Monte Greco
2,285 m
Italy
- Elevation
- 2,285 m
- Prominence
- 1,005 m
- Difficulty
- 2/10
- Hike
- Best Season
- Sep–Oct
- Routes
- 1
Routes
1Approximate line — not for navigation
An automated check found that parts of this line could not be matched to mapped trails, so it may stray far from the real route. Use it for planning only, with a map and a guidebook.
Why? 5 check notes
- the line does not follow 'Antone Rotondo', the route's namesake (334 m away): mislabelled
- DIN time up 4.68 h vs published 2.75 h (+70%)
- DIN time down 3.76 h vs published 2.25 h (+67%)
- unresolved waypoints: Stazzo Ospeduco, Sella del Greco
- waypoints not on the route line: Antone Rotondo (247 m off the trail), Cima Antone Rotondo Nord (247 m off the trail)
The shortest way up: from the Piano le Gravare lift car park above Roccaraso (1,574 m), follow ski-area tracks to the Antone Rotondo shepherds' hut, cross grassy basins past Stazzo Ospeduco to the plateau north of the summit, then climb a cairned path up the north ridge to the iron cross. About 760 m of ascent, E grade, 5 hours return.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- ≈ 10.1 km
- one way
- Ascent
- ≈ +907 m
- −195 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 2,285 m
- Time Up
- ≈ 4h 41m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- ≈ 3h 46m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Start from the large car park at Piano le Gravare (1,574 m), below the gondola and chairlift of the Roccaraso–Aremogna ski area. A dirt road passes through a tunnel and climbs the Valle delle Gravare along the ski runs, alternately steep and easier, to the top of a chairlift (1,843 m) and a saddle at 1,991 m. A little further is the Antone Rotondo shepherds' hut (about 2,000 m, 1¼ hours), where Monte Greco comes into view and you leave the lift area. A few hundred metres on, leave the track at a saddle and climb grassy slopes to a knoll with a large cairn (2,060 m, Cima Antone Rotondo Nord). Skirt a second knoll on the left and drop to a basin with the scant remains of Stazzo Ospeduco (1,996 m), then follow a grassy gully to a broad ridge above Lago Pantaniello. A path on the left climbs a steep ramp and bends right to the grassy plateau north of the peak (about 2,143 m, the saddle between Serra le Gravare and Monte Greco). From there a cairned path climbs diagonally, turns left and gains the summit ridge and the cross (2,285 m), about 1½ hours from the hut. Waymarks are almost absent above the ski area, though the line is nearly always obvious in clear weather; red marks and cairns appear in the middle section. In fog the open plateaux are disorientating. Descend the same way (about 1¼ hours to Antone Rotondo and 1 hour more to the car). The whole route is in full sun, so avoid the hottest summer days and carry enough water.
Start
Piano le Gravare1,573 m
- Roccaraso ski-area lifts from Piano le Gravare operate in winter; they are not needed for the summer route.
- Regional buses reach Roccaraso; there is no public transport up to Piano le Gravare outside the ski season, so plan on a car or taxi from Roccaraso via Piano dell'Aremogna.
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Piano le Gravare → Monte Greco | 10.1 | 907 | 195 | 4h 41m |
Waypoints
- Parking: Piano le Gravare1,573 m
Car park at the base of the Toppe del Tesoro lifts, Roccaraso ski area
- Waypoint: Antone Rotondo2,054 m
Shepherds' hut (stazzo) on the ski-area track (not on route line)
- Feature: Cima Antone Rotondo Nord2,054 m
Grassy knoll with a large cairn (not on route line)
- Summit: Monte Greco2,285 m
Key Passages
- Steep ski-run tracks up the Valle delle Gravare
- Pathless grassy basins past Stazzo Ospeduco
- Steep ramp to the plateau north of the summit
- Short, steep cairned climb on the north ridge
Equipment
0/6 packedDownloads
Route confidence 70%Overview
The highest summit of the Monti Marsicani (2,285 m), a broad grassy massif between the Roccaraso ski area and the Abruzzo National Park. An easy but largely unmarked walk across high pastures, with an iron cross on top and red deer often seen near the summit.
Monte Greco rises between the Altopiani Maggiori d'Abruzzo (Roccaraso, the Piano delle Cinque Miglia) and the Parco Nazionale d'Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise, north of the upper Sangro valley and Lake Barrea. With about 1,000 m of prominence it dominates a rolling upland of grassy domes, karst basins and old sheepfolds, ringed by Serra le Gravare, Monte Chiarano and Rocca Chiarano. Below its north side lies Lago Pantaniello (about 1,818 m), one of the highest lakes in the Apennines, protected as a small strict state nature reserve.
The mountain has two very different faces. To the north-east, the lifts and runs of the Roccaraso–Aremogna ski area reach the Toppe del Tesoro, and the shortest summer route follows its service tracks before leaving them for open pasture. To the south and west, the approaches from Passo Godi and Barrea are long, quiet walks on national park trails.
There is no technical difficulty on the normal routes; the challenge is route-finding. Above the ski area waymarks are sparse, and the open plateaux are easy to get lost on in the fog that often builds on Apennine afternoons. The summit view takes in the Maiella, the Matese, the Meta group and much of the central and southern Apennines.
Climbing Notes
Fit walkers can do the normal route from Piano le Gravare in about 5 hours return (760 m of ascent). The Passo Godi approach is longer (about 900 m of ascent and 6 hours return), and loops over Serra le Gravare and Monte Chiarano can take 8–9 hours. Carry a map (Il Lupo 'Monti Marsicani' 1:25,000 or the PNALM map) and a GPS track: most of the route above the ski area is unmarked, and park trail numbers have changed over the years (Y3 became H1 in 2017).
Go in settled weather and turn back if fog rolls in. There is no reliable water and no shade, so carry plenty in summer. Large sheep flocks graze the high pastures in summer; give them a wide berth, especially if guard dogs are present.
In winter the massif is a popular ski-touring and snowshoe objective from the Roccaraso ski area and the Valle di Chiarano. Snow covers the route from roughly December to April, bringing avalanche risk on steeper slopes and cornices on the ridges.
Season
Best Sep–Oct- January: Possible
- February: Possible
- March: Possible
- April: Possible
- May: Good
- June: Best
- July: Good
- August: Good
- September: Best (best window)
- October: Best (best window)
- November: Possible
- December: Possible
- Jan
- Winter: ski touring or snowshoes only; avalanche and fog risk
- Feb
- Winter: ski touring or snowshoes only
- Mar
- Spring snow; ski touring
- Apr
- Late snow on the upper slopes
- May
- Summer route usually possible from May; snow patches
- Jul
- Very hot and exposed on summer days; start early; thunderstorms
- Aug
- Very hot and exposed; start early
- Oct
- Good until late October
- Nov
- Short days, early snow, fog
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Rules
- Riserva Naturale Statale Pantaniello (Lago Pantaniello, below the north side): strict nature reserve, entry only for study or educational purposes; view the lake from the slopes above
- The southern and western approaches (Passo Godi, Barrea) are within the Parco Nazionale d'Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise: stay on marked trails, dogs on a lead, no camping
- Getting There
Roccaraso (normal route); Villetta Barrea, Barrea and Scanno (park approaches)
Abruzzo Airport, Pescara (PSR); Rome and Naples airports are further but better connected
- Car: from Roccaraso drive up to Piano dell'Aremogna, continue towards the base of the Toppe del Tesoro lifts and keep left at the signed junction for the Piano le Gravare car park
- Car (Passo Godi approach): A25 exit Cocullo, through the Gole del Sagittario and Scanno to Passo Godi, then 1.4 km towards Villetta Barrea to a barred dirt road (Località Anatuccio, about 1,510 m)
- Regional buses serve Roccaraso, Scanno and the Barrea valley; there is no public transport to the trailheads outside the ski season
Hazards
- Weather
- Avalanche
- Cornices