Riserva Naturale Integrale della Camosciara

The Camosciara is a landscape of pale, stratified rock, waterfalls and black pines. The reserve protects chamois, bears and wolves.

Why it matters

The park describes the Camosciara as the birthplace of the national park and identifies its rock amphitheatre as a defining landscape. Its integral-reserve status gives conservation priority. The area includes beech woods, waterfalls and rare Apennine plants, and chamois are among its characteristic wildlife.

What to notice

The Cascata delle Ninfe and Cascata delle Tre Cannelle lie within an Apennine beech wood. Pale stratified cliffs support black pines, including the Villetta Barrea black pine, and low creeping mountain pine. The park lists the lady's-slipper orchid, the butterwort Pinguicola vallis-regiae and spring flora on the wet rock faces. Chamois live on the Monti della Camosciara, while bears, wolves and deer also pass through.

Context and history

Chamois gave the place its name, and rescuing them was among the purposes for which the park — inaugurated in 1922, making it Italy's oldest protected area — was brought into being. The reserve spans the territory of Villetta Barrea, Pescasseroli and Gioia dei Marsi in the province of L'Aquila, on the western flank of the park's mountain core. The park classifies the Camosciara as an integral reserve. Water shapes the landscape through springs and waterfalls, while shaded, wet rock faces support rare flora.