Announced in February 2023, the “Cammino del Gran Sasso” is the latest addition to the collection of long distance hiking trails in Abruzzo.
The trail is officially divided into five stages:
1) Campo Imperatore to Castel del Monte
2) Castel del Monte to Rocca Calascio
3) Rocca Calascio to Santo Stefano di Sessanio
4) Santo Stefano di Sessanio to Barisciano
5) Barisciano to Fonte Cerreto
The total distance of this trail is around 60 km / 37 miles and it is a downhill dominated trail, meaning that in total there is more downhill than uphill. To be more precise, the total ascent of the trail is 2306 meters / 7565 feet, and the total descent 3296 meters / 10813 feet. So better prepare your legs for descents before attempting it.
Although the trail is officially divided into five stages, almost two thirds of the total distance are covered in stages 1 and 5, and the remaining three stages could be combined by more time constrained hikers. All starting and ending points have hotels and other lodging available, but it may be required to book your stay in advance, especially during high season.
Overall, this trail seems to offer plenty of scenic views, including mountains, canyons, castles, and villages from the middle age, but without crossing high alpine terrain, and therefore should be possible to hike it from spring to autumn most years. The official website (linked below) offers various information on how to plan your trip, including tracks in KMZ format. You may want to convert the tracks into GPX before loading them into your watch for navigation.
Official website: camminodelgransasso.it