Campo Imperatore – The little Italian Tibet

Exploring the Italian Apennines with a Camper van.
In this second stage of the exploration of the Italian Apennines, Florence and I decided to photograph the plateau of Campo Imperatore in the province of Aquila in Abruzzo.

Given the wild and non-anthropized nature of the area in question, we chose to move with our van, which for the two of us is the ideal way to travel. Great sense of freedom, low cost and above all the possibility of sleeping near the places you want to photograph before dawn.

Campo Imperatore is often called the “little Italian Tibet” due to its particular geography. A karst plateau at an altitude of 1800m, surrounded by the highest peaks of the Italian Apennines where winters are long and extremely snowy.

The idea of this gallery is to give you a sense of the place and maybe inspire you one day to visit it in person.
Although this area is one of the wildest corners of Europe, its access is relatively easy since it is only a 2-hour drive from Rome.

A man wanders in the valleys of Campo Imperatore. About 18km long and 8km wide, at an altitude ranging from 1800 to 2200m, the plateau is an expanse that is lost between undulating pastures and small lakes.

The conical profile of a mountain in the high plateau of Campo Imperatore in Abruzzo stands out in the morning light

Corno grande mountain and campo imperatore

On Campo Imperatore the landscapes are similar to the lunar one: tufts of grass here and there interspersed with white stone boulders of different sizes, while in the background stands the most imposing peak of the Gran Sasso, the Corno Grande.

Panorama at dawn on Campo Imperatore and the mountains of the Gran Sasso National Park in the Abruzzo Apennines of Italy

At an altitude of 1800 meters, Campo Imperatore is a wild place, characterized by endless meadows frequented by flocks of sheep and herds of free horses, rolling hills, canyons and sporadic pools of water surrounded by some of the highest peaks of the Italian Apennines.

Pietranzoni lake and corno grande in Abruzzo

A young calf drinks in solitude in the waters of the Pietranzoni lake on the high plateau of Campo Imperatore in Abruzzo. The mountain in the background is the "Corno Grande" which with its 2,912 meters is the highest mountain of the Italian Apennines. .

Sheperd on campo imperatore. Abruzzo, Italy

Sheperd. The mountainous nature of Abruzzo has favored, since ancient times, the pastoral exploitation of a large part of its territories. Sheep farming has played a decisive role in the economy of the Abruzzese populations, leaving a lasting imprint on various aspects of the historical, social and cultural development of the region.