Italy is known for its delicious food—the pizza and pasta and everything in between. But people should know that The Boot’s national parks are just as exciting as its food. There are 25 national parks in Italy, comprising five percent of its total land area of 301,340 square kilometers (74.5 million acres).
Italy has over 60 million people and is the fourth most populous country in the European Union. The country is rich in history and culture as the seat of the Roman Empire, one of the largest and most powerful empires in the world in terms of economy, culture, politics, and military. It is no surprise then that a lot of tourists visit the Colosseum right in the middle of Rome. It holds so much of the country’s history and culture.
While tourists should eat pizza and pasta in Italy, take pictures of the imposing Colosseum, and take a tour of the Grand Canal in Venice, they should also drop by the country’s 25 national parks to experience nature, and a great many adventures with the country’s natural attractions.
Here are some of Italy’s unexplored national parks:
1. Alta Murgia National Park
The 677.4-square-kilometer (167,389 acres) park in Apulia was established in 2004. Erosion significantly changed the natural appearance of the park. One good thing that came out of it is the canyon of Gravina, which slopes down toward the city of Matera and the Bradano River.
The park’s forest is not just a natural haven, it also houses some archeological sites. Tourists can drive through the forest and enjoy looking at the different trees with a smattering of wildflowers, or they can do some hiking. The area also has a grave for some 16 people who were found buried there, with some bowls and jugs dating back to the Ancient Bronze Age. The people were a mix of children and young adults.
Another favorite spot in the park is the House on the Murgia, which shows the typical architecture of the olden times. The structure is more of a shelter for sheep rather than a house for residents.
The park is noted to have the highest population of the bird lesser kestrel in the entire European Union. Other birds in the park are the little bustards and vultures. There are also wildcats and wolves roaming around the area.
2. Appennino Lucano – Val d’Agri – Langonegrese National Park
This Basilicata park is around 689.96 square kilometers (170,492 acres). It was established in 2007. The park is home to some communities giving tourists unique cultural and religious experiences. Among the tourist destinations within the park are the villages Viggiano and Sant’Arcangelo and the Monastery of Santa Maria Orsoleo. The former is famous for the cult of the Black Madonna Patron Saint of the religion. The monastery, on the other hand, offers an interactive museum for its tourists.
For those who love nature, there is the beautiful Pertusillo Lake for one’s pleasure. Tourists can walk the length of the lake, which is lined with thick woods.
3. Asinara National Park
Asinara is an island in Italy. It is also the second-largest island of Sardinia. The island is uninhabited except for the wildlife in the area. The land area is only 52 square kilometers (12,849 acres). There is history on this island also known as Devil’s Island (Isola del Diavolo). It housed prisoners during World War I. It continued being a prison island in the 1970s, housing high-level criminals.
Eventually, authorities noted that prisoners don’t deserve the view of the island. So in 1997, the island became a national park. The penitentiary is one of the attractions of the park.
The waters surrounding the island are rich in marine life. It is also a marine protected area, which is why only guided tours are allowed. Tourists are not allowed to meander by themselves. One of the most popular attractions on the island is the Asinara donkey or albino donkey. They are adorable. While most white donkeys are only seen on this island, the Asinara donkey was believed to have come from Egypt and was brought to the island in the 19th century.
Among the guided tours available are the bus tour, wherein tourists ride the bus around the park, and are even allowed to have a swimming stopover during the summer; similar scenic drive tour on a small train; off-road guided tour on a four-wheel-drive vehicle that includes many stopovers; fishing activity with local fishermen; and trek around the island’s hills.
4. Aspromonte National Park
High peaks, rugged terrains, amazing views—these are exactly what adventurers love and these are exactly what Aspromonte National Park offers. The park is in Calabria, Italy and covers the southern part of the Apennines. The peaks of the mountain range reach as much as 2,000 meters. Despite the rugged terrain, vegetation is quite rich in the park. Among the plant lives that tourists will enjoy while trekking the park are the black alders, black poplars, oleanders, tamarisks, and willows. The must-see is the Laricio Pine because it is the emblem of Aspromonte.
The park is also rich in wildlife. Among the common residents are the eagle owls, goshawks, peregrine falcons and wolves.
Hiking, trekking, and canyoning are among the favorite adventures in the park. The park is also surrounded or intersected by several bodies of water. One of them is the Ionian Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.
5. Forest Casentinesi, Monte Falterona, Camigna National Park
The name is a mouthful but it is also indicative of the many spots that tourists can enjoy in this park, which traverses the provinces of Arezzo, Florence, and Forli Cesena. Established in 1993, the park covers 368 square kilometers (90,934 acres) of protected resources.
Among the popular water tourist spots in the park are the Acquacheta Waterfall, Ridracoli Lake, Tiber River, and the Arno River. The mountains in the park are the Mount Fumaiolo and Monte Falterona, which stands over 1,600 meters. Among the man-made structures in the park are the Camaldoli monastery, Fiumicello mill, Valbonella Bontanical Gardens, and the Siemoni Arboretum.
Vegetation includes beech woods, chestnut woods, and white firs. Among the resident animals are the Apennines wolves, barn owls, boars, common buzzards, different species of deer, eagles, Eurasian badgers, and red foxes.
6. Monti Sibillini National Park
From afar, this park is picture-perfect. There are so many gradients to its image: the colorful wildflowers, the blanket of grass, serene and imposing mountains, and a peppering of wildlife. Within the park and the experience is just as awesome as the natural resources it offers. There’s more, too, as the park also offers a cultural experience like no other.
The park is around 700 square kilometers (172,974 acres) and traverses the provinces of Ascoli Piceno, Fermo, Macerata, and Perugia. The mountains in the park are part of the Umbro-Marchigiano Apennines, among the higher peaks in the range. Monte Vettore’s peak is 2,479 meters above sea level.
One of the best parts of the park is the chance to experience the culture of the Visso community. The commune is said to have been founded 907 years before Rome. The community has also kept up its culture. Just around the community is the religious complex known as the Sanctuary of Macereto.
There are also a variety of activities that people can enjoy in this picturesque park: sightseeing, trekking, and rock-climbing. The Forca Canapine river is also great for rafting and canyoning. There are also marked paths for those who want to go around on bikes.
7. Parco Nazionale d’Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise
One of Italy’s oldest parks, the Parco Nazionale d’Abruzzo was established to preserve different parts of the ecosystem: landforms, bodies of water, vegetation, and wildlife. It started with just five square kilometers (1,235 acres) in the municipality of Opi in 1921. The park was formally established in 1922 and over the years, the area expanded. The park is now close to 500 square kilometers (122,811 acres) and traverses 24 municipalities.
The park is known for its rich biodiversity. Marsican brown bears and Italian wolves were among the highlights of the park. The population of the former has greatly diminished though. According to records, there are now just around 30 bears in the park while the wolves are slowly increasing its population and now number around 40. Animal residents that are easily spotted in the park are the badgers, Eurasian otters, European polecats, least weasels, martens, mountain hares, and red foxes.
There are also around 2,000 species of plants in the park. Beech trees cover 60% of the park while the lady’s slippers are the most popular flower in the park.
The numerous mountains in the park make it ideal for hiking, trekking, horseback riding, and sightseeing. The mountains in the park are Cavallo, Jamiccio, Mariscano, Meta, Palombo, Petroso and Tartaro. Canoeing is also popular in these bodies of water: Giovenco, Malfa, Sangro and Volturno. There are also lakes: Castel San Vincenzo, Gorttacampanaro, Montagno Spaccata, Pantaniello, Selva di Cardito, Scanno, and Vivo.
8. Parco Nazionale del Circeo
It was necessary to declare this strip of coastal land as a national park to preserve the Pontine Marshes. The marshland had greatly diminished in the early 1900s because of development. So the park was established in 1934.
The park is composed of four sections: the forest area, promontory, dunes and the island of Zannone, which was later annexed as part of the park. Forest vegetation includes different species of oak, bay laurel, Fraxinus, and maquis shrubland. The promontory houses naturalistic coastal caves: Grotta Breuil, Grotta delle Capre, Grotta del Fossellone, Grotta dell’ Impiso and Grotta Guattari.
The sea dunes feature maquis shrubland and have badgers, foxes, and lizards as residents. What is left of the Pontine Marshes is a favored habitat for seabirds like the cattle egrets, cranes, geese, northern lapwings, skylarks, among others. The uninhabited Zannone, for its part, is covered with woods and beautiful plants like a broom, erica, euphorbia, mastic, Myrtus, strawflower, among others. Among the wildlife in the general area are the boars, European badgers, foxes, green whip snakes, hares, and weasels.
9. Sila National Park
The park covers 21 municipalities and three provinces. The park encompasses the area previously known as the historical Calabria National Park. Among its landforms are the Mt. Botte Donato, which is almost 2,000 meters high, and Mt. Gariglione, which is around 1,700 meters high.
The park takes on the symbol of the wolf, which is a common resident in most Italian parks. The Sila National Park aims to protect this type of wildlife and hopefully increase its population again by protecting the vegetation of the park, making it a refuge among other animals that are food sources of the Italian wolves. The park is among the areas with the highest biodiversity in Italy.
Aside from the mountains, the park’s Lake Cecita also provides a beautiful vista that tourists can enjoy. The plant life is also colorful, as the park is covered with a blanket of lush green grass with a smattering of wildflowers. Sila’s woods area is called “the green heart of Calabria,” which makes it a great backdrop for hikers.
10. Stelvio National Park
This is the largest park in Italy covering over 4,000 square kilometers (988,421 acres) and traversing 24 municipalities. It is also among the oldest, having been established in 1934. The park is also close to the Swiss border.
The park is popular for its high peaks and beautiful glaciers. The mountains in the park also cover different heights, with some only rising only as high as 600 meters above sea level, and some as high as 4,000 meters above sea level. This range allows for different vegetation and wildlife, too, as different elevations breed different kinds of an ecosystem.
One of the most popular activities for visitors is the scenic drive in the exhilarating Stelvio Pass, which is a road system that features many hair-raising hairpin bends. Sometimes, though, motorists forget that the road is quite scary because of the beautiful scenery that they experience during the drive.
That sightseeing in the park may have the chance to spot some chamois, deer, golden eagles, ibexes and squirrels. There were also rare sightings of foxes and stoats.