Abruzzi National Park Parco Nazionale d'Abruzzo

The southernmost part of the Abruzzi is occupied by the Abruzzi National Park (Parco Nazionale d'Abruzzo) with its beautiful beech forests. It covers an area of some 400sq.km/154sq.mi in the valley of the upper Sangro and its numerous side valleys. With its network of footpaths and its mountain huts it is ideally suited for tourists; another 200sq.km/77sq.mi belong to the nature reserve. The park was established in 1921 as a nature reserve to protect the landscape, flora and fauna of the Abruzzi; among the mountain animals which can still be seen here are the Abruzzi brown bear (Ursus arctos marsicanus), the Abruzzi chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra ornata), the Apennine wolf (Canis lupus italicus) and the golden eagle.