Riserva Naturale Litorale Romano, State nature reserve in Province of Rome, Italy

The Riserva Naturale Litorale Romano is a protected coastal area south of Rome that combines different landscapes into one space. Within it you find pine forests, wetlands, river outlets, and ancient ruins that make it a diverse natural area.

Calls for a protected area on the Roman coast began in the 1970s, and an official promoting committee was set up in 1982. A first attempt came with the ministerial decree of 28 July 1987, signed by environment minister Mario Pavan. The state nature reserve was finally established by ministerial decree on 29 March 1996, covering 17,243 hectares between Palidoro and Capocotta, managed by Rome and Fiumicino.

The reserve's name comes from the ancient territory of Litorale Romano, and its coastal towers still mark the shoreline: Tor San Michele, Tor Boacciana, Torre Primavera and Torre Perla. Near Castel Fusano, the CEA environmental education centre, set up by Rome in 2000, houses a small museum of insects of the Roman coast.

The area is best explored on foot for walking and wildlife spotting, with pathways throughout the reserve. Multiple entry points from different sides mean planning ahead helps you choose the spot that fits your plans.

The reserve's dunes at Bocca di Leone and Palidoro host Pimelia bipunctata and Scarites beetles, while its centuries-old holm oak woods shelter the rhinoceros beetle and great capricorn beetle. The butterfly Caracoma nilotica has been recorded here as its only sighting in Italy.