The Maiella (or Majella) is a massif in the Central Apennines, in

Abruzzo Abruzzo (, , ; nap, label=Neapolitan language, Abruzzese Neapolitan, Abbrùzze , ''Abbrìzze'' or ''Abbrèzze'' ; nap, label=Sabino dialect, Aquilano, Abbrùzzu; #History, historically Abruzzi) is a Regions of Italy, region of Southern Italy wi ...

, central

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

Geography

The mountain is located at the boundary between the provinces of

Chieti Chieti (, ; , nap, label= Abruzzese, Chjïétë, ; gr, Θεάτη, Theátē; lat, Theate, ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Central Italy, east by northeast of Rome. It is the capital of the province of Chieti in the Abruzzo region. ...

Pescara Pescara (; nap, label= Abruzzese, Pescàrë; nap, label= Pescarese, Piscàrë) is the capital city of the Province of Pescara, in the Abruzzo region of Italy. It is the most populated city in Abruzzo, with 119,217 (2018) residents (and approxim ...

and

L'Aquila L'Aquila ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in central Italy. It is the capital city of both the Abruzzo region and of the Province of L'Aquila. , it has a population of 70,967 inhabitants. Laid out within medieval walls on a hill in the wide valle ...

. The highest peak is Monte Amaro at 2,793 m, the second-highest of the entire Apennine range. The massif is at the centre of the

Maiella National Park Maiella National Park ( it, Parco Nazionale della Maiella) is a national park located in the provinces of Chieti, Pescara and L'Aquila, in the region of Abruzzo, Italy. It is centered on the Maiella massif, of which Monte Amaro is the highest pea ...

. The Maiella is formed by a compact

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

massif, on which summit are the highest peaks in the group: Monte Amaro 2,793 m, Monte Acquaviva 2,737 m, Monte Focalone 2,676 m, Monte Rotondo 2,656 m, Monte Macellaro 2,646 m, Pesco Falcone 2,546 m, Cima delle Murelle 2,598 m. A further peak is the Blockhaus (2,145m), which is sometimes used as the finish of a stage of the Giro d'Italia cycling race. Vast plateaus are present up to 2,500 m. The slopes are characterized by steep valleys and gorges, carved out by rivers such as the Orfento, the

Foro Foro ( ar, فورو, ti, ፎሮ) is a town in the Northern Red Sea region (Zoba Semienawi Keyih Bahri) of Eritrea. Overview A small city located near the coast, Foro was built at the confluence of the Haddas, Aligide and Comaile rivers. In t ...

and others. Nearby are the

Monte Morrone The Montagne del Morrone are a mountain group in Abruzzo, central Italy, part of the Apennines. Overlooking the town of Sulmona, they are bounded by the Valle Peligna, the river Aterno and the Majella massif. They are included into the Majella N ...

, Monte Porrara and

Monti Pizzi Monti may refer to: __NOTOC__ People * Monti (given name) * Monti (surname) Monti is an Italian surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Carlo Monti (1920–2016), Italian athlete * Bruno Monti (1930–2011), Italian cyclist * Eleonora M ...

groups. The Maiella includes an iced waterfall, known as ''Il Principiante'', located at 1,600 metres and having a height of 25 metres.

History

The massif was the site of the

1706 Abruzzo earthquake The 1706 Abruzzo earthquake, also known as the Maiella earthquake, occurred on November 3 at 13:00 CEST. The earthquake with a possible epicenter in the Central Apennine Mountains (Maiella), Abruzzo had an estimated moment magnitude of 6.6–6. ...

, which measured 6.8 . It devastated many towns in Abruzzo.

Scientific research

The area of the Montagna della Maiella has been subject to a major international geoscientific research Project,

TaskForceMajella The TaskForceMajella (TFM) is an industry-funded geoscientific research project conducted between the years 1998 and 2005. The project involved numerous universities distributed worldwide, and was sponsored by a number of international major oil ...

from 1998 up to 2005. Along the northern slope of the mountain for thousands of years, hydrocarbon extraction has occurred from spontaneous seepages and shallow wells.van Dijk, J.P. (2019); The 7000 Years Long Journey of the Majella Oil Men - The Fascinating Story of Central Italian Hydrocarbon Exploitation and Earth Sciences in the Val Pescara and the Montagna della Majella. 282 pp. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334290729_The_7000_Years_Long_Journey_of_the_Majella_Oil_Men_-_The_Fascinating_Story_of_Central_Italian_Hydrocarbon_Exploitation_and_Earth_Sciences_in_the_Val_Pescara_and_the_Montagna_della_Majella

Cycling

The Maiella, particularly the Blockhaus peak, is a popular ride for amateur cyclists and is also sometimes used for a stage of the Giro d'Italia. The first use by the race was in 1967, when

Eddy Merckx Édouard Louis Joseph, Baron Merckx (, ; born 17 June 1945), better known as Eddy Merckx, is a Belgian former professional road and track bicycle racer who is among the most successful riders in the history of competitive cycling. His victorie ...

won the stage. Merckx subsequently went on to establish a cycle manufacturing company and named one of his cycles after the Blockhaus. Subsequent Blockhaus stage victors were

Franco Bitossi Franco Bitossi (born 1 September 1940) is an Italian former professional cyclist. He was born in Camaioni di Carmignano. Career Bitossi cycled for three years as an amateur and became a professional in October 1961, after he had reached the re ...

(1968),

José Manuel Fuente José Manuel Fuente Lavandera (September 30, 1945 in Limanes, Spain – July 18, 1996 in Oviedo, Spain) was a professional road racing cyclist and noted climbing specialist. Fuente was a professional from 1970 to 1976. He had the same nickname ...

(1972),

Moreno Argentin Moreno Argentin (born 17 December 1960) is an Italian former professional cyclist (from 1981 to 1994) and race director. Born in San Donà di Piave (Veneto), he won stages in the Tour de France, the Giro d'Italia, and the Tour de Suisse. Known ...

(1984),

Ivan Basso Ivan Basso (born 26 November 1977) is an Italian former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 1999 and 2015 for seven different teams. Basso, nicknamed Ivan the Terrible, was considered among the best mountain riders in ...

(2006),

Franco Pellizotti Franco Pellizotti (born 15 January 1978) is an Italian former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2001 and 2018 for the Alessio, , and teams. Pellizotti now works as a directeur sportif for the team. Career Pelliz ...

(2009, subsequently disqualified), and

Nairo Quintana Nairo Alexánder Quintana Rojas, Order of Boyacá, ODB, (born 4 February 1990) is a Colombian racing cyclist, who rides for UCI ProSeries, UCI ProTeam . Nicknamed "Nairoman" and "El Cóndor de los Andes", Quintana is a specialist climber, known ...

(2017). The most recent inclusion of the Blockhaus on the Giro d'Italia was on 15 May 2022, when the stage was won by the Australian rider

Jai Hindley Jai Hindley (born 5 May 1996) is an Australian professional cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Career After joining the team for the 2018 season, Hindley made his debut for at the 2018 Volta ao Algarve. In August 2018, he was nam ...

References

External links