Nature in Abruzzo

Abruzzo is Italy’s green lung. And one of the country’s best-kept secrets. No less than a third of the region consists of protected nature reserves, spread across four nature parks. Yet few foreign travelers know their way here. If you do make it here, you’ll be rewarded with a landscape that’s more unspoiled than anywhere else in Italy: deep mountain forests, crystal-clear rivers, vast plateaus, and medieval villages that have barely changed.

The wildlife is impressive: the rare Marsican brown bear, Apennine wolves, chamois, wild boars, porcupines, eagles, and vultures live here in the wild. The ancient beech forests in the national park are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the park is home to more than 2,000 plant species, including rare orchids such as the lady’s slipper.

Abruzzo is best experienced outside of the summer, when the Italian day-trippers have left and nature reclaims the landscape. In the spring, the Campo Imperatore plateau is in bloom; in the fall, the beech forests turn golden. This is Italy without the trappings—pure and unexpectedly beautiful.

Nature Travel Lab keeps a close eye on Abruzzo. Do you know of any unique accommodations in the region? Let us know.

Hiking in Abruzzo

Abruzzo is to hikers what Tuscany is to art lovers: a region you won’t soon forget. Each of the four nature parks has its own unique character. In the Majella National Park, you’ll find more than 700 kilometers of hiking trails, with Monte Amaro as the highest peak at 2,793 meters. The Gran Sasso Mountains are home to Corno Grande, the highest peak in the Apennines outside the Alps, with views that make you forget you’re in central Italy.

The Abruzzo National Park is Italy’s oldest and most intimate: small trails through beech forests, along rivers, and to quiet mountain meadows where you can spot wolves and bears. Please note: during peak season, some hiking trails are accessible only with a permit, to protect the vulnerable wildlife. Outside of that period, you’ll have the trails practically to yourself.

Spring and fall are the ideal seasons. The distances are considerable, and signage is sometimes limited, but that’s part of this region’s character. Abruzzo rewards hikers who are willing to go a little further than the obvious.