Piano Grande

The Piano Grande (Great Plain) is a large plateau, 4,000 ft above sea level in the central Italian Apennine mountains. The Piano is flanked by the Sibilline group of mountains (Italian Monti Sibillini), the highest of which is

Monte Vettore Monte Vettore (from Latin ''Vector'', "carrier", "leader") is a mountain of the Umbro-marchigiano Apennine Mountains in Italy. It is the highest peak of the Sibillini massif. It is located in Ascoli piceno, Marche, Italy. Geography The south ...

at 8,123 ft (2,476m). The Piano is a karstic basin (see under

karst Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...

) composed of porous limestone that holds underground reserves of water, and it supports an astonishing array of wildflowers in the spring and summer. Its single village,

Castelluccio (Norcia) Castelluccio is a village in Umbria, in the Apennine Mountains of central Italy. Administratively, it is a ''frazione'' of the ca. 28 km distant town Norcia. According to the 2001 census, it had close to 150 inhabitants. Geography The villa ...

, is perched on a high rock in the middle of plateau, and is famous for the small delicate lentils which are grown in the surrounding plain. The Piano Grande may be approached by road over mountain passes from

Norcia Norcia (), traditionally known in English by its Latin name of Nursia (), is a town and comune in the province of Perugia (Italy) in southeastern Umbria. Unlike many ancient towns, it is located in a wide plain abutting the Monti Sibillini, a su ...

in Umbria, from

Ascoli Piceno Ascoli Piceno (; la, Asculum; dialetto ascolano: Ascule) is a town and ''comune'' in the Marche region of Italy, capital of the province of the same name. Its population is around 46,000 but the urban area of the city has more than 93,000. Geo ...

in the Marche, or from

Visso Visso is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Macerata in the Italian region Marche, located about southwest of Ancona and about southwest of Macerata. It houses the seat of Monti Sibillini National Park. Main sights * San Giacomo ch ...

to the north in the Apennines. Reference: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10040-020-02207-w {{Commons, Piani di Castelluccio Apennine Mountains