Towns inside a national park
Inside the boundary of one of the national parks.
17 lists
Every town in our catalogue inside a national parkThe complete list of small towns inside Italy's national parks: the Gran Paradiso, the Stelvio, the Abruzzo, the Pollino, the Cilento, the Gargano and the rest, ordered by recognition.
The best hidden towns inside a national park in the province of CosenzaSmall towns inside the Pollino and Sila national parks in the province of Cosenza, where beech forest, Bosnian pine and limestone gorge sit above villages built of river stone. Where to go for walnut bread, sheep's cheese and long walks without the coastal traffic.
The best towns inside a national park in MarcheSix Marche towns that lie inside the boundary of a national park, in the limestone country of the Sibillini and the upper Tronto valley: sheep's cheese, sulphur springs, beech woods and stone villages under the high ridges.
The best towns inside a national park in LazioSix Lazio towns that sit inside the boundary of a national park, from the beech forests and bear country of the Apennines to the dunes and coastal lakes south of Rome, and out to the island cliffs.
The best towns inside a national park in ToscanaEight Tuscan towns that sit inside the boundary of a national park, from the granite coves of the Tuscan Archipelago to the chestnut ridges of the Apennines and the beech forests above the Casentino.
The best small towns inside a national park in MoliseSmall Molisan towns that sit inside national park boundaries, between beech forest and limestone, where bears and wolves are still counted and the stone houses look up at the Mainarde. Where to go for walking, chestnuts and sheep-track country.
The best towns inside a national park in the province of NuoroInside the boundaries of the Gennargentu and Golfo di Orosei national park, granite and limestone villages sit between holm oak woods, sheep pasture and gorges that drop to the sea. Barbaricino cooking, autumn chestnuts and long walking country in the province of Nuoro.
The 8 best towns inside a national park in the province of PotenzaBasilicata's inland mountains, where beech forest, Apennine pine and stone-built villages sit inside the boundaries of the Pollino and Appennino Lucano national parks. Chestnuts, red aubergines from the Sinni valley, and roads that climb above the treeline.
The best towns inside a national park in the province of FoggiaThe Gargano peninsula is one great national park, a limestone spur of beech forest, sea caves and whitewashed hill towns above the Adriatic. These are the towns that sit inside the park boundary, where the olive groves, the orange gardens and the pines run straight down to the water.
The best towns inside a national park in the province of IserniaMolise's western mountains, the Mainarde ridge and the beech woods above Lake Castel San Vincenzo, hold towns that sit inside protected park boundaries: bagpipe makers at Scapoli, olive groves at Venafro, bear country above Pizzone.
The best hill towns inside a national park in CalabriaInland Calabria is mountain country: beech and silver fir on the Pollino and Sila ridges, stone villages built on rock spurs, wild boar ragù and Caciocavallo Silano. These hill towns sit within the national parks, high above the coast road.
The 7 best towns inside a national park that eat well in PugliaPuglia's national parks cover limestone gorges, Aleppo pine forest and the high stone plateau of the Murgia, and the towns inside them cook accordingly: lamb, wild greens, sea urchins, burrata and orecchiette rolled by hand. These are the parks' towns where a dining guide has singled out a table.
The 8 best hill towns inside a national park in CampaniaInland Campania keeps its hill towns inside protected land: the Matese and the Cilento, where limestone gorges, chestnut woods and stone villages sit within national park boundaries. Autumn brings truffles, mushrooms and cold clear rivers running under old bridges.
The best towns you can reach by train that sit inside a national park in AbruzzoAbruzzo puts beech forest, wolf country and limestone peaks within walking distance of a railway platform, from the Maiella foothills to the high plateaus above Sulmona. These are the park towns you can reach without renting a car.
The best hill towns inside a national park in PugliaInland Puglia rises into limestone plateau and beech forest, where sheep tracks cross the Alta Murgia and the Gargano climbs from citrus groves into cold upland woods. These are the hill towns that sit inside the region's national parks, built from pale local stone and still working the land around them.
The prettiest villages inside a national park within 90 minutes of PescaraInland from Pescara the Abruzzo mountains rise fast, and the villages built into them are made of pale limestone, with wolves and bears in the beech woods above and mutton, saffron and pecorino on the table. These are the stone villages that sit inside the national parks, all within an easy drive of the coast.
The prettiest small villages inside a national park in AbruzzoStone villages built high inside Abruzzo's national parks, where beech woods give way to bare limestone, wolves and bears still range the ridges, and the kitchens run to mutton, saffron and lentils grown on the plateau.