There's a new protected area in Italy. After years of waiting and debate, the Matese National Park is finally a reality: on 22 April 2025, on the occasion of Earth Day, the founding decree was signed, marking the official birth of Italy's 25th national park.

Not a coincidental date — one that encapsulates the deeper meaning of this decision: to protect a vast green area by recognising its immeasurable ecological, landscape and cultural value.

An ancient land, a new protected area

The Park extends across more than 880 square kilometres of mountains, forests and lakes, encompassing 52 municipalities between Campania and Molise. A land that has sheltered nature's slow breath for centuries and is now recognised as a heritage worth protecting — from the limestone peaks of Monte Miletto and Gallinola to the shimmering surface of Lago del Matese.

With the establishment of the national park, the former Regional Park (created in 2002 solely on the Campania side) gives way to a broader vision.

Biodiversity: the true wealth of the Matese National Park

What makes the Matese truly precious is its biodiversity. The beech and Turkey oak forests are home to species such as the Apennine wolf, the wildcat and the roe deer, reintroduced in 2008. Raptors move silently through the branches — golden eagles and peregrine falcons among them — while the banks of the Titerno, Biferno and Volturno rivers harbour a rich variety of life.

The Matese is a vital biological corridor, as environmental associations have stressed in welcoming the news with enthusiasm — among them Wwf and Legambiente. A green bridge connecting ecosystems, allowing wildlife to move, adapt and survive.

A park for people

It is not just about nature. The Matese National Park is also shaped by local communities. The challenge will be to build a development model that celebrates agricultural and pastoral traditions, slow tourism and artisanal knowledge. A park that is not a fence, but a network — between the human and the natural.