Parks, volcanoes, lakes and coasts, disputes included

Updated September 3, 2026

Italy has 843 protected terrestrial areas covering 3,175,554 hectares, and 24 of its national parks are operational while 27 appear on the official list.

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Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise park: around 50 bearsThe Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise park dates from 1922 and holds most of Italy's Marsican bears: around 50, in a range of 45 to 69, on 50,500 hectares of park.
Aeolian Islands: 7 islands, 1,216 hectares listedThe Aeolian Islands were listed in 2000 under the geological criterion. Stromboli explodes every 10 to 20 minutes and sits at yellow alert, like Etna.
Campi Flegrei: yellow, the second of four levelsThe Campi Flegrei sit at yellow alert, confirmed on November 4, 2025. Yellow is the second of four national levels and it has applied since 2012.
Cinque Terre: two cards, and prices that moveThe 2026 Treno Card costs 22 to 35 euros a day in high season, by demand band. The Trekking Card is 10 or 15, and one trail stretch is closed.
Etna: 3,324, 3,350 or 3,369 meters, by sourceINGV publishes 3,324 m, Civil Protection 3,350 m and a 2024 drone survey 3,369 m. All three are official, and the mountain changes with every eruption.
Four Sardinian beaches, four booking systemsLa Pelosa, Tuerredda, Cala Goloritze and Cala Mariolu each cap daily numbers and each uses a different portal, window and fee, from 2 to 7 euros a person.
Gran Paradiso: the first national park, from 1922Gran Paradiso was founded in 1922 on a royal hunting reserve and covers 71,044 hectares over thirteen comuni, with 553 km of paths and 59 glaciers.
Gran Sasso from L'Aquila: 2,912 m, coach, cable carCorno Grande tops the Apennines at 2,912 m. The way in is L'Aquila, Capital of Culture 2026, 1h25 by coach from Rome, then the Campo Imperatore cable car.
Lake Bolsena: a crater lake 151 m deepLake Bolsena covers 114.5 km2 and is 151 m deep, filling the caldera of the Vulsini volcanoes. It is fifth among Italian lakes and the largest in Lazio.
Lake Como: 145 km2 of water, 410 m at the bottomLake Como is 410 m deep, ahead of Maggiore at 370 and Garda at 350, over 145 km2 and 170 km of shore. With its 2026 boat seasons and the fares on the web.
Lake Garda, measured: 369.98 km2 and 346 m deepLake Garda is Italy's largest lake at 369.98 km2 and 346 m deep. Its water takes 26.8 years to renew, and the 2026 boats run from April 1 to October 4.
Lake Maggiore: 212.5 km2, 370 m at its deepestLake Maggiore is second in Italy by surface and volume and 370 m deep, and its winter mixing has stopped above 100 m for ten years in a row.
Lake Trasimeno: fourth in Italy, 3 to 6 m deepTrasimeno is the largest lake in peninsular Italy over 124 to 128 km2, and it is 3 to 6 meters deep. In 2026 the drought closed one island line.
Marmolada: Punta Penia, 3,343 m, and its glacierPunta Penia on the Marmolada is 3,343 m, the top of the Dolomites, and its glacier is the largest in the range. What the data says before you walk on it.
Monte Rosa: Punta Dufour is 4,634 m highPunta Dufour on Monte Rosa is 4,634 m, second in the Alps after Mont Blanc. Around 30 summits pass 4,000 m, and Europe's highest hut stands at 4,554 m.
Pollino: 171,132 or 192,500 hectares, by sourceThe Pollino park spans Basilicata and Calabria. The ministry lists 171,132 hectares, second in Italy; UNESCO gives 192,500, which makes it the largest.
Prehistoric Sardinia: two UNESCO sites, 1997 and 2025Sardinia holds two World Heritage sites: Su Nuraxi di Barumini from 1997, visited by guided tour only, and the 17 domus de janas listed in July 2025.
Sila: 73,695 hectares of park, 307,294 of reserveThe Sila National Park covers 73,695 hectares; the UNESCO biosphere reserve around it covers 307,294. Two labels, two boundaries, one Calabrian plateau.
Stelvio: the pass at 2,758 m and the park around itThe Stelvio Pass is Italy's highest road pass at 2,758 m, with 88 hairpins and a winter closure. The national park of the same name is a separate matter.
The Cervino is 4,478 m, first climbed in 1865The Cervino, the Matterhorn in English, is 4,478 m high on the border of Italy and Switzerland, first climbed on July 14, 1865 from the Swiss side.
The Dolomites are nine separate listed systemsThe Dolomites were listed in 2009 as a serial natural property of nine mountain systems across five provinces, around 142,000 hectares, not one range.
Vesuvius: the crater path sells 50 slots per 10 minTrail 5 to the Vesuvius crater is sold online only, at 11.68 euros, in slots of 50 every ten minutes. The volcano itself sits at green alert since 1944.

Foto

Parco Nazionale d Abruzzo: gian luca bucci · CC BY 3.0
Aeolian Islands: Bernard Gagnon · CC BY 4.0
Campi Flegrei: Norbert Nagel · CC BY-SA 3.0
Cinque Terre: User:Gjacquenot · CC BY-SA 3.0
Etna: The Cosmonaut · CC BY-SA 2.5 ca
Spiaggia Sardegna: Silvia Franceschetti · CC BY-SA 3.0
Gran Paradiso: CamDib · CC BY-SA 4.0
Gran Sasso: Bouke ten Cate · CC BY 4.0
Lago di Bolsena: Ulissevietato.9449 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Lago di Como: Zairon · CC BY-SA 4.0
Lago di Garda: Zairon · CC BY-SA 4.0
Lake Maggiore: Isiwal · CC BY-SA 4.0
Lake Trasimeno: Phacelias · CC BY-SA 4.0
Marmolada: Dmitry Djouce · CC BY 4.0
Monte Rosa: sandro bisotti from Torino, Italy · Public domain
Parco Nazionale del Pollino: Rocco Sordetti · CC BY-SA 4.0
Nuraghe Sardegna: Valentina C · CC BY-SA 4.0
Parco Nazionale della Sila: Ugo Leonetti · CC BY-SA 4.0
Parco Nazionale dello Stelvio: 53cri021 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Cervino Matterhorn: Giles Laurent · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dolomiti: Wolfgang Moroder · CC BY-SA 4.0
Vesuvius: Norbert Nagel · CC BY-SA 3.0

Section and topics

Sources (3)

1843 · 3,175,554 · 10.5%ISPRA - Annuario dei dati ambientali · recheck by 2027-06-30
224Ministero dell'Ambiente e della Sicurezza Energetica (MASE) · recheck by 2027-12-31
327Ministero dell'Ambiente e della Sicurezza Energetica (MASE) · recheck by 2027-12-31