1. Civita di Bagnoregio, Viterbo, Lazio.
The town is noted for its striking position atop a
plateau of
friable volcanic
tuff overlooking the
Tiber river valley. It is in constant danger of destruction as the edges of the plateau collapse due to
erosion, leaving the buildings to crumble as their underlying support falls away. As of 2004, there were plans to reinforce the plateau with
steel rods to prevent further geological damage.
The city is also much admired for its
architecture
spanning several hundred years. Civita di Bagnoregio owes much of its
unaltered condition to its relative isolation; the town was able to
withstand most intrusions of modernity as well as the destruction
brought by two
world wars. The population today varies from about 12 people in winter to more than 100 in summer.
The town was placed on the
World Monuments Fund's 2006 Watch List of the 100 Most Endangered Sites, because of threats it faces from erosion and unregulated tourism.
2. Abbazia di San Galgano, Chiusdino, Tuscany.
The Abbey of Saint Galgano was a Cistercian Monastery found in the valley of the river Merse between the towns of Chiusdino and Monticiano, in the province of Siena, region of Tuscany, Italy. Presently, the roofless walls of the Gothic style 13th-century Abbey church still stand. Nearby are the chapel or Eremo or Rotonda di Montesiepi (1185), the tomb of Saint Galgano
and the purported site of his death in 1181, the sword said to have
been planted in the ground by Galgano and a chapel with frescoes by Ambrogio Lorenzetti.
3. Campo Imperatore, Abruzzo.
Campo Imperatore ("Emperor's Field") is a mountain
grassland or
alpine meadow formed by a high basin shaped
plateau located in the
Province of L'Aquila in the
Abruzzo region of
Italy in the
Gran Sasso massif. It is the largest plateau of the
Apennine ridge. Known as Italy's "Little Tibet", it is located in the
Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park.
Campo Imperatore has a
tectonic origin shaped by
alluviums and
glaciers. The plateau, which is 27 km in length and an average of 8 km in width, lies adjacent to the Apennines' highest peak
Corno Grande, and Europe's southernmost glacier, the
Calderone;
also surrounding the plateau are Monte Prena, Monte Aquila, and the
Camicia Mountains to the north and Monte Scindarella, Mesola and Monte
Bolza to the south.
The plateau's altitude ranges from 1,500 to 1,900 meters. It covers
an expanse of approximately 80 km². Campo Imperatore is home to one of
Italy's oldest alpine
ski resorts.
Located on the plateau's western edge, the resort began commercial
operation in the 1920s and continues to thrive as a ski resort to this
day due to its proximity to
Rome (132 km). The resort's hotel became dictator
Benito Mussolini's prison in August 1943 with his fall from power until he was
freed by German commandos
in September 1943. On the eastern side of the plateau is a 4 km cross
country ski trail, which is maintained by the nearby town of Castel del
Monte.
Campo Imperatore in winter.
On the southeastern side of Campo Imperatore are
medieval hill towns once ruled by the
Medicis,
Castel Del Monte and
Santo Stefano di Sessanio as well as the ruin of one of Europe's highest fortresses,
Rocca Calascio.
In spring, summer and fall, shepherds from these neighboring hill
towns maintain herds of sheep, "semi-wild" horses, and cattle in the
plateau. The pastures are covered with field grasses and meadowland wild
flowers.
Campo Imperatore is also home to the
Alpine Botanical Garden
of Campo Imperatore. Founded in 1952, the garden is devoted to
cultivation and study of some 300 species indigenous mountainous plants,
including rare and endangered plant species, among them
Vaccinium gaultherioides, Yellow Gentiana (
Gentiana lutea),
Edelweiss of the Apennines (
Leontopodium nivale), and
Adonis distorta, all plants that have adapted to Campo Imperatore's environment.
Campo Imperatore is also the habitat for the Apennine
wolf, Apennine
wildcat and the Abruzzo
chamois. Nearly extinct, the latter is making a comeback through a joint effort by
WWF Italia and the administration of the Gran Sasso National Park. Other species of wildlife include
wild boar,
foxes,
grass snakes, and a wide variety of bird life including
golden eagles and peregrine
falcons.
Also located on the high plateau, taking advantage of the elevation and absence of man-made light, is the
Campo Imperatore Near-Earth Object Survey (CINEOS), an
observatory built in 1951, which forms a branch of the
Rome Observatory.
Campo Imperatore has been popular with
filmmakers. The location has been used in more than twenty films, among them
The American,
The Name of the Rose,
Krull,
Ladyhawke,
Il sole anche di notte, and
L'Armata ritorna.
