Parco regionale del Matese, Regional park in Campania, Italy.
Parco regionale del Matese is a protected area in the provinces of Benevento and Caserta, covering mountain ridges, woodland zones, and watercourses. Hiking trails run through different altitudes, from valleys with meadows to rocky summits.
The protected area was established in 1993 to preserve the limestone formations and ecosystems of the central Apennines. Researchers found fossilized remains from the Cretaceous period in the region near Pietraroja.
Shepherds still drive their flocks to high pastures as generations before them did, selling cheese to small shops in the valleys below. The landscape shows stone houses with thick walls in many villages, built to withstand winter winds.
The park authority provides information centers and marked routes for hikers and cyclists. For longer stays, accommodations are available in surrounding villages.
A karst lake sits above 1000 meters (3300 feet) and ranks among the highest of its kind in Italy. In the rocks of Pietraroja, bones of small dinosaurs from the Cretaceous period remain preserved.
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