Camping in Abruzzo can mean pitching on a campsite or finding an area of parkland where the view is wild; Piano Roseto Crognaleto is one such pitch with a view, you don’t need special permission or a permit but you have to put up with the fact that you won’t get showers etc provided, although there’s always the animal water troughs if you get desperate.
The Piano Roseto Crognaleto plateau is hugely popular for the Shepherd’s Fair (Fiera della pastorizia) that has been held there since 1858 at the beginning of July, and where the area’s transumanza (sheep migration) began. From being an area where you will barely see a soul and where I’d love to pitch a tent for the night, it for one night becomes packed with both tents and camper vans such is the draw of a free-style night under the stars with the greatest views of the Gran Sasso & Monti della Lagi range up at 1258 masl with a Thelma & Louise feel. Walk through woods filled with Cornelian Cherry (Crognaleto in dialect) or take a look at the Swabian Rocco Roseto or drive down the mountain and try a few of our favourite restaurants Locanda del Cervo, Taverna 7F, Locanda Valentina.
Author: Sam Dunham
Sam is a freelance SEO content creator and IGCSE Geography and English teacher at Istituto Cristo Re in Rome. She also runs the Life In Abruzzo Cultural Association, sharing stories and insights about this captivating region. Alongside raising a teenager, Sam hosts guests at her family’s traditional home, the Little House of the Firefly in Abruzzo, offering a warm welcome and insider tips on local culture, food, and hidden gems.
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