The Montagne del Morrone are a mountain group 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, part of the
Apennines
The Apennines or Apennine Mountains (; grc-gre, links=no, Ἀπέννινα ὄρη or Ἀπέννινον ὄρος; la, Appenninus or – a singular with plural meaning;''Apenninus'' (Greek or ) has the form of an adjective, which wou ...
. Overlooking the town of
Sulmona, they are bounded by the
Valle Peligna, the river
Aterno and the
Majella
The Maiella (or Majella) is a massif in the Central Apennines, in Abruzzo, central Italy.
Geography
The mountain is located at the boundary between the provinces of Chieti, Pescara and L'Aquila.
The highest peak is Monte Amaro at 2,793&nb ...
massif. They are included into the
Majella National Park.
The range is composed of
limestone, and have their highest peak in the Monte Morrone (2,061 m).
Vegetation include typical Apennine woods of
beech
Beech (''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia, and North America. Recent classifications recognize 10 to 13 species in two distinct subgenera, ''Engleriana'' and ''Fagus''. The ''Engle ...
and
mountain pine, as well as the rare orchid species ''
Nigritella widderi''. Wildlife include
Marsican brown bear,
italian wolf
The Italian wolf (''Canis lupus italicus'' or ''Canis lupus lupus''), also known as the Apennine wolf, is a subspecies of the grey wolf native to the Italian Peninsula. It inhabits the Apennine Mountains and the Western Alps, though it is under ...
,
mouflon,
red deer,
golden eagle,
peregrine falcon
The peregrine falcon (''Falco peregrinus''), also known as the peregrine, and historically as the duck hawk in North America, is a Cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan bird of prey (Bird of prey, raptor) in the family (biology), family Falco ...
,
Eurasian eagle-owl and
Ursini's viper
:''Common names: meadow viper, Ursini's viper, Mallow D, Ludwig D, Nilson G (2003). ''True Vipers: Natural History and Toxinology of Old World Vipers''. Malabar, Florida: Krieger Publishing Company. . meadow adder,Brown, John Haynes (1973). ''To ...
. Until the early 20th century, the
bearded vulture was also present.
On a terrace of Mount Morrone are the remains of a Roman villa which allegedly belonged to the poet
Ovid, which have been recently recognized as a sanctuary of Hercules Curinus. Here was found a small statue of Hercules resting, considered by some an original by
Lysippos
Lysippos (; grc-gre, Λύσιππος) was a Ancient Greek sculpture, Greek sculptor of the 4th century BC. Together with Scopas and Praxiteles, he is considered one of the three greatest sculptors of the Ancient Greece, Classical Greek era, bri ...
(now in the Archaeological Museum of
Chieti). Nearby is the 13th century
Morronese Abbey The Abbey of the Holy Spirit at Morrone (Italian:Abbazia di Santo Spirito al Morrone), known by various titles, is a former monastery some five kilometers outside of the town of Sulmona, at the base of Monte Morrone, in the Province of L'Aquila, re ...
. In the mountain are also two caves in which the future
Pope Celestine V
Pope Celestine V ( la, Caelestinus V; 1215 – 19 May 1296), born Pietro Angelerio (according to some sources ''Angelario'', ''Angelieri'', ''Angelliero'', or ''Angeleri''), also known as Pietro da Morrone, Peter of Morrone, and Peter Celes ...
lived his
hermitage from 1239 and 1241.
Morrone
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