Castelli – Parco Nacional Del Gran Sasso – Abruzzo

The Gran Sasso region of the Appennines becomes even more dramatic as the peaks reach up to almost 3,000 meter of what looks like a solid mass of sheer rock.  These steep cliff faces are complimented by the abutting and sprawling highland planes known as the Campo Imperatore.  The Campo Imperatore covers over 27 kilometers and is at or above 1,500 meters.   These meandering plains are magical as they are filled with sheep, cows, horses (and not a single fence), wildflowers (even orchids), and mushrooms.  Invariably you will see someone hunting for mushrooms and a sheppard with his fluffy white sheepdog tending to his flock.  Molto Bello!!!  The Gran Sasso is in the Abbruzzo region of Italy, which is considered to be southern Italy, and there is a slight shift in culture.  The language is spoken even more rapidly, and the words are run together with little-to-no compliment of English.  Let’s just say it can lead to some funny misunderstandings.   Retail shops rarely are open, and they don’t post hours.  We’re not sure, but we think normal shop hours are something like this:  If we open, it’ll be around 10:00 a.m., with a lunch break from 1:00 to 3:30, and we’ll try to reopen around 4:00 until maybe 6:00 or maybe not.  And if it’s a restaurant, no dinner until 8:00 p.m. J  Sorry for not including a food shot this time but the sheep dog was so damn cute that he took priority.  However we had an amazing meal of Tagliatelle with Tartufo Nero Fresca … AMAZING.  Biting into the tartufo was like the slightest nut flavor followed by the mildest tortufo flavor, much different from the dried kind.  Next stop for us Caramanico Terma and Parco Nacional della Majella.