Pietracamela, Italy: travel guide to the Gran Sasso stone village and Prati di Tivo

Pietracamela is a tiny mountain village in the province of Teramo, in Abruzzo, set at 1,005 metres on the northern slopes of the Gran Sasso d'Italia, the highest massif of the Apennines, in central Italy. With only a few hundred inhabitants, this stone-built borgo clings to the rock beneath the Corno Piccolo and is one of the most beautiful and atmospheric mountain villages in the region.

For travellers searching for Pietracamela, Prati di Tivo, the Gran Sasso National Park or the most beautiful villages of Abruzzo, it offers medieval stone streets, dramatic peaks and excellent mountain walking and skiing.

History and the village

The first part of the name comes from "Preta," an old word for the great boulder on which the houses are built, brought down by ancient glaciers, while "Camela" is said to recall the camel-like hump of the nearby Pizzo Intermesoli. Probably founded around the 12th century by mountain people seeking refuge, or by shepherds and wool-carders from Apulia, whose patron saint San Leucio the village still honours, Pietracamela preserves stone houses dating back to the 1400s. Since 2007 it has been listed among the Most Beautiful Villages in Italy, and it is the only municipality in the Teramo area lying entirely within the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park.

Mountains and Prati di Tivo

Just above the village, the upland of Prati di Tivo at around 1,450 metres is the main mountain resort of the Teramo Gran Sasso, with ski lifts in winter and superb hiking and climbing in summer beneath the Corno Piccolo and Corno Grande. Pietracamela is the historic home of the Aquilotti del Gran Sasso, the first mountaineering club in Italy, and the surrounding nature reserve shelters the Abruzzo chamois.

Practical information

Pietracamela lies about 33 kilometres from Teramo, reached by mountain roads through the national park. A high and peaceful base, it is ideal for walkers, climbers and skiers wanting to explore the highest mountains of the Apennines.