by In Trieste
Italy’s Path of Parks hiking trail will connect the country’s 25 national parks, from the mountains to the sea.
Italy has announced plans for a new hiking trail linking the country’s 25 national parks in an ambitious project titled Sentiero dei Parchi or Path of Parks.
Spanning a total of 7,000 km with a budget of €35 million, the new trail is expected to be complete by 2033.
The path will loosely follow the existing Sentiero Italia, or Grand Italian Trail, a 6,000-km long walk which includes 18 of the country’s 25 national parks.
The trail will provide a taste of the diverse and stunning range of scenery that Italy has to offer, including snow-capped mountains in the Alps and Dolomites, breathtaking coastlines along Cinque Terre, remote forests and caves in Abruzzo, rolling landscapes and UNESCO heritage sites in Tuscany, and nature reserves on the islands of Sicily and Sardinia.
“National parks are a treasure trove of nature: we must guarantee their conservation, but also their usability,’ said Italy’s environment minister Sergio Costa who announced that a “passport” would be created specially for travellers to have stamped on arrival at each park.
The minister also noted the collective desire of hikers and tourists to get out more in the great outdoors during the post-coronavirus recovery period.
Between now and 2033 works will be carried out to extend and maintain the network of hiking paths connecting Italy’s 25 national parks which between them account for about five per cent of Italian territory.
