lakes. Particularly, the Campotosto Lake, besides having teeming with fish waters rich of Coregone fish, is a genuine paradise for birdwatching: it houses several bird species during all the seasons of the year.