The Principessa Maria di Piemonte shelter, more commonly known as Prato Rosso shelter, is situated at 1536 metres above sea level and it is surrounded by one of the most interesting and beautiful beech forests of the Abruzzo National Park territory. It was built in the thirties for the wish of the Park’s founder Erminio Sipari and it is the only shelter owned by the Park on the left bank of Sangro River. The shelter was built with stone and cement by local workers.
On the ground floor there is a kitchen, a fireplace and a little bathroom; a ladder allows you to go up to a double wooden loft and to the dormitory, with 8 comfortable beds. Under the shelter there is a tank for rainwater that provides a reserve (non – potable water) even in summer. You can find the first useful spring walking for 45 minutes, climbing from the shelter along the A1 path and following the official signs of the Park.
The shelter is open all year but, currently, is not managed according to the alpine model. So, if you want to use it you have to book and ask for the keys in our offices, or you can take part in our planned proposals. Overnight stays with dogs are not permitted.
From Pescasseroli
La Canala – Prato Rosso
Path A1-A9 PNALM
Vertical drop 370 mt
Average time 2 ore
From Bisegna
Bisegna – Prato Rosso
Path A1 PNALM
Vertical drop 600 mt
Average time 4 ore
From Scanno
Scanno – Valico del Carapale
Path A3-A1 PNALM
Vertical drop 1050 m
Average time 5 h
In the most hidden corner of this land still survives an ancient beech forests, as in Coppo del Morto and Bosco dello Schiappito, where the patriarchs reach 500 years of life. These trees have been born before the end of the Middle Age and before the “discovery” of Americas by Columbus. Therefore, these are not only the oldest beech trees known in Europe but also the oldest broad-leaf trees of the Northern hemisphere! Such an amazing discovery has brought the magnificent Apennine beech forests to the attention of the international scientific community and also triggered their nomination process as “UNESCO World Heritage Site”. In these primeval forests, the concentration of species is impressive.
Apennine yellow-bellied toad Bombina pachypus (Bonaparte, 1838)
Apennine Wolf Canis lupus italicus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Collared Flycatcher Ficedula albicollis (Temminck, 1815)
Goshawk Accipiter gentilis (Linnaeus, 1758)
Marsican brown bear Ursus arctos marsicanus (Altobello, 1921)
Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus (Tunstall, 1771)
Rosalia alpina Rosalia alpina (Linnaeus, 1758)
Tawny owl Strix aluco (Linnaeus, 1758)
Treecreeper Certhia brachydactyla (Brehm, 1820)
White-backed Woodpecker Picoides leucotos (Bechstein, 1803)
Kit-list
Sleeping bag
Toiletries
Slippers
Headlamp
Fire starter “diavolina”
Campingaz cylinder
Food and water
What is included
Fully equipped kitchen
Gas oven
Fireplace
Stove
Gas lamp
Solar power generator
Rain water tank (no drinkable)
Cleaning equipment
What is excluded
Final cleaning