Italy's national parks: three official counts

Updated September 2, 2026

Italy has 24 national parks with a functioning authority, 27 on the environment ministry's written list and 26 in the ISPRA indicator, and the three numbers are all correct because they count parks at three different stages of existence.

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Abruzzo nature: trabocchi, three parks, a geoparkMore than thirty wooden trabocchi line the coast from Ortona to Vasto; inland, three national parks rise to 2,912 m, one of them a UNESCO geopark.
Alto Adige: the famous places now take reservationsLago di Braies needs a booked parking slot at €44 in summer, the Alpe di Siusi road shuts to cars 9 to 5, and the Stelvio pass tops out at 2,758 meters.
Basilicata nature: two national parks and the MurgiaPollino measures 171,132 or 192,500 hectares depending on the source, the Appennino Lucano park 68,996 and Matera's Murgia park 8,056. What each means.
Blue Trail 592: one stretch closed, two for expertsPath 592 cannot be walked end to end: Manarola to Corniglia is closed with a detour via Volastra, and the two northern stretches are graded for experts.
Calabria: three national parks, three UNESCO labelsPollino has been a UNESCO geopark since 2015, the Sila a biosphere reserve since 2014 and the Aspromonte a geopark since 2021. Areas, dates, comuni.
Hiking in Abruzzo: three parks, one geoparkGran 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.
Marche nature: the Frasassi caves and the ConeroThe Frasassi route runs 1,500 meters in 75 minutes at a constant 57°F (14°C), €20 in 2026. The Conero park covers 6,011 hectares above the Adriatic.
Puglia: a beech forest growing where beech shouldn'tThe Foresta Umbra covers over 12,000 hectares of the Gargano, the Castellana caves extend 3,348 m, and the Tremiti are the Adriatic's only islands.
Sentiero Italia: around 8,000 km, over 500 stagesThe Sentiero Italia CAI runs around 7,900 to 8,000 km from Santa Teresa Gallura to Muggia in over 500 stages, crossing every one of the twenty regions.
Trentino: bears, over 80 lakes and a retreating glacierTrentino's largest park covers 62,051 hectares and is where ten bears from Slovenia were released. The Marmolada tops out at 3,343 m, Riva sits at 65 m.
Umbria: a 165 meter waterfall the Romans switched onThe Marmore falls drop 165 meters on three leaps and were dug by the Romans in 271 BC. Entry costs €12, and the water only runs at set hours.

Foto

Abruzzo: Guido Castelli · CC BY-SA 4.0
Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano: Einaz80 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Basilicata: Benjamin Smith · CC BY-SA 4.0
Sentiero Verde Azzurro: The Cosmonaut · CC BY-SA 2.5 ca
Calabria: Benjamin Smith · CC BY-SA 4.0
Marche: gaspa · CC BY 2.0
Puglia: acediscovery · CC BY 4.0
Sentiero Italia CAI: Rémih · CC BY-SA 4.0
Provincia Autonoma di Trento: Bops92 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Umbria: Enrico Strocchi from Forlì, Italy · CC BY-SA 2.0

FAQ

How many national parks does Italy have?

24 with a working authority, on the environment ministry's own map. The ministry's written list has 27, including Matese and Portofino with provisional boundaries and Golfo di Orosei e del Gennargentu, which was created but never made operational. ISPRA counts 26.

Why do sources disagree on the number of Italian national parks?

Because they count at different stages. A park can be established by law, given provisional boundaries, and only later get a functioning authority. The 24, 26 and 27 figures are three snapshots of that pipeline, not three errors.

How much of Italy is protected?

Terrestrial protected areas covered 3,175,554 hectares in the 2024 ISPRA indicator, 10.5% of the country, across 843 areas. National parks alone account for 46.5% of that protected land.

Which region has the most protected land?

Campania contributes 11% of Italy's protected terrestrial surface and Abruzzo 9.6%, the two largest shares in the 2024 ISPRA figures. Both hold several national parks each.

Are there marine national parks in Italy?

Marine areas are a separate system: 30 established marine protected areas plus 2 submerged parks, covering 231,000 hectares of sea and 711 km of coast. Some sit alongside a land park, as at Cinque Terre and La Maddalena.

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Sources (9)

124Ministero dell'Ambiente e della Sicurezza Energetica (MASE) · recheck by 2027-12-31
227Ministero dell'Ambiente e della Sicurezza Energetica (MASE) · recheck by 2027-12-31
3Ministero dell'Ambiente e della Sicurezza Energetica (MASE); doc 2 · recheck by 2027-12-31
446.5% · 1,476,682 · 3,175,554ISPRA - Annuario dei dati ambientali · recheck by 2027-06-30
5843 · 3,175,554 · 10.5%ISPRA - Annuario dei dati ambientali · recheck by 2027-06-30
626 · 148 · 133ISPRA - Annuario dei dati ambientali · recheck by 2027-06-30
711% · 9.6%ISPRA - Annuario dei dati ambientali · recheck by 2027-06-30
81,048 · 3,356,239.55 · 2,868,914.05Ministero dell'Ambiente e della Sicurezza Energetica (MASE) · recheck by 2028-12-31
930 · 2 · 231,000Ministero dell'Ambiente e della Sicurezza Energetica (MASE) · recheck by 2027-12-31