GRAN SASSO FOR ALL

1st Year Landscape Design Project

Project Year 2020-2021

Advisor: Elise Hunchuck & Nico Alexandroff

The Gran Sasso, a part of the Apennines mountain, situated in the northern part of Abruzzo is the home of beautiful scenery and biodiversity. The northern area itself contains both oceanic and continental climates which define various types of plants and inhabitants.

The unpaved walking trails on the Gran Sasso mountain help people get around the mountainous area, as means of leisure. Walking through different elevations enables people to experience different stunning views. In addition to the trails, the existing ropeway and a roadway to Campo Imperatore hotel help non-adventurous people to get from the foothill to the higher elevation with ease.

This design proposal responds to the need for accessibility and introduces the beautiful scenery of Gran Sasso to both local and international visitors. Developing the existing steep pathway that is vulnerable to landslides to allow almost every tourist, including disabled people, to experience hiking is the ultimate goal of the project. The path should address the difficulties and dangers of the area, especially injuries from slips and falls while maintaining the looks and feels of natural surfaces.

At the altitude of the proposed area, there is no tall tree but only grass and flowers that intersperse with each other. Nonetheless, these small plants are vital to the area in terms of biodiversity and they also help retain snow from sliding down the hill in the winter. Due to the increasing temperature yearly caused by global warming, these plants are prone to extinction. This is where the amplification in the growth of these plants is introduced to conserve the nearly extinct species and to maintain the same natural surface.