Monti della Laga

Monti della Laga is a mountain range in the central Apennines of Italy. Their ruggedness and inaccessibility makes them one of the lesser known areas of the Italian peninsula.

The mountains run for a length of about 24 kilometres (15 mi) between the Italian Regions of Abruzzo, Marche and Lazio. In doing so they border the Italian Provinces of Teramo, L'Aquila, Ascoli Piceno and Rieti.

Monti della Laga is cut off from the Gran Sasso d'Italia mountain chain by the narrow Vomano Valley which itself leads to Passo delle Capannelle and the Lago di Campotosto (Lake of Campotosto). Within the Vomano Valley is the State Road SS 80. Also present are traces of a branch of the ancient Via Cecilia.

The landscapes differ on the various sides of Monti della Laga. The Marche area is noted its harshness, Lazio for its profound steep banked gorges, and Abruzzo for its smooth undulating hills and valleys. The crest line begins at Monte Comunitore and leads up to the peak of Macera della Morte (standing at 2,073 metres where the three Italian regions intersect). It then rises once again to a height of 2,458 metres at Monte Gorzano, the highest peak in this chain and the highest peak in the Lazio region. Nearby mountain peaks of note include Cima Lepri (2,445 metres), Pizzo di Sevo (2,419 metres), Pizzo di Moscio (2,411 metres) and, standing at the southernmost point of the Monti della Laga mountain chain, Monte di Mezzo (2,155 metres).

The landmass of Monti della Laga has a more rounded off characteristic in comparison with many of the other Apennine areas. This phenomenon is because the soil is far more arenaceous (sandy) and has marble formations that are not found in other parts of the central Apennine Mountains farther to north and the south. Hence the geological name given to the area, "Formazione di Laga". More characteristic of the Apennine mountains are soils, rocks, and land formations made up of coal and dolomitic limestone.

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Wikipedia