Editing Tourism in Italy (section)

===Naturalistic tourism===
{{further|Fauna of Italy|Flora of Italy|Italian garden|List of botanical gardens in Italy|List of gardens in Italy|List of national parks of Italy|List of regional parks of Italy|List of Marine Protected Areas of Italy|List of caves in Italy}}
[[File:Sentieri tra le foreste casentinesi.jpg|thumb|[[Foreste Casentinesi, Monte Falterona, Campigna National Park|Casentinesi Forests]], [[Emilia-Romagna]]]]
[[File:Decollo - panoramio.jpg|thumb|[[Flamingo]]s in the [[River delta|delta]] of the [[Po (river)|Po river]]]]
[[File:Castellana's caves wolf.jpg|thumb|right|[[Castellana Caves]], [[Apulia]]]]
In Italy, there are several protected areas of various types: natural, mountain or marine parks, regional or local parks, and natural, wildlife or zoological reserves. In addition to this, there are numerous natural sites not necessarily protected by a park.

The parks of Italy include areas of land, sea, rivers and their banks, lakes and their environs which have environmental or naturalistic importance and are often valued for their landscape features and for representing particular local traditions. [[List of national parks of Italy|National parks of Italy]] cover about 5% of the country,<ref>{{cite web |title=National Parks in Italy |publisher=Parks.it |date=1995–2010 |url=http://www.parks.it/indice/NatParks.html |access-date=15 March 2010|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100329203159/http://www.parks.it/indice/NatParks.html |archive-date=29 March 2010}}</ref> while the total area protected by national parks, [[List of regional parks of Italy|regional parks of Italy]] and nature reserves covers about 10.5% of the Italian territory,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/regione-e-aree-protette_%28L%27Italia-e-le-sue-Regioni%29/|title=Regione e aree protette|access-date=11 January 2022|language=it}}</ref> to which must be added 12% of coasts protected by [[List of Marine Protected Areas of Italy|Marine Protected Areas of Italy]].<ref name="uccellidaproteggere">{{cite web|url=http://www.uccellidaproteggere.it/La-conservazione/Cosa-fa-l-Italia-Le-azioni/Le-aree-protette-in-Italia|title=Le aree protette in Italia|access-date=2 March 2022|language=it}}</ref>

Italy has one the highest levels of [[Fauna of Italy|fauna]]l [[biodiversity]] in Europe, with over 57,000 species recorded, representing more than a third of all European fauna.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.minambiente.it/sites/default/files/archivio/allegati/biodiversita/italian_fifth_report_cbd.pdf |title=Italy's Fifth National Report to the Convention on Biological Diversity |publisher=Italian Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea |access-date=17 May 2015|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518094031/http://www.minambiente.it/sites/default/files/archivio/allegati/biodiversita/italian_fifth_report_cbd.pdf |archive-date=18 May 2015|page=7}}</ref> The [[fauna of Italy]] includes 4,777 [[Endemism|endemic]] animal species,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://faunaitalia.it/documents/CKmap_ITA.pdf|title=CHECKLIST E DISTRIBUZIONE DELLA FAUNA ITALIANA|page=29|access-date=10 March 2022|language=it}}</ref> which include the [[Sardinian long-eared bat]], [[Corsican red deer|Sardinian red deer]], [[spectacled salamander]], [[brown cave salamander]], [[Italian newt]], [[Italian stream frog|Italian frog]], [[Apennine yellow-bellied toad]], [[Italian wall lizard]], [[Aeolian wall lizard]], [[Sicilian wall lizard]], [[Italian Aesculapian snake]], and [[Sicilian pond turtle]]. In Italy there are 119 [[List of mammals of Italy|mammals species]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mite.gov.it/sites/default/files/archivio/biblioteca/qcn_14.pdf|title=Mammiferi d'Italia - Ministero della Transizione Ecologica|page=7|access-date=11 March 2022|language=it}}</ref> 550 [[List of birds of Italy|bird species]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/uccelli/|title=Uccelli|access-date=11 March 2022|language=it}}</ref> 69 [[List of reptiles of Italy|reptile species]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/advanced_search?location=italy&submit=Search |title=Distribution: italy |author=Peter Uetz |author2=Jakob Hallermann |author3=Jiri Hosek |date= |work=The Reptile Database |access-date=22 June 2021}}</ref> 39 [[List of amphibians of Italy|amphibian species]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.legambienteanimalhelp.it/anfibi-autoctoni/|title=Quali sono gli anfibi autoctoni?|access-date=11 March 2022|language=it}}</ref> 623 fish species<ref name="fishbase">{{Cite web|url=http://www.fishbase.us/country/CountryChecklist.php?what=list&trpp=50&c_code=380&csub_code=&cpresence=present&sortby=alpha2&vhabitat=all2|title=All fishes reported from Italy|access-date=10 March 2022}}</ref> and 56,213 invertebrate species, of which 37,303 insect species.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cittametropolitana.mi.it/gev/dove_operiamo/index.html|title=Dove operiamo|access-date=11 March 2022|language=it}}</ref>

The [[flora of Italy]] was traditionally estimated to comprise about 5,500 [[vascular plant]] species.<ref>Pignatti, S. (1982). ''Flora d'Italia''. Edagricole, Bologna, vol. 1–3, 1982</ref> However, {{As of|2005|lc=y}}, 6,759 species are recorded in the ''Data bank of Italian vascular flora''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.openstarts.units.it/dspace/bitstream/10077/3767/1/Guarino%20et%20al,%20bioidentify.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161226162840/https://www.openstarts.units.it/dspace/bitstream/10077/3767/1/Guarino%20et%20al%2C%20bioidentify.pdf |url-status=dead |title=Riccardo Guarino, Sabina Addamiano, Marco La Rosa, Sandro Pignatti ''Flora Italiana Digitale'':an interactive identification tool for the Flora of Italy |archive-date=26 December 2016}}</ref> Italy has 1,371 endemic plant species and subspecies,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://biotaxa.org/Phytotaxa/article/view/phytotaxa.168.1.1|title=An inventory of vascular plants endemic to Italy|access-date=12 March 2022}}</ref> which include [[Abies nebrodensis|Sicilian Fir]], [[Barbaricina columbine]], [[Sea marigold]], [[Santolina pinnata|Lavender cotton]] and [[Viola ucriana|Ucriana violet]].

Italy has many [[List of botanical gardens in Italy|botanical gardens]] and [[List of gardens in Italy|historic gardens]], some of which are known outside the country.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://initalia.virgilio.it/i-parchi-fioriti-e-gli-orti-botanici-piu-belli-ditalia-3693|title=I parchi fioriti e gli orti botanici più belli d'Italia|access-date=14 March 2022|language=it}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.casevacanza.it/idee/i-giardini-piu-belli-d-italia|title=Top10: i giardini più belli d'Italia|access-date=15 March 2022|language=it}}</ref> The [[Italian garden]] is stylistically based on symmetry, axial geometry and on the principle of imposing order over nature. It influenced the [[history of gardening]], especially [[French garden]]s and [[English garden]]s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tuttogreen.it/giardino-all-italiana/|title=Alla scoperta delle meraviglie del giardino all'italiana|access-date=28 March 2022|language=it}}</ref> The Italian garden was influenced by [[Roman garden]]s and [[Italian Renaissance garden]]s.

The [[List of caves in Italy|Italian caves]] attract around 1.5 million tourists every year.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lastampa.it/viaggi/italia/2017/04/27/news/l-italia-sotterranea-dei-turisti-speleologi-1.34624954/|title=L'Italia sotterranea dei turisti speleologi|access-date=7 May 2022|language=it}}</ref> Main concentration of Italian caves is close to the [[Alps]] and the [[Apennins]], principally due to [[Karst topography|karst]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ilmeteo.net/notizie/scienza/alla-scoperta-delle-grotte-italia-turistiche-visitabili.html|title=Alla scoperta delle grotte visitabili d'Italia|access-date=7 May 2022|language=it}}</ref> Notable Italian caves are [[Castellana Caves]], [[Frasassi Caves]], [[Pertosa Cave]], [[Giant Cave]], [[Castelcivita Cave]], [[Toirano Caves]], [[Pastena Caves]], [[Borgio Verezzi Caves]], [[Grotto Calgeron]], [[Grotta del Cavallone]], [[Ear of Dionysius]], [[Grotta del Gelo]], [[Grotta di Ispinigoli]], [[Paglicci Cave]], [[Grotta dell'Addaura]], [[Arene Candide]], [[Castelcivita Caves]], [[Fumane Cave]], [[Neptune's Grotto]], [[Nereo Cave]], [[Pertosa Caves]], [[Grotta dello Smeraldo]] and [[Blue Grotto (Capri)|Blue Grotto]].