Italy's national parks

The Ministry defines a national park as an area — on land, river, lake or sea — containing one or more ecosystems that are intact or only partly altered by human activity, or geological, biological or other features of international or national importance for their natural, scientific, aesthetic, cultural, educational and recreational value.

Source: Ministero dell'Ambiente e della Sicurezza Energetica — Elenco dei Parchi, last updated 21 May 2025, read 9 October 2026.

Among the national parks on the Ministry's list:

• North and the Alps: Gran Paradiso, Stelvio, Val Grande, Dolomiti Bellunesi
• The Ligurian and Tuscan coast: Cinque Terre, Portofino (provisional boundaries), Arcipelago Toscano
• The Apennines: Appennino Tosco-Emiliano, Foreste Casentinesi, Monti Sibillini, Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga, Maiella, Abruzzo Lazio e Molise, Matese (provisional boundaries)
• Around Rome and Naples: Circeo, Vesuvio, Cilento Vallo di Diano e Alburni
• The south: Gargano, Alta Murgia, Appennino Lucano, Pollino, Sila, Aspromonte
• Sardinia: Asinara, Arcipelago di La Maddalena, Golfo di Orosei e del Gennargentu

Wherever you settle in Italy, a national park is rarely far away — Gran Paradiso and Stelvio for Alpine hiking, Cinque Terre and the Tuscan islands for coastal walks, Vesuvius for a day trip from Naples, and Sardinia's parks for wild coastline.

For a beach day instead, our guide to Italy's Blue Flag beaches lists the coastline recognised for water quality and environmental management.