The Maiella National Park

The vegetation of the Maiella is incredibly rich: the counted species are 2300, 70% of the whole vegetation of Abruzzo. The huge value of the flora is witnessed by the presence of numerous rare species, mentioned in the Red List of Endangered Species and worthy of protection. The exotic species in the Park are 126, and just a fraction of them are naturalised, testifying the optimal conservation status of the area.

The Maiella National Park is home to some of the most important animal species living in the Apennines. The Apennine wolf, symbol of the Park, has become one of the most numerous species during the years. Instead, the Marsican Brown Bear is very rare to be seen since the population living in the Park consists of very few specimens. The forests in the Park underwent interventions of re-forestation in the last years, allowing deer and reed deer populations to grow exponentially and therefore to be easily spotted.

More than 100 caves have been counted in Maiella, whose origins are due to karst phenomenon, i.e., the superficial and underground erosion of limestone rocks that gives birth to places of particular speleological interest. The Cavallone Caves are the most important ones, characterised by the presence of stalagmites and stalactites, but also the Grotta Nera and the Grotta Scura are worthy of being mentioned.

Between the Maiella and Morrone mountains the Orta Valley represents the true heart of the Park and one of the most spectacular canyons, formed by the erosion of the Orta river. A place of great beauty, whose harshness contributed to its preservation from anthropization, allowing several wildlife species to proliferate.