Campo Imperatore (Little Tibet)

Campo Imperatore is one of the most unexpected landscapes in Italy. At an altitude of 1,400 to 2,100 metres in the heart of the Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park, the plateau stretches for roughly 30 kilometres — a vast, open, treeless highland that could belong to the steppes of Central Asia rather than an hour's drive from Rome. The name "Little Tibet" is not an exaggeration: the same quality of light, the same sense of space in every direction, and the same herds of cattle and horses grazing on grasslands that seem to have no edges. The nearby Corno Grande, at 2,912 metres, is the highest peak of the Apennines and the only place on the Italian peninsula with a permanent glacier.

The route from Assergi — a village near the entrance of the Gran Sasso road tunnel — up to the plateau is the main drive. A cable car (funivia) also serves the plateau from the valley, but driving is far more rewarding. The Gran Sasso d'Italia ski resort dormitories and the historic Campo Imperatore Observatory (1934) mark the high point of the drive. The observatory, still active, was where Mussolini was famously held under arrest in 1943 before his dramatic rescue by German gliders — a history that adds a strange political drama to the austere mountain setting. Beyond the observatory, the plateau road continues east towards Castel del Monte, and a short but rewarding detour leads to Rocca Calascio, a 10th-century fortress perched on a rocky spur at 1,460 metres — one of the most photogenic castles in Italy, used as a filming location for the 1985 film Ladyhawke.

For a VW T3, the road to Campo Imperatore begins with a long, sustained climb from the valley. The gradient is significant but not extreme, and the road is well-maintained throughout. The plateau section itself is completely flat. The main concern at this altitude is the cold: even in summer, temperatures on the plateau can drop below 10°C at night, and afternoon thunderstorms are common. Carry warm clothing and be prepared for rapid weather changes. In winter and early spring, the plateau is accessible from Assergi via the autostrada tunnel and the ski resort road, but the plateau road itself may be snowbound. The area is almost entirely free of tourists — this is one of the great undiscovered drives of central Italy, and the solitude is genuine.

The best time to visit is June to September, when the plateau wildflowers (orchids, gentians, and mountain poppies) are in bloom and the weather is settled. August brings Italian city-dwellers to the ski resort facilities for cool-weather relief, but the plateau itself remains uncrowded. Spring is dramatic — the last snows retreating before a surge of green — but road access may be limited until late May. The villages on the eastern descent from the plateau (Castel del Monte, Santo Stefano di Sessanio) are beautifully preserved medieval hill towns that deserve an afternoon each, and the local saffron (Zafferano dell'Aquila) is among the finest in the world.