Ferrata Bivacco Bafile

Overview

This route reaches the Bivacco Bafile, perched at 2,669 meters on the southeast ridge of the Vetta Centrale del Corno Grande, in the Gran Sasso massif. Built in 1966 by the CAI of L'Aquila, the bivouac is permanently open and sleeps 9. The Ferrata Bafile offers an ideal introduction to the high-altitude environment of this mountain group, with a technically moderate line and sweeping views.

Approach

The starting point is Campo Imperatore, in the province of L'Aquila. From Rome or Teramo, take the A24 motorway to the Assergi exit, then follow State Road 17bis toward Fonte Cerreto and continue to the Campo Imperatore parking lot. From Pescara, take the A25 to Popoli, then State Road 17 toward L'Aquila and Assergi. From Fonte Cerreto, you can take the cable car (about 7 minutes) up to Campo Imperatore-just check the operating hours to plan your day and avoid missing the last ride.

The walking approach begins at the Campo Imperatore Astronomical Observatory (2,130 m). Follow trail 101 to the Sella di Monte Aquila (2,335 m), then continue on trail 104. The route passes the Sella di Corno Grande (2,421 m) and the Sassone (2,560 m), staying on trail 104 until the junction for the Ferrata Bafile. The approach takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes. The landscape is classic Dolomitic terrain, with broad grassy plateaus that gradually give way to scree slopes and rocky outcrops, offering a steady and pleasant progression.

Via Ferrata

From the junction, bear right toward the bivouac and the Forchetta del Calderone. The equipped section, recently maintained, presents no major technical difficulties and is overall easy and flowing. The rock is compact and well-fractured, offering plentiful and reliable holds, often allowing you to climb without pulling on the steel cable. Pay close attention in winter, however, as snow and ice can form.

The route features several distinctive passages: a nine-rung ladder exposed over a pronounced overhang, followed by some pronounced horizontal cracks that require advancing in a crouched position. Next comes a nice, straightforward diagonal slab. Just after this, you enter a broad basin of gravel on the south side of the Corno Grande, where the pace becomes more relaxed, descending slightly and traversing obliquely.

The trail loses elevation as it nears the final rocks, atop which sits the Bivacco Bafile. A last short section of easy rock steps completes the climb. It is essential to follow the white-red CAI trail markers carefully, because near the indicated coordinates, an alpine trail (marked yellow-red) branches off. The view from the bivouac plateau is wide and dramatic. The via ferrata itself takes about 2 hours from the end of the approach at the Sassone, for a total of 3 hours and 30 minutes from the start. The route runs mostly along ledges and scree gullies, alternating short vertical sections with long horizontal traverses, delivering a panoramic and technically balanced experience.

Descent

The most direct way back is to reverse the via ferrata and descend the same approach trail to Campo Imperatore, taking about 2 hours from the bivouac (total itinerary: 5h 30'). Alternatively, when returning toward the Sella di Monte Aquila, you can take trail 161, which leads to the Rifugio Duca degli Abruzzi, managed by the CAI of Rome.

Useful Notes

For the return, there is a more challenging alternative: follow the alpine trail 4 (its start is marked with yellow-red signs) that climbs to the Vetta Centrale del Corno Grande via the Canale Gualerzi and the Torrione Cambi. A particularly memorable experience is to climb the via ferrata in the late afternoon and spend the night at the bivouac, to fully appreciate the panorama from sunset to dawn.

The bivouac is named after Andrea Bafile, a soldier from L'Aquila awarded the gold medal for military valor during the Great War. Interestingly, another Andrea Bafile, an Abruzzo mountaineer, made a significant contribution to via ferrata safety by inventing the principle of the energy dissipator. The Gran Sasso area offers many other options for via ferrata enthusiasts, such as the Sentiero Attrezzato Ventricini, the Ferrata Ricci, the Ferrata Danesi, and, on the Campo Imperatore side, the historic Sentiero del Centenario, which includes the Ferrata Famigliari.