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Natural Parks and Nature
Rightfully called “the Region of the Parks” because
of its natural resources and policy of environmental
preservation, Abruzzo is an excellent example of
peaceful coexistence between wildlife and man, whose
presence is constant but non destructive. With the Gran Sasso - Monti della Laga National park,
the Majella National Park, the National Park of
Abruzzo, the Sirente-Velino Regional Park, and
more than thirty naturalistic reservoirs and oases,
it has 30% of the territory subordinate to
protection.
The Gran Sasso - Monti della Laga National park is
one of the largest reserves in Europe. Its territory
covers 3 regions and 5 provinces, a succession of
breathtaking views, priceless natural resources and
cultural treasures.
The Park acts as a
green lung for central Italy and holds several
records, including: the highest peak of the
Apennines, the widest plateau of the Country, the
biggest artificial lake in Europe, the southernmost
glacier of the continent. Unique in its genre, the
Park is one of the areas with the highest rate of
plant varieties in Europe, due to its borderline
location between Mediterranean and European
countries, with more than 2400 vegetable species
most of whom grow exclusively in this area.
The Gran Sasso d’Italia mountain overlooks the hills,
the plains, the cities of Central Italy and all the
surroundings, including the Adriatic and the
Tyrrhenian seas. The king of the Apennines
vertically dominates the boundless pastures of Campo
Imperatore, a small-sized version of Tibet; on the
other side, the east face of the mountain, which
belongs to the province of Teramo, majestically
overlooks the Central Adriatic coastline.
It is the kingdom of perpetual snow, rocks and
wind. The scenery is beyond comparison: time has
stopped to give way to a monumental and still virgin
nature. Northwards, the rounded profiles of the
Monti della Laga, covered with woods of beech trees,
silver firs, turkey oaks and chestnut trees are
entirely visible from the Lake of Campotosto, one of
the most picturesque places in the Park in the heart
of the Abruzzo, Lazio and Marche regions. In
wintertime the network of brooks and streams which
flow over impermeable rocks and roar into deep,
hollow valleys, freeze and take magical, ancestral
shapes on which the sunlight brightly shines. These
amazing areas, which can be explored on horseback
through a 300 km network of paths, are inhabited by
several species of Apennine fauna such as bears,
wolves, chamois, deer and lynx, together with many
different species of birds.
The artistic heritage of the reserve, exceptionally
rich and noteworthy, includes fortress towns,
squares, fountains, churches, frescoes,
archaeological sites and a rural landscape dotted
with farmhouses, quarries and stone huts. The
long-lasting, solid equilibrium between Man and
Nature’s precious works of art always wins over
visitors.
The National Park of Abruzzo covers an area of 44
thousand hectares which includes 22 towns located in
the province of L’Aquila, Frosinone and Isernia.
The Majella National
Park stretches out over 75 thousands hectares
through the province of Pescara, Chieti and
L’Aquila, covering the area of 39 towns.
The Sirente-Velino Regional Park spreads over an
area of 50248,00 hectares in the heart of Abruzzo.
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