Abruzzo · Teramo
Pietracamela
A village of 199 people clinging at 1,005 meters under the north wall of Corno Piccolo, birthplace of Italian Apennine climbing in 1925.
Picked by Peter Benei
Letter to come
Why Pietracamela is on our list
It holds Borghi più belli d'Italia.
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Visiting
- Best time
- Jun–Sep, Dec–Mar
- By car
- 1 h 32 min from Pescara
- Population
- 199
- J6°
- F9°
- M9°
- A12°
- M17°
- J22°
- J26°
- A25°
- S20°
- O17°
- N11°
- D8°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime air temperature, averages for 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Why come
The village was founded in the twelfth century by populations fleeing coastal raids for the inaccessible upper Rio Arno valley. Its name comes from the Preta, the camel-humped rock above the houses. The Gran Sasso, central Italy's highest range, defines the place: the historic core sits packed against the slope below the peak, while the road above climbs to Prati di Tivo, the frazione that turns into a ski station and the gateway to the cableway onto the massif.
By the 1930s the climbing club founded in the village had opened the first grade VI routes on the east face and the Torrione Cambi. Today the village empties in winter except for the climbers and skiers heading up that same road. What began as a refuge in an inaccessible valley became, seven centuries later, a base camp for the range that towers over it.
How to get there
From Ancona (AOI), about 2 h 19 min by car.
Rome Fiumicino (FCO) is about 2 h 25 min away.
By car from the center of Pescara 1 h 32 min or Ancona 2 h 14 min.
Coming by train into Pescara Centrale? Pietracamela is about 1 h 29 min away by road.
First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.
What to see
Centro storico
Tightly packed stone houses on the slope, twelfth-century medieval plan preserved, listed among the Borghi più belli d'Italia.
Corno Piccolo
Sheer rock peak rising 2,655 meters directly above the village, the historic training ground of the Aquilotti climbing club.
Prati di Tivo
Ski station at 1,450 meters, frazione of Pietracamela, gateway to the cableway up the Gran Sasso massif.
Corno Grande and Calderone glacier
Gran Sasso's main peak at 2,912 meters, with the Calderone, the southernmost glacier in Europe, on its northern slopes.
Chiesa di San Leucio
Medieval parish church in the village, restored multiple times, the oldest stone building in the historic core.
Living here
Could you live here?
Pietracamela is at the end of the road.
- A village of 199. The nearest town of 5,000 people, Montorio al Vomano, is 29 min away: past our 15-minute rule, which makes this the end of the road.
- Teramo, a city of 51,600, is 40 min by car. Inside our 30 to 60 minutes: close for the services, far enough to keep its own life.
The rules come from our series Where to Move in Italy, written from the places we have lived: Part 1, The End of the Road · Part 2, The Small Town · Part 3, The City · Part 4, The Postcard · Part 5, The Other Half. The towns we would pick are in Part 6, The Best Towns.
- Population 199, down 30.2% since 2015 (Italy's emptying towns)
- Nearest city Teramo, 40 min drive
- Nearest national health service hospital L'Aquila, 18 km as the crow flies · how healthcare works in Italy
- Homes in the center: €620 to €920 per m² to buy, €1.90 to €2.80 per m² a month to rent
All the numbers Common questions, designations, lists and sources.
More about living here
- In-between
- Pharmacy in town
- Nearest high school over ~30 minutes away
- Full fibre reaches 99% of homes
- No primary school in the comune's register
- Earthquake zone 1, Italy's highest hazard
- Pescara airport (PSR), 1 h 35 min drive, the nearest with scheduled flights
- Regional capital L'Aquila, 1 h 7 min drive
If you are moving here
Who lives here
2% of residents are foreign citizens, against 9% across Italy. There are 1,075 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 85% of homes have no resident, holiday homes and empty ones counted together, against 27% across Italy. Teramo province ranks 68th of 107 in Il Sole 24 Ore's quality of life ranking for 2025.
Health and schools
The nearest emergency room is in L'Aquila, 18 km as the crow flies. It has a children's emergency room too. The nearest major one is in Terni, 74 km away. The nearest IB school is Acorn International School, 109 km as the crow flies. The nearest school listed as international is Canadian College Italy, 76 km away.
Information, not medical advice. Confirm with a professional.
Taxes
A home that is not your main one pays 1% a year in property tax, charged on the cadastral value rather than the price. A main home pays none unless it is in a luxury category. 7% pensioner tax: this town qualifies, for someone with a foreign pension who has lived abroad for five years: 7% on foreign income, for ten years.
Information, not tax advice. Confirm with a professional.
What it costs
The average household in Abruzzo spends about €2,120 a month, €540 of it on food, against about €2,170 across Italy. A family of three pays about €533 a year for water, on the Abruzzo average.
Climate and risk
It is in climate zone F, the coldest of Italy's six, with no national limit on when the heating runs. The national maps show no residents in a high or medium flood zone. 38% live in a zone rated high or very high for landslides.
These shares cover the whole comune, not any one street. Check an address on IdroGEO.
Moving from abroad? Which visa you need. Sources: ISTAT, the Ministry of Health, ISPRA, the Finance Ministry, the Ministry of Enterprise, Poste Italiane, the comuni, the IB, International Schools Database, Il Sole 24 Ore, Cittadinanzattiva.
Known for
AQUILOTTI
Founded here in 1925 by Ernesto Sivitilli, the first climbing club of the central Apennines, opened the first grade VI routes.
CORNO PICCOLO
2,655-meter peak directly above the village, considered the most demanding rock climb in the Apennine range.
CALDERONE GLACIER
Southernmost glacier in Europe, on the north flank of Corno Grande, accessed from Prati di Tivo above the village.
Common questions
- What is Pietracamela known for?
- Pietracamela is a village of 199 people clinging at 1,005 meters under the north wall of Corno Piccolo, birthplace of Italian Apennine climbing in 1925.
- Where is Pietracamela?
- Pietracamela is a comune in the province of Teramo, in Abruzzo, at 1005 meters above sea level.
- What is the nearest airport to Pietracamela?
- The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Pescara (PSR), about 1 h 35 min by car.
- How long is the drive from Pescara to Pietracamela?
- About 1 h 32 min by car.
- When is the best time to visit Pietracamela?
- Best in Jun–Sep, Dec–Mar. July is the warmest month, averaging 26 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 18 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Pietracamela?
- Calascio, Castelvecchio Calvisio and Santo Stefano di Sessanio.
- How many people live in Pietracamela?
- 199 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
- Is Pietracamela a good place to live?
- By the rules in our Where to Move in Italy series, Pietracamela is at the end of the road: the nearest town of 5,000 people, Montorio al Vomano, is 29 min away. The nearest city, Teramo, is 40 min away by car. The nearest national health service hospital is in L'Aquila, 18 km as the crow flies. Full fibre reaches 99% of homes.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
Recognized as
Landscape
The numbers
- Elevation: 1005 m
- Population: 199
- Surface area: 44.49 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
The ranked lists
Lists Pietracamela appears in
Featured on
Pietracamela appears on this themed pick from our Collections:
Similar
Towns like Pietracamela
What all six share with Pietracamela: under 1,000 people · mountain towns above 1,000 metres
Calascio
Province: L'Aquila
both high in the mountains
Castelvecchio Calvisio
Province: L'Aquila
both high in the mountains
Santo Stefano di Sessanio
Province: L'Aquila
both high in the mountains
Castel del Monte
Province: L'Aquila
both high in the mountains
Alessandria del Carretto
Province: Cosenza
both high in the mountains
Cappadocia
Province: L'Aquila
1 h 52 min apart by road
The letter
Pietracamela is on our list. Its letter is still to come.
We are writing about all 1,000 of these towns, one at a time, in a free letter: the photo, what is worth eating, and when to turn up. That is our mission. Sign up and you will be there when Pietracamela comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Turin.
The nearest town we have written up is Scheggino, 63 km away. Read its letter →
Paid plans, the moving year and the books are on the membership page.