Sci in Abruzzo

Abruzzo is the region that brought skiing to the heart of the Mediterranean, building among the Apennine massifs of central Italy a ski offer that millions of Italians from the centre and south can reach in times that would be inconceivable in the north. From Rome, snow is two hours away by road. From Naples, just over two and a half. This privileged geographical position has made Abruzzo the great ski hub of the Mezzogiorno, drawing every winter weekend a considerable flow of families, young people and enthusiasts who would otherwise have no access to snowy mountains.

Roccaraso and Rivisondoli are the beating heart of Abruzzese skiing. With more than 120 kilometres of runs spread across a well-equipped area on the Cinquemiglia plateau, Roccaraso is the largest ski resort in southern Italy. The runs develop between 1,200 and 2,000 metres, ranging from gentle gradients ideal for beginners to challenging black runs satisfying experienced skiers. The weekend atmosphere, with Roman and Neapolitan families filling the pistes and mountain restaurants, has a festive and convivial energy that is the hallmark of these southern resorts.

Campo Imperatore is a different story altogether. This immense Apennine plateau at nearly 1,800 metres in the heart of Gran Sasso d’Italia, nicknamed “the Little Tibet” for its desert-like vastness and the quality of light on clear days, surrounded by the highest Apennine peaks — Corno Grande reaches 2,912 metres — offers a landscape radically unlike any other Italian ski resort. Nothing here is alpine; there is something more austere, more silent, almost archaic about it. The runs descend across open slopes where wind sculpts ephemeral snow shapes, and the silences between lifts carry a rare contemplative quality.

The national parks of Gran Sasso and Majella are among Italy’s most important, habitat of the Apennine wolf, golden eagle and Marsican brown bear, a species endemic to this region. Skiing in Abruzzo means moving through a natural space that remains genuinely wild. After a day on the slopes, the local table awaits with incomparable generosity: arrosticini lamb skewers grilled over open embers, pasta alla chitarra with lamb ragu, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo wine, and saffron from Navelli, considered among the world’s finest.