Territorial Classification

The Majella, Mountains - imposing, wild, Father for Plinius the Old, “Mother Mountain” for the local population - became part of National Parks world heritage, after decades of strong fights, thanks to the Law of 6 December 1991, n. 394 and to the Italian Republic President’s Decree of 5 June 1995, constitutive of Park Authority.

This wide and calcareous massif with Morrone, Porrara and Pizzi Mountains, the Valleys and the carsic plateaux represent a National Park that, since its geographic position - completely dipped into the Mediterranean Sea - roughness, size, harshness, its climatic changeableness and the impressiveness (more than 60 mountains di cui 30 superano i 2.000 meters, among which Monte Amaro, 2793 metri, second Apennine peak; Acquaviva Mountain, 2737 meters; the Focalone, 2676 meters; the Rotondo, 2656 m; Macellaro, 2646 m; Pesco Falcone, 2546 m; Cima delle Murelle 2598 m) is surely unique of its kind. Majella National Park encloses wide lands with peculiar aspects that usually feature the wilerness areas, the most precious part of national and international biodiversity heritage.
The contiguity with “Gran Sasso-Laga Mountains” and “Sirente-Velino” National Parks gives this Park the highest ecologic value, connected with critical needs of the most rare and threatened animal species in search of ecological undamaged zones.

The Majella is made of limestones surfaced five millions of years ago from the depth of the ancient ocean called “Tethys”. This calcareous material was piled up there during the ages, because of the deposition of marine organisms skeletons. This mountain range is featured by a series of wide summital tablelands (present in no other places of Apennines) rounded by the millenary action of glaciers that were very wide here during the glacial ages. Among them it is worthy of mention the “Vallone di Femmina Morta” (Death Female’s Gorge). In this area there are also very long and harsh gorges that plough through the mountain from high-altitude zones until donwhill: the Orfento Gorge, crossed by the homonymous river full of beechwoods. The same can be said about the Foro river and its valley: so, this zone is one of the most well preserved areas of the Park that is the ideal habitat for rare species such as the White-backed Woodpecker, the Goshawk, the Collared Flycatcher and the Eagle-Owl. Other spots that deserve to be mentioned are: the Selvaromana Gorge in the municipality of Pennapiedimonte, Mandrelle Valley and Valle di S. Spirito (Holy Spirit Valley) in the municipality of Fara San Martino and the Taranta Gorge with the wonderful Grotta del Cavallone (Big Horse Cave).

The Orta river receives the water of a wide basin and together with its large valley (so deeply fitted with the municipalities territories of Bolognano and San Valentino that forms a real canyon) divides the Majella massif from Morrone. This is a narrow and extended dorsal, made of calcareous and dolomitic rocks, that comes down on the plain of Sulmona among steep rocky ledges.

In the southern area, down the Mount “Pizzalto”, the wonderful carsic plateaux known as “Altipiani Maggiori d'Abruzzo” (Abruzzi Main Plateaux: 1250 m.) or as “Quarti” (Quarters: Santa Chiara, Barone, Grande e Molino) act like a zip with the area of Mounts “Pizzi” and “Secine”, compound made of marl in contact with clays. This area is strongly rich in woods of beech, Lobel Maple and other different species. The presence of wide mixed woods expanses, jointly with the abundance of water and the consequent richness of ecological niches, enable this area to function as ideal habitat for the most precious faunal species in the Park.

 

DON'T MISS:
Grotta del Cavallone (Big Horse Cave) or Figlia di Jorio (Jorio’s Daughter Cave) in the Taranta Peligna Gorge, with their wonderful stalactites and stalagmites; Grotta dei Piccioni (Pigeons Cave) in the Orta Valley, important archaeological site dating back to Neolithic; Grotta del Colle (Hilla Cave) close to the village of Rapino, carsic cavity with a remarkable historical and archaeological value.