Two of the best national parks in Tuscany
When you think of Tuscany images of rolling hillsides, plunging valleys, rushing rivers and vineyards and olive groves as far as the eye can see, fill your thoughts.
This region of what only can be described as outstanding natural beauty is home to many great parks and natural reserves, which as you can imagine, really are a sight for sore eyes. Here’s two of the best national parks in Tuscany:
Maremma National Park
If you have a partiality for hiking in Tuscany, you simply must make the Maremma National Park part of your walking itinerary. Situated in the south of the region on the coast, Maremma is a protected wildlife area with incredible panoramic views.
Paths wind and twist around the pine woods and marshlands, taking walkers past ancient olive groves, along the coast, up jagged mountain trails and to the Monte Argentario peninsula. Unlike inland national parks, the Maremma has the added bonus of beaches, which happen to be pristine.
The Val d’ Orcia Natural Park
The Valley of the Orcia River, known as the Val d’ Orcia was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Striving to protect the area further, the Italian government established the Val d’Orcia Natural Artistic and Cultural Park, designed to protect the natural and artistic heritage of the area. The aim of the park was to assist the region’s heritage by turning it into some form of ‘museum’.
The Val d’Orcia boasts a quintessential Tuscan landscape, brimming with sunflower fields, sporadic marble chapels, rich olive groves, fertile valleys and jagged mountain ranges. You may be familiar of the sublime vistas and characterful villages of Val d’Orcia from the movies but are unaware they belong to the same area. For example, snippets of the Val d’Orcia have appeared in The English Patient, Romeo and Juliet, The Gladiator and Stealing Beauty.
If you are heading to Tuscany this year, we don’t envy you, as making the decision of whether to visit Maremma National Park or the Val d’ Orcia Natural Park won’t be an easy one. On second thoughts, perhaps we do envy you!