Parks and protected natural areas

What we use

• Natura 2000 sites, the European network of areas protected for their habitats, plants and animals, published by the European Environment Agency (EEA) with data from the Italian Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security and the Regions. We use the end-2024 edition, released in December 2025: Italy has 2,649 sites. There are special protection areas for wild birds (ZPS) and habitat and species conservation areas (SIC or ZSC); many sites are both. Licence CC BY 4.0.
• Official list of protected natural areas (EUAP, Elenco ufficiale delle aree protette) from the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security, via the National Geoportal: national parks, regional nature parks, state and regional nature reserves, marine protected areas and other areas, 870 in all. It is the sixth update, dated 27 April 2010. Licence CC BY 4.0.

How we use them

The report looks for areas on both lists that touch the parcel, or the address point when there is no parcel, and those within 5 kilometres. For each list it shows up to three areas, nearest first: name, code, type and distance. Distances are calculated on the official boundaries of the areas. If the parcel is inside an area, the report also says how much of the parcel it covers.

When the property is inside a park, a reserve or a Natura 2000 site the section is marked "Worth considering"; otherwise it is for information. If the property is inside an area or less than 500 metres away, the report briefly explains what that means:

• within a Natura 2000 site, and sometimes nearby too, projects and works that may affect protected habitats and species require an appropriate assessment (VIncA, valutazione di incidenza);
• in parks and reserves the managing body's plan and regulations apply, and can limit new construction, extensions and land use.

The report does not draw the boundaries of the areas: it shows names and distances. Landscape protection from the Ministry of Culture has a section of its own: Landscape, wildfires and noise.

Limits

• The national list of protected areas stops at 2010: areas established afterwards are not included.
• The report says whether there is a protected area and what that means in general, not which exact rules apply to the property: they depend on the plan and regulations of each area.
• It does not replace the certificato di destinazione urbanistica (planning use certificate) or the opinion of the body that manages the area.

Official pages: Natura 2000 from the European Environment Agency and the official list of protected areas on the National Geoportal.