Camping 7 Fonti

Local sightseeing might start up on the spectacular Campo Imperatore (55 minutes’ drive); Abruzzo’s highest alpine meadow is ringed by mountain peaks and dotted with pristine lakes. It’s heaven for hikers, and if you’re keen on stargazing, stay on after dark on a cloudless evening and watch the Milky Way dancing across the sky, or glimpse the galaxy up close through the telescope at Campo Imperatore Observatory (also 55 minutes). As well as being a dramatically beautiful landscape for walkers and cyclists, the Parco Nazionale del Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga (15 minutes) is home to several landmark castle ruins. The 10th-century Rocca Calascio (25 minutes) dominates the scenery from its mountaintop eyrie; scramble up to the ruined ramparts for breathtaking views over the national park. In more urban pursuits, head for the pretty neoclassical centre of L’Aquila (35 minutes), packed with monumental churches, cosy piazzas and elegant colonnaded shopping arcades. The vast cathedral is still being repaired after the earthquake in 2009.