While studying abroad in Rome, Italy, I lived with seven other guys. After we got to know each other, we started planning a trip together. We decided to go to the town of L'Aquila on Friday and hike Corno Grande, the tallest mountain in Italy that isn’t a part of the Alps. While our apartment contained eight people, only six of us could go on the trip. 

We arrived a little later than expected on Friday and had dinner at an amazing local restaurant. The next day, we woke up early and went to a grocery store to get breakfast and grab food and drinks for our hike. I personally grabbed a regional sausage, cheese, and some crackers to eat while we hiked. We then went to catch a bus to Fonte Cerreto, a small stop where we were supposed to hitch a ride on a ski lift to Campo Imperatore. However, when we got into town, we quickly discovered that the ski lifts weren't running, so we started asking around about how to get up the mountain.

Picture of Corno Grande from Campo Cerreto before we started the hike. 

We found that there was a bus that ran up to the base camp, but it left in an hour. We decided to take that, but we were also told that the last bus left for Fonte Cerreto at 4:30 PM, which left us with only four hours to climb. Some members of our group were worried about our time limit, but we decided to stay positive. We pulled out a speaker and started playing music as we began our hike. 

This is a picture we took at the top of the first steep incline everyone in our group did this pose. 

This is a picture of the full view from the top of the first steep incline. 

The first stretch was very steep, making it seem like a much harder hike than it was. When we finished that first step, we were left with a stunning view, so we decided to stop and take some pictures. Then, we continued for another half mile, talking and learning more about each other as we went. We stopped for lunch for a little while and then continued onward. 

We soon reached my favorite part of the hike and started several inside jokes. During this stretch, we had to cross several patches of snow, which was unusual to see in the middle of June, but the altitude made it possible for it to exist. We went farther up and found another magnificent place to take pictures. We considered turning back, but we had enough time left in our four hours to make it a little farther.  

We pushed as hard as we could for that last little bit of height—I almost passed out—and it was worth it. That is where we took our group pictures, relaxed, and then started our hike back down—not just as roommates, but as close friends. 

All 6 of us are standing at our final peak.  

This post was written by Brett Dineen, a CEA CAPA Alumni Ambassador from University of Missouri in Columbia and studied abroad in Rome, Italy.