About 65% of Abruzzo is mountainous. The remaining territory is hilly with a narrow plain that runs along most of the 129 kilometer Adriatic coastline. Abruzzo has the highest peak in the Apennine mountains, “Corno Grande” 2,914 m (8,742 feet). Four national parks cover a third of its territory. Abruzzo has one of the highest annual snowfalls in Europe, since it is affected by the cold current from Eastern Europe and by its mountains. Therefore, the climate is different from other regions on the same latitude. The harvest is generally late in the season, often in the last two weeks of October, since there is a large temperature difference from day to night which allows the grapes to fully ripen in a slow and healthy way. The wines here have a combination of flavors from the northern and southern regions: The elegance of the North with the fruit flavors and structure of the South. Indeed it's a fortunate region where to grow grapes. Abruzzo has the highest per capita GDP of Southern Italy, although it's still merely 3/4 of the Northern Italian per capita. It has a lot to offer tourists, with 21 ski areas, 368 km of ski runs and 129 km of long sandy coastline, all within a few hours from Rome. As most of the Italian regions Abruzzo was also inhabited by different peoples and cultures over the centuries. The first were the Sabini, ancient people from Central Italy, then the Romans, the Lombards, the Normans, the French, and the Spanish until Italy was united in 1861.