Parco nazionale del Pollino

Pollino National Park protects a vast area of the southern Apennines across Basilicata and Calabria. Its massifs, forests, karst plateaus and river gorges extend between the Ionian and Tyrrhenian seas; the Bosnian pine is an emblematic species of the park's high limestone slopes.

Why it matters

The park spans 56 municipalities and about 192,565 hectares. Since 2015 the park has been part of the European and Global Network of UNESCO Geoparks; its territory includes 75 geosites. Ancient beech forests at Cozzo Ferriero and Pollinello were inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage serial property of Europe's primeval beech forests in 2017 and 2021.

What to notice

The pino loricato, or Bosnian pine, is naturally found in Italy only in the park's southern Apennine sector. It grows on limestone scree above the beech belt, generally beyond 1,000 metres; wind can shape its branches into a flag-like form, while mature bark breaks into large grey plates. Botanist Michele Tenore collected specimens on the Piani di Pollino in 1826. The park's landscape also includes the Pollino and Orsomarso massifs, Monte Alpi, beech woods, karst uplands and deep river gorges.

Context and history

The park was established in 1993, following earlier protection arrangements in 1988. Both dates belong to the area's early conservation history. Its protected landscape also encompasses mountain communities, including Arbëreshë villages on the Lucanian slope, where Albanian traditions remain part of local culture.