Nature & Landscape

Italy is a 1,200 km long peninsula in the shape of a boot, flanked by two large islands (Sicily and Sardinia) and numerous smaller ones (Elba, Capri, Ischia, Aeolian Islands, La Maddalena). Two mountain ranges dominate: the Alps in the north (bordering France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia) and the Apennines, which run like a backbone through the entire peninsula from Liguria to Calabria.

In between: the Po Valley (Italy's most fertile region and economic heart), the northern Italian lakes (Garda, Como, Maggiore — formed by glacial melt), and a coastline ranging from the sandy beaches of the Adriatic to the rocky coasts of Liguria and the Amalfi to the volcanic islands of Sicily.

Italy lies on the boundary of the African and Eurasian plates and is the most volcanically active country in Europe:

• Etna (3,357 m, Sicily) — Europe's highest and most active volcano. Regular eruptions (most recently 2023/2024). Climbable.
• Vesuvius (1,281 m, Campania) — Notorious for the destruction of Pompeii (79 AD). Dormant since 1944, but not extinct. 600,000 people in the danger zone.
• Stromboli (926 m, Aeolian Islands) — The "Lighthouse of the Mediterranean": regular eruptions every 10–20 minutes, visible from the sea at night. Ascent with a guide possible (approx. €28).
• Vulcano (Aeolian Islands) — Last eruption in 1890. Sulfurous fumaroles, hot mud springs, climbable crater rim.
• Phlegraean Fields (Campi Flegrei, near Naples) — Supervolcano! Increased seismic activity since 2023. The Solfatara (sulfur springs) are impressive, but the area has been closed to visitors since 2017.

Italy has 25 national parks, protecting about 5% of the country's area:

• Gran Paradiso (Aosta Valley/Piedmont) — Italy's oldest national park (1922). Ibex, chamois, marmots. Great high-altitude hikes.
• Cinque Terre (Liguria) — The smallest national park: coastal hiking trails, vineyard terraces, colorful villages.
• Dolomiti Bellunesi (Veneto) — Wild Dolomite landscape without the crowds of more famous areas.
• Asinara (Sardinia) — Former prison island, now a natural paradise with albino donkeys and crystal-clear sea.
• Arcipelago Toscano (Tuscany) — Elba and the surrounding islands. Hiking, snorkeling, Napoleonic heritage.
• Vesuvio (Campania) — The volcano and its surroundings, with Mediterranean scrub and surprisingly diverse flora.
• Gennargentu (Sardinia) — Sardinia's wild mountain heart with the highest peak (1,834 m). Mouflons, eagles, solitary hiking trails.