Maiella National Park

Parco Nazionale della Majella
IUCN category II (national park)
Majella Massif
Maiella Location of the park
Location	Abruzzo
Nearest city	Sulmona
Coordinates	42°4′55″N 14°3′36″E
Area	628.38 km2 (242.62 sq mi)
Established	1991
Governing body	Ministero dell'Ambiente
Official website

The Maiella National Park (Parco Nazionale della Majella, 740.95 km²) is a national park located in the provinces of Chieti, Pescara and L'Aquila, in the region Abruzzo, Italy.

It is centered around the Maiella massif, whose highest peak is Monte Amaro (2,793 m).

The area of the Majella national Park, especially the Montagna della Majella, has been subject to a major international geoscientific research Project, TaskForceMajella from 1998 up to 2005.

Main sights

The park contains about 500 kilometers of hiking trails through the mountains, cave paintings in Grotta Sant'Angelo and Grotta del Cavallone (the latter being one of the deepest caves in Europe open to the public).

Tourist centers located in the park include:

• Maurizio Locati Visitor Center, Colle Madonna, Lama dei Peligni - sections dedicated to chamois, archeology, a reconstruction of a Neolithic village, and the Giardino Botanico Michele Tenore.
• Museo Naturalistico at Fara San Martino.
• Paolo Barrasso Visitor Center at Caramanico Terme. It houses geology sections including fossils discovered on the Majella Mountain, and archaeologic findings from the Upper Paleolithic to the Roman age.
• Giardino Botanico Daniela Brescia at Sant'Eufemia a Maiella -

External links

• Pages by the Park Authority on Parks.it
• Majella National Park
• Majella National Park map