GRAN SASSO D'ITALIA ("Great Rock of Italy"), moun tain of the Abruzzi, Italy, culminating point of the Apennines, 9,56o ft. in height. It resembles the limestone Alps of Tirol and its elevated plateaux have a number of doliire or funnel-shaped depressions into which melted snow and rain sink. The sum mit is covered with snow for the greater part of the year. The Alpine region beneath its summit is still the home of the wild boar, and here and there are dense woods of beech and pine. The group has other lofty peaks, the Pizzo d'Intermesole (8,68o ft.), the Corno Piccolo (8,65o ft.), the Pizzo Cef alone (8,307 ft.) and the Monte della Portella (7,835 ft.). The most convenient start ing-point for the ascent is Assergi, 1 o m. N.E. of Aquila, at the south foot of the Gran Sasso with its interesting Romanesque church (Sta Maria Assunta).