Climbing out of L’Aquila into the heart of the Gran Sasso d’Italia massif, Campo Imperatore is one of the longest and most exposed high-mountain finishes used by the Giro d’Italia.
An enormous climb to a high plateau
From L’Aquila, via Assergi and Fonte Cerreto, it’s 40.2 km for 1,660 m of elevation gain, averaging 4.1%. The road stays fairly gentle for most of its length before the final kilometres steepen to around 9%, with ramps up to 13%, finishing at roughly 2,128 m on the vast Campo Imperatore plateau.
A modern Giro d’Italia classic
In 2018, Simon Yates won stage 9 here while wearing the leader’s pink jersey, holding off Thibaut Pinot and Esteban Chaves to extend his overall lead — a defining moment in that year’s race, on the same high plateau nicknamed “Italy’s Little Tibet” for its stark, treeless scenery.
Getting the ride right
Given the distance, pacing and nutrition matter as much as climbing legs — save the hardest effort for the exposed final kilometres, where the gradient and altitude both bite at once.
When to go
May to September — the plateau sits high enough that snow and cold winds can affect the upper road well outside the summer months.
Good to know
L’Aquila, the regional capital and starting point, is worth a stop in its own right, while the Campo Imperatore Astronomical Observatory near the summit marks one of the highest-altitude research stations in Italy.
