Abruzzo · L'Aquila
Campo di Giove
At 1,064 meters under the southwestern Maiella, the highest village in the park, named for a Roman temple to Jupiter.
Known for
HIGHEST PISTE
Ski slopes climbing to 2,360 meters on the western Maiella, the highest piste in Abruzzo, with the village as base at 1,064 meters.
CANTELMO STRONGHOLD
Stronghold of the Cantelmo family in the 14th century, then the Caldora, Belprato, Pignatelli, and Recupito until the abolition of feudalism.
MASTER OF CAMPO DI GIOVE
Anonymous 15th-century painter named for the polyptych he made for the village church, now in the Museo Nazionale d'Abruzzo in L'Aquila.
When to visit
Best · Jun–Sep, Dec–Mar
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
The festa: Eustachio, 20 September
Why come
Campo di Giove sits at 1,064 meters at the foot of the southwestern Maiella, the highest commune inside the Maiella National Park. The name is documented as Campo Jovis from the 4th century AD, with local tradition claiming a Roman temple to Jupiter on the site after a victory over the Paeligni. A villager called Odorisio appears in a document from January 1136.
In the 14th century the village was a Cantelmo stronghold; it then passed to the Caldora, the Belprato, the Pignatelli, and finally the Recupito. Above the village, the ski station operates between 1,150 and 2,360 meters, the highest piste in Abruzzo. The mother church of Sant'Eustachio holds the statue of the patron saint.
Sant'Antonino was one of the sixteen convents founded by Fra Pietro da Morrone, the hermit who would become Pope Celestine V. The Master of Campo di Giove, an anonymous 15th-century painter named for the polyptych he made for the village church, is on display at the Museo Nazionale d'Abruzzo in L'Aquila.
The Sunday letter
We haven’t written Campo di Giove’s letter yet.
One town every Sunday, with the photo, the food, the festa. Be there when this one comes up. Free, by Peter & Sophia from Pietrasanta.
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What to see
Chiesa Madre di Sant'Eustachio
Parish church of the village patron, with the statue of Sant'Eustachio, the saint celebrated each September with the village feast.
Convento di Sant'Antonino
One of the sixteen convents founded by Fra Pietro da Morrone, the hermit who became Pope Celestine V, documented in a 1274 papal bull.
Palazzo delle Logge
16th-century palazzo with arched loggia on the main piazza, one of several Renaissance buildings from the Caldora and Pignatelli periods.
Casa Quaranta
15th-century house, one of the oldest residential buildings in Campo di Giove, with original stone door frames intact.
Stazione sciistica Campo di Giove-Majella
Ski area between 1,150 and 2,360 meters, the highest piste in Abruzzo, with the cable car climbing the western flank of the Maiella.
The slow-trip planner
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Living here
- Population 748
- Off the beaten pathi
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Train station in the comune
- Nearest airport Naples / Salerno, 2 h 41 min drive
- Regional capital L'Aquila, 1 h 39 min drive
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources
Recognised as
The numbers
- Elevation: 1064 m
- Population: 748
- Surface area: 28.9 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories — ISTAT, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata — and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
Featured on
Campo di Giove appears on this themed pick from our Collections:
Close by
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