PARCO REGIONALE SIRENTE VELINO

Located south of L'Aquila, and marked by the two limestone massifs of Velino and Sirente, the Sirente-Velino Park has been classified as a regional park since 1989. It groups together several municipalities (precisely 22) of the province of L'Aquila, including Celano, Gagliano Aterno, Massa d'Albe, Ovindoli, San Demetrio nei Vestini and Rocca di Cambio; we indicate it in Rocca di Mezzo because this is where the main information office is located.

The singularity of this park of 50,288 ha is the crater of Sirente, fruit of a recent discovery. It appears as a small lake embedded in the foot of the Sirente massif. It is the only meteoric impact crater in Italy and is said to be 1,500 years old.

As for the fauna, the park includes the high plateaus of the region and offers a peaceful habitat to some rare species (including the Apennine wolf and the Marsican brown bear, symbol of Abruzzo). The Celano Gorge is a beautiful and deep gorge which, according to legend, was created by the foot of the giant Samson. He would have separated the mountains and allowed the water to flow out. In the Arano valley, a stone keeps the imprint of the giant.

If the natural richness of this park is not to prove any more, we also find there a historical and cultural heritage of interest. Thus, archaeological areas, medieval villages, convents and churches cover its territory. The website, rich in information and available in French, allows you to organize your visit.