The oldest protected heart of the Apennines
Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park is one of Europe’s most beautiful parks and one of the oldest conservation experiences in the Apennines. A protected nucleus began in 1921, the Park was founded in 1922 and recognised by law in 1923.
Its ambition was often compared with Yellowstone: protecting Marsican brown bear, Apennine wolf, chamois, deer, roe deer and the mountain habitats that sustain them. The modern Park covers about 50,500 hectares across three regions and 24 municipalities.
What strikes me most is the green. Beech forests occupy entire slopes, water accompanies the valleys and villages appear almost like parts of a fairy tale. Foreign visitors often seem to understand this quality immediately; Luc Jacquet chose these landscapes for The Fox and the Child.
The Park is not a wildlife enclosure. Animals remain wild, encounters are never guaranteed and the richest experience often comes from reading tracks, silence, forests and the relationship between communities and mountains.
