Crossing the Maiella via the Blockhaus and the Amphitheatre

The people of Abruzzo call it the mother mountain, and you only need to walk its ridges to understand why. The Maiella is an enormous, compact massif, made of high-altitude plateaus that look like lunar landscapes, of gorges cut into the rock like deep wounds, and of a solitude that catches off guard anyone used to more tamed mountains. Though it lies close to the more famous Gran Sasso, the Maiella stays out of the spotlight, less photographed and less walked: an entire national park where you can hike for hours without meeting anyone.

The crossing

The classic crossing cuts through the heart of the massif, starting from the area of the Blockhaus, the celebrated balcony made famous also by cycling ascents, reached from the side of Pretoro and Roccamorice. From here the trails climb toward the main peaks, touching Monte Focalone and drawing close to Monte Amaro, the highest summit of the group and the second-highest of the whole Apennines. Along the way you look out over the Amphitheatre of the Murelle, a grandiose rocky basin ringed by walls and pinnacles, one of the most spectacular and least-known scenes in the entire Apennine chain.

The landscape

The landscape of the Maiella is stern and captivating. On the summit plateaus the woods vanish and only the pale, wind-beaten scree remains, dotted with cushions of dwarf mountain pine, while lower down open dense beech woods and gorges like the Valle di Taranta or the Valle dell'Orfento, carved by water. On these slopes the Apennine chamois still lives, saved from extinction, and it is not unusual to spot eagles soaring above the ridges. The human presence is felt only in the ancient rock hermitages carved into the stone and in the shepherds' shelters, signs of a discreet and very ancient use of the land, made of transhumance, of monks and of mountain people who have always known how to live alongside this harsh nature.

From a hiking standpoint the crossing unfolds largely at high altitude over open terrain, with marked but often lonely trails. It does not generally feature the exposed passages of the more technical ridges, but it still requires good fitness for the substantial elevation gains, navigation skills on the plateaus where landmarks are few, and self-sufficiency. On the summit there are no water sources and the only shelters are spartan bivouacs, so many split the crossing by spending the night at altitude and carrying everything they need.

Getting there

To get there you reach this side of the Maiella from the villages at the foot of the massif such as Pretoro, in the province of Chieti, or Roccamorice and Caramanico Terme, in the province of Pescara, from where the roads climb toward the trailheads and the Blockhaus. Public transport is limited and thins out considerably at altitude, so a car is almost indispensable for handling the logistics of a crossing which, being point-to-point, requires arranging a pick-up at the finish.

When to go

The right season is summer and early autumn, from July to September, when the plateaus are free of the snow that can linger here for a long time in the hollows. July and August offer long days but also afternoon thunderstorms to keep an eye on, while September brings clear air, cooler temperatures and even greater quiet. Even in high summer, while the Gran Sasso and the Abruzzo coast fill up, on the Maiella you almost always walk in solitude: this, perhaps, is its most precious legacy.

A practical tip: on the summit plateaus, exposed and without shelter, the weather rules and fog can wipe out every landmark within minutes. Set off very early to descend before the afternoon storms, carry plenty of water because you'll find none at altitude, and rely on maps and GPS to navigate the great stone desert. Do that and the mother mountain will welcome you with one of its vastest and most silent panoramas.