# Hiking in Abruzzo: three parks, one geopark > Gran Sasso covers 150,000 hectares, Abruzzo Lazio e Molise 50,500 and Maiella is a UNESCO geopark of 39 towns, inside a region of 10,832 square kilometers. URL: https://myitalia.it/hiking/in-abruzzo Last updated: 2026-09-02 Three national parks and a UNESCO geopark sit inside a region of 10,832 square kilometers, which is why Abruzzo carries the densest protected area coverage in Italy. ## The arithmetic of a small region Abruzzo covers 10,832 km2 with a density of around 117 people per km2 on January 1, 2026, and that density is a calculation from the resident total rather than a published figure. Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga takes 150,000 hectares of it, across Abruzzo, Lazio and Marche and five provinces. Abruzzo Lazio e Molise takes 50,500 hectares plus 77,500 hectares of contiguous area. Maiella covers 39 towns as a UNESCO geopark. Put those numbers next to the regional surface and the conclusion is arithmetic, not marketing: most walking here happens inside a park boundary. ## Gran Sasso: 2,912 meters and the last ice Corno Grande reaches 2,912 m and is the highest summit in the Apennines, above Campo Imperatore, inside a park established by the 1991 framework law on protected areas and finally bounded by decree on June 5, 1995. The original plan was 220,000 hectares; the park as drawn is 150,000. The park authority has sat at Assergi, in a 14th century former Franciscan convent, since 2001. In the north facing bowl of Corno Grande lies the Calderone, which the park describes as the southernmost glacial body in Europe after the Spanish Sierra Nevada ice disappeared. Its published extent carries no date on the source page, and scientists have since reclassified it as a glacieret, so we quote no area for it. ## Abruzzo Lazio e Molise: 1923, and 50 bears The Abruzzo Lazio e Molise park began as a private initiative in 1922 and was established by law in 1923 under royal decree 257, making it one of the two oldest in Italy. It covers 50,500 hectares with 77,500 hectares of contiguous area, 4,400 hectares of strict reserve and 30,000 hectares of forest, across 24 towns in three regions. Its headquarters are at Pescasseroli. The highest points are Monte Petroso at 2,249 m, Monte Marsicano at 2,245 m and Monte Meta at 2,242 m, and the Lago di Barrea is a Ramsar wetland. 32 rangers work the territory. The Marsican brown bear population is estimated by the park at around 50 animals, within a range of 45 to 69, almost entirely inside these boundaries. The estimate is presented as recent but carries no year, and a genetic monitoring programme running in 2026 should replace it. Two of the oldest trees in Italy stand here: a black pine at Villetta Barrea estimated at 535 years and a beech in Val Cervara at 560. ## Maiella: a geopark since 2021 The Maiella national park joined the UNESCO Global Geoparks network on April 21, 2021 as the Maiella Geopark, and it now takes in 39 towns. The listing rests on geology combined with biodiversity, traditions and archaeological heritage, in a massif where human presence is documented almost continuously for close to a million years. The official spelling is Maiella with an i. A geosite count of 95 circulates on third party pages and does not appear on any official source we could read, so it is not repeated here. The UNESCO page for the geopark itself returns an error. For the region see [Abruzzo](/regions/abruzzo) and [National parks](/themes/national-parks). ## FAQ ### How much of Abruzzo is protected? Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga alone covers 150,000 hectares, Abruzzo Lazio e Molise 50,500 with a further 77,500 of contiguous area, and Maiella is a UNESCO geopark of 39 towns. The region itself measures 10,832 square kilometers. ### What is the highest mountain in the Apennines? Corno Grande, at 2,912 m, in the Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga national park above Campo Imperatore. The figure is the western summit, published by the park authority itself. ### Are there bears in Abruzzo? Yes. The park authority estimates the Marsican brown bear population at around 50 animals, in a range of 45 to 69, almost entirely inside the Abruzzo Lazio e Molise park. It is the largest bear group in Italy; the estimate carries no publication year. ### Which Abruzzo park is the oldest? Abruzzo Lazio e Molise, founded privately in 1922 and established by law in 1923 through royal decree 257. It covers 50,500 hectares across 24 towns in three regions, with 4,400 hectares of strict reserve and 30,000 of forest. ## Sources | Fact | Source | Confidence | Valid until | |---|---|---|---| | L'Abruzzo si estende su 10.832 km quadrati, con una densita' di circa 117 abitanti per km quadrato al 1 gennaio 2026. | [ISTAT](https://www.istat.it/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Altimetria_Comuni-al-31_12_2021.xlsx); [doc 2](https://demo.istat.it/data/posas/POSAS_2026_it_Comuni.zip) | medium | 2029-12-31 | | Il Parco Nazionale del Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga, istituito dalla legge quadro 394/1991 e perimetrato in via definitiva con DPR del 5 giugno 1995, copre 150.000 ettari su tre regioni (Abruzzo, Lazio, Marche) e cinque province. | [Ente Parco Nazionale del Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga](https://www.gransassolagapark.it/pagina.php?id=131); [doc 2](https://www.gransassolagapark.it/pagina.php?id=41) | medium | 2029-12-31 | | Il Parco Nazionale d'Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise nasce nel 1922 per iniziativa privata ed e' istituito per legge nel 1923 con il Regio Decreto-Legge n. 257: si estende su circa 50.500 ettari con un'area contigua di altri 77.500 ettari e comprende 24 comuni di tre regioni. | [Ente Parco Nazionale d'Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise](https://www.parcoabruzzo.it/pagina.php?id=546) | medium | 2029-12-31 | | Il 21 aprile 2021 il Parco Nazionale della Maiella e' entrato nella Rete dei Geoparchi Mondiali UNESCO come Maiella Geopark, che oggi comprende 39 comuni. | [Ente Parco Nazionale della Maiella - Maiella Geopark](https://www.maiellageopark.it/) | medium | 2028-12-31 | | Il Corno Grande del Gran Sasso d'Italia, con 2.912 metri, e' la vetta piu' alta dell'Appennino; si trova nel Parco Nazionale del Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga, in Abruzzo, sopra Campo Imperatore. | [Ente Parco Nazionale del Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga](https://www.gransassolagapark.it/man_dettaglio.php?id=140267) | medium | 2035-12-31 | | L'Ente Parco Nazionale d'Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise stima la popolazione di orso bruno marsicano in circa 50 esemplari, con un intervallo tra 45 e 69: e' il nucleo di orsi piu' numeroso d'Italia ed e' quasi interamente compreso nel Parco. | [Ente Parco Nazionale d'Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise](https://www.parcoabruzzo.it/pagina.php?id=106) | medium | 2027-12-31 | | Il ghiacciaio del Calderone, nella conca settentrionale del Corno Grande, e' il corpo glaciale piu' meridionale d'Europa dopo la scomparsa di quello della Sierra Nevada spagnola, e occupa circa cinque ettari. | [Ente Parco Nazionale del Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga](https://www.gransassolagapark.it/pagina.php?id=41) | medium | 2027-12-31 | ## Image https://media.myitalia.it/media/region.abruzzo.1600.jpg Author: Guido Castelli. 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