Campo Imperatore (10km) — the road climbs sharply from the village up to the Campo Imperatore plateau at around 1,800 metres: a vast, treeless upland that stretches for kilometres under the Gran Sasso peaks. In 1943 Mussolini was briefly imprisoned at the hotel on the plateau before a German glider rescue operation. In winter it is a modest ski area; in summer it is the base for hiking the Corno Grande and surrounding ridges. The drive alone is worth it for the scale of the landscape.
Rocca Calascio (8km south) — one of the most dramatic ruins in Italy: a medieval castle on a 1,460-metre rocky outcrop, largely unrestored, with a small octagonal church below and views across a vast mountain bowl. It was used as a filming location for Ladyhawke (1985). The walk up from the car park takes about 20 minutes. Go late in the day if you can -- the light on the stone at dusk is extraordinary.
L'Aquila (30km west) — Abruzzo's capital and a city in an unusual state: largely rebuilt after the devastating earthquake of April 2009 (which killed over 300 people), with the historic centre still bearing visible scars alongside gleaming new civic buildings. The 99 churches of L'Aquila include some fine examples of Abruzzese Romanesque and Gothic. The city has a good covered market and several good restaurants. An interesting and occasionally melancholy place to spend half a day.
Castel del Monte (20km north) — a beautifully preserved medieval village in the high Abruzzo, sitting at over 1,300 metres on a ridge with views across the plateau. Quieter than Santo Stefano and less visited, it feels genuinely untouched. The drive north through the national park is scenic.