Discover Lama Dei Peligni

Lama dei Peligni between the Aventino and Maiella

Lama dei Peligni combines the landscape of Maiella National Park with nature observation, hiking trails and a remarkable prehistoric heritage. The town lies between the Aventino River and Monte Amaro, the park’s highest peak. This makes Lama dei Peligni a suitable base for a trip combining different interests: short nature experiences, mountain destinations, cave exploration and prehistoric traces.

Botanical Garden and chamois

The Giardino Botanico Michele Tenore was established in 1995 at an elevation of 650 metres. It covers 9,000 square metres and currently houses around 500 plant units. Educational areas, along with sections recreating Maiella’s vegetation zones, give the garden a clear natural-history focus. At the Area Faunistica del Camoscio d’Abruzzo, visitors can observe chamois at close range. In addition, the “Maurizio Locati” visitor centre has an extensive section on the Apennine chamois, with educational panels and dioramas depicting the park’s cliff-dwelling fauna.

Hiking destinations in different formats

From the visitor centre, you can follow the Sentiero Natura, a short trail suitable for all age groups. For a mountain hike, trail H4 to Rifugio Fonte Tarì starts at the car park of the Area Faunistica del Camoscio in Lama dei Peligni. The refuge is located in the Lama dei Peligni area at an elevation of 1,540 metres. Grotta del Cavallone offers a different format: the visitor centre lists it as a destination for hiking trails and gives its elevation as 1,475 metres above sea level. The visit includes a ride on the Cestovia in historic green cabins, followed by a rocky panoramic trail with 300 steps leading to the cave entrance.

Caves and traces of prehistory

Grotta di Sant’Angelo opens at an elevation of 985 metres above a gorge in the Maiella massif. The area around the town also has a cultural history: cave paintings found in the vicinity of Lama dei Peligni provide evidence of prehistoric settlement. The area also contains the remains of a Neolithic village near Contrada Fonterossi. The “Maurizio Locati” visitor centre includes a reconstruction of this Neolithic village. It also displays a cast of the “Uomo della Majella”, found at Fonterossi and more than 7,000 years old. Cavallone Informa is a speleological museum and visitor information centre in the La Ripa area of Lama dei Peligni.

Buses from Lanciano or Chieti stop near the historic centre of Lama dei Peligni, 500 metres from the visitor centre. Planning for the nature trail and visitor centre therefore differs from planning for the H4 trail starting at the car park of the Area Faunistica del Camoscio.

Other places: Lanciano, Altino, Crecchio, Monteodorisio, Paglieta, Casalincontrada, Fossacesia, Tornareccio.

To the higher-level travel overview: Chieti.