- Ascent
- 1370 hm
- Distance Ascent
- 29.7 km
- max. gradient
- 17 %
- ø gradient
- 4.6 %
Campo Imperatore from Assergi is an HC climb of 29.7 km with 1,370 m of elevation gain at an average of 4.6 %, peaking at 17 %. The road climbs to the high plateau below the Gran Sasso up to 2,130 m, and the way back is the same road. Along the way there are about five kilometres of gentle descent, so the actual climbing is harder than the average suggests.
Campo Imperatore climbs from Assergi up to the high plateau below the Gran Sasso. It is 29.7 kilometres and 1,370 metres of climbing up to 2,130 metres. No Apennines climb in our list is longer or finishes higher. The 4.6 % average is misleading: along the way there are about five kilometres of descent.
Campo Imperatore at a glance
The key figures from Assergi: category HC, 29.7 km, 1,370 m of climbing, 4.6 % on average and 17 % at its steepest. The road leaves Assergi and climbs to the plateau below the Gran Sasso, ending at 2,130 m. Start and finish are both in Assergi, so the way back is the same road. In our list Campo Imperatore belongs to the Apennines region.
The climb from Assergi
The first 17 kilometres or so are one long, steady climb at around 5 % on average. Most kilometres sit between 5 and 7 %, a few calmer ones in between. It is not steep, but it goes on for a long time. By the end of this section you have already done most of the climbing.
Then comes something unusual: for about five kilometres the road drops gently, before the last eight kilometres climb again. This final part averages close to 7 %, with one kilometre clearly in double figures. So the climbing you lose in the dip has to be won back at the end. On the way back the dip becomes a short climb.
How it compares to our 100 climbs
Among the three Apennines climbs in our list Campo Imperatore is the longest and finishes highest, only the Blockhaus has more elevation gain, with 1,995 m over 29.1 km. Across all 100 climbs only nine are longer and 35 finish higher. At 4.6 % the average is one of the lowest, only seven climbs are gentler. The Grosse Scheidegg has exactly the same 1,370 m of climbing, but on only 17.6 km.
Practical tips
Campo Imperatore is a long day: plan food and drink for several hours. A compact gearing is enough, the steep kilometre near the end is the only real exception. At 2,130 m it is cold even in summer, so warm layers for the plateau and the long descent are essential. Keep in mind the dip on the way back to Assergi, which turns into a climb of its own.
