Italy has 25 National Parks (figure updated to 2024), the largest network in Europe in proportion to the country's surface. They cover about 5% of the national territory (1.5 million hectares) and host a biodiversity that has no comparison in western Europe. This isn't the official list with the bureaucratic descriptions: it's the practical guide for choosing the right park for your trip.
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The 25 Italian National Parks: a quick overview
| Park | Region | Area | UNESCO/Natura 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gran Paradiso | AO-TO | 70,318 ha | Natura 2000 |
| Stelvio | BZ-BS-SO-TN | 130,734 ha | Natura 2000 |
| Dolomiti Bellunesi | BL | 31,512 ha | UNESCO, Natura 2000 |
| Foreste Casentinesi | AR-FC | 36,885 ha | UNESCO, Natura 2000 |
| Tuscan-Emilian Apennine | PR-MS-RE-MO-LU-FC | 22,913 ha | Natura 2000 |
| Cinque Terre | SP | 3,868 ha | UNESCO, Natura 2000 |
| Tuscan Archipelago | GR-LI | 17,887 ha | Natura 2000 |
| Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise | AQ-FR-IS | 50,000 ha | Natura 2000 |
| Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga | AQ-TE-PE-RI | 150,762 ha | Natura 2000 |
| Majella | AQ-CH-PE | 74,095 ha | Natura 2000 |
| Circeo | LT | 8,917 ha | Natura 2000 |
| Vesuvius | NA | 8,482 ha | Natura 2000 |
| Cilento, Vallo di Diano e Alburni | SA | 181,048 ha | UNESCO, Natura 2000 |
| Gargano | FG | 118,144 ha | Natura 2000 |
| Alta Murgia | BA-BT | 68,077 ha | Natura 2000 |
| Pollino | CS-PZ | 192,565 ha | Natura 2000 |
| Sila | CS-KR-CZ | 73,695 ha | Natura 2000 |
| Aspromonte | RC | 64,142 ha | Natura 2000 |
| Arcipelago della Maddalena | SS | 5,100 ha (sea) | Natura 2000 |
| Asinara | SS | 5,220 ha | Natura 2000 |
| Gennargentu | NU-OG | 73,935 ha | Natura 2000 |
| Etna | CT-EN-ME | 19,237 ha | UNESCO, Natura 2000 |
| Pantelleria | TP | 5,758 ha | Natura 2000 |
| Appennino Lucano | PZ | 68,996 ha | Natura 2000 |
| Serre | VV | 12,000 ha | Natura 2000 |
The 5 most-visited Italian National Parks
1. Cinque Terre (SP): the smallest and most crowded
Only 3,868 hectares, the smallest of the Italian National Parks, but also the most visited per unit of area: over 2.5 million tourists a year in an area of 5 coastal villages. The Cinque Terre Park has introduced booking systems for the main trails (the Sentiero Azzurro, Trail 2) in high season. The price varies (€7.50-18 depending on the season). Off Trail 2, Trail 1 (the Alta Via) and Trail 9 (the Red Path) are less frequented and don't require booking.
2. Gran Paradiso (AO-TO): the oldest in Italy
The Gran Paradiso (established in 1922, the oldest Italian National Park) was the royal hunting reserve of the Savoy, which paradoxically saved the Alpine ibex from extinction. In 1945 fewer than 500 ibex remained in all of Europe, all in the Gran Paradiso. Today the world population of ibex exceeds 50,000 individuals, and the Gran Paradiso is still the site with the highest density (about 3,500 individuals in the Park). The Aosta Valley has ibex visible at almost all elevations in summer (May-September).
3. Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga (AQ-TE-PE-RI): the largest in the Apennines
The Gran Sasso has the southernmost continental glacier in Europe: the Calderone (2,693 m), a glacial remnant of 3 hectares progressively melting (in 1888 it was 10 times larger). The Gran Sasso is also the highest mountain in the Apennines (Corno Grande, 2,912 m) and hosts the INFN Gran Sasso National Laboratory, the largest underground particle physics laboratory in the world (1,400 m of rock as shielding from cosmic rays). Visitable by booking (www.lngs.infn.it).
4. Pollino National Park (CS-PZ): the largest in Italy
With 192,565 hectares, the Pollino is the largest National Park in Italy and one of the largest in Europe. It borders Campania, Basilicata, and Calabria, three regions in a single park. The loricate pine, the Apennine wolf, the golden eagle, the peregrine falcon, and the deer are the symbol species. The Pollino Park is the least infrastructured of the Italian National Parks, there aren't modern visitor centers in all the zones, the trails are less marked than in Abruzzo or the Gran Paradiso. It's the park for those seeking real adventure, not easy tourism.
5. Etna National Park (CT-EN-ME): the most volcanic
Etna has a National Park established in 1987 around the active volcano. It is more than the volcano, the Park includes the chestnut and birch woods on the slopes (900-1,600 m), the historic lava flows with pioneer flora, the adventitious craters (over 300 secondary vents on the flank of the volcano), the lava canyons (the Gole dell'Alcantara, CN). The Etna Park is the only Italian National Park built around an active volcano, every eruption changes the landscape and opens new trails (or closes others).
Less-known but extraordinary National Parks
Asinara National Park (SS): the island of prisoners and white donkeys
The Asinara was a maximum-security prison until 1997 (the Cosa Nostra boss Totò Riina was held here). After the closure of the prison, the island became a National Park and a Marine Reserve. The total isolation for 100 years preserved a pristine ecosystem, and a colony of albino white donkeys, descendants of the black donkeys brought by the prisoners, selected by genetic mutation for the depigmentation. Today there are about 90 individuals, completely wild, visible along the island's roads during the jeep or bike tours.
Majella National Park (AQ-CH-PE): the mountain of the hermits
The Majella was called by Celestine V (the pope of Dante's "great refusal") his "mons sanctus", the holy mountain. Dozens of medieval rock hermitages can still be visited along the Park's trails: the Hermitage of San Giovanni all'Orfento (Caramanico Terme), the Grotta di Sant'Angelo in Rapino, the Hermitage of Sant'Onofrio al Morrone. The Majella also has the second-largest glacier in the Apennines (Blockhaus) and the greatest density of wild orchids in Abruzzo.
Questions and answers about the Italian National Parks
Are the Italian National Parks free?
Access to the trails and natural areas of the Italian National Parks is generally free. You pay for: the Visitor Centers (€3-7 typically), the nature museums in the parks, some zones with regulated access (like the A zones, integral reserve, of the PNALM). The exception is the Cinque Terre Park with the Cinque Terre Card (€7.50-18/day) needed for the main trails in high season. The parking lots in the park areas are often paid (€2-5/hour).
Which is the most beautiful National Park in Italy?
It's subjective. For Alpine landscape: Gran Paradiso (ibex, lakes, glaciers, flowers). For Apennine biodiversity: PNALM (bear, wolf, Apennine chamois). For volcanic scenery: Etna (unique of its kind). For coast and sea: the Tuscan Archipelago or Asinara. For historic villages integrated into the landscape: Cinque Terre. For pure, wild wilderness: Pollino. For marine fauna: Maddalena. For history: Gran Paradiso (the history of ibex conservation). Ask ten Italian nature guides and you'll get ten different answers.
How do you reach the National Parks without a car?
It depends on the park. The Cinque Terre: only by train (the La Spezia-Genoa line). The PNALM: Pescasseroli (AQ) is reachable by bus from Rome (Arpa Abruzzo, 4h) or from Avezzano (AQ). The Gran Paradiso: Aosta by train from Turin, then a regional bus to Cogne or Pont-Canavese. The Etna Park: Nicolosi (CT) reachable by bus from Catania, then the cable car. The Gargano Park: train to Foggia, then a bus to Vieste or Monte Sant'Angelo. The hardest parks without a car: Pollino, Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga, Cilento, they require your own car or an organized tour.
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Bears in Italy Wolves in Italy Italian primary forests Geological wonders Waterfalls in Italy Gorges and canyons Stargazing in Italy Abruzzo: complete guide Sardinia: complete guide 14-day itineraryWhy the Italian National Parks exist: a history of conservation
The first Italian National Park, the Gran Paradiso (1922), was born to save the Alpine ibex from extinction. In 1914 about 400 specimens remained, all in a Savoy royal reserve on the Gran Paradiso. King Victor Emmanuel III gave up the property in favor of the State in 1919, the reserve became a park in 1922. Today the Alpine ibex number 50,000, distributed throughout the Alpine arc up to Slovenia. It's the first great Italian conservation success.
The second National Park, Abruzzo (1923), was born for the Marsican bear (then almost extinct) and for the Apennine chamois. Both species have recovered: the Marsican bear today counts 60-80 individuals, the Apennine chamois about 3,000. The European Habitats Directive (1992) and the Natura 2000 network then extended the protection to almost all the significant habitats and species of Italy, but the National Parks remain the areas with the most intense protection.
Do the Italian National Parks have specific rules for visitors?
Yes, every Park has its own Regulation (approved by the Ministry of the Environment). The rules common to almost all: forbidden to gather plants, mushrooms, minerals in excess (some Parks allow mushroom gathering with authorization and a quantity limit). Forbidden to hunt and fish in the A zones (integral reserve) and B zones (general reserve). Forbidden to leave litter. Dogs on a leash mandatory. Access with motorized vehicles limited to the main roads. Free camping forbidden. Some Parks have additional specific rules: the PNALM forbids flash night photography in the bear nesting areas. The Cinque Terre Park imposes booking for the main trails.
The Circeo National Park: the lung of Lazio no one cites
The Circeo National Park (LT), founded in 1934, one of the oldest in Italy, is the least-known park of central Italy. Only 8,917 hectares, among the smallest. But it contains: the Sabaudia Forest (a coastal pine forest with oak and alder, planted partly in the 1930s on sand dunes, today renaturalized).Lake Paola (a coastal lagoon, an important wintering site for the waterbirds). The Circeo Promontory (Mesozoic limestone with prehistoric caves, the Guattari Cave has yielded remains of Homo neanderthalensis dated 65,000-100,000 years). The Guattari Cave is one of the most important paleontological sites in Italy, the Neanderthal skull found here in 1939 is in the Luigi Pigorini Museum in Rome.
Frequently asked questions from American travelers on this theme
How does this compare to similar experiences in the USA?
Italy compresses into 300,000 km² a variety that in the USA would require crossing several states. The most important difference: in Italy every natural or cultural phenomenon is surrounded by 2,000 years of human history, there's no total wilderness (even the most remote national parks have ruins, medieval trails, hermitages). This adds layers of meaning the American parks don't have, but it also means less "true" wilderness in the North American sense of the term.
Do you need to speak Italian to fully enjoy this experience?
No. In the big cities and the main attractions, English is spoken fairly well by almost all the tourist staff. In rural Italy and the small villages, the level is much lower, but a smile, a "grazie" and "per favore" in Italian open many doors. The translation apps (Google Translate with the camera for the menus) solve most situations. The traveler who knows three words of Italian is treated better than the one who speaks only English at high volume.
What's the best time of year for this kind of visit in Italy?
April-June and September-October are the recommended periods for almost everything: less crowding than summer, pleasant temperatures, slightly lower prices, extraordinary photographic light in the golden hours. July-August is the tourist peak, intense heat (35-40°C in the cities), lines, peak prices. December-February has minimum prices and few people, but some coastal or high-altitude attractions close for the season.
Resources to dig deeper
For those who want to know more before leaving: the site of ENIT (the Italian National Tourism Board, www.italia.it) has official information in English on all the destinations. The Visit Italy portal of the Ministry of Culture (www.museiitaliani.it) has up-to-date information on museums and cultural sites. For the nature parks: the portal of the MASE (Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security, www.mase.gov.it) has the up-to-date pages of all the Italian National Parks. For the wildlife: the site of ISPRA (www.isprambiente.gov.it) publishes annually the reports on the state of wildlife in Italy, downloadable for free.