Founded in 1993 and vast 36.800 hectares, it protects some of the best preserved forests of Italy and Europe. The relations between men and nature always have been in a delicated balance for one thousand years, from Camaldoli’s monks to the feudatories Guidi Counts until the Grand Duke of Tuscany and the Kingdom and Republic of Italy.
Very interesting is the forest and floral heritage which besides includes two Natural Integral Parks (Sassofratino and La Pietra) where every human activity is absolutely prohibited, and immense forests with beeches, silver firs, oaks, elms, limes, ashes and many other species. In the Park live a big number of species of wild animals: red deer, fallow deer, roe deer, wild boars, foxes, badgers, porcupines, weasels, beech-martens, polecats, dormouses, squirrels and numerous kinds of reptiles, birds and amphibians and, last but not least, the rare wolves and royal eagles.
The great holy centers of Camaldoli and La Verna (Monastery, Hermitage and Sanctuary-Convent), inside the borders of the National Park, characterize and make unique this beautiful protected area, Unesco Heritage.
