Parks.
The variety of the Ligurian environment is to be seen in the large number of nature reserves situated throughout the region: parks and protected areas cover 12% of the territory. The 16 current protected areas, to which the Ligurian Alta Via has to be added, will soon be increased by others now being planned: the new forms of nature tourism, together with the study and increase of environmental knowledge will lead to a greater appreciation of the unique characteristics of an ecosystem that has found a delicate balance in the brusque transition from the coastal area to the mountains. The marine environment is also included in the programme for the protection of natural resources: this is already the case with the marine reserves of Monte Portofino, the Cinque Terre and the Whale Sanctuary.
Beigua Nature Park, which is situated on the Tyrrhenian-Po divide, is one of the largest in the region: besides Monte Beigua, it includes other peaks that rise to a height of over 1000 metres at a distance of only six kilometres from the beaches of Arenzano and Cogoleto, and it extends northwards towards the border with Piedmont in the upper Stura Valley and the Tiglieto area. Typically Alpine vegetation alternates with centuries-old chestnut trees and stretches of characteristic Mediterranean maquis: this is a truly interesting "mixed" ecosystem in a landscape bearing the signs of early industrial activities such as ironworks, glassworks and paper-mills.
Antola Nature Park comprises the mountain chain from the upper Scrivia Valley to the upper Trebbia Valley and has Monte Antola at its centre. In an uncontaminated natural environment, the castles and mediaeval towns are interwoven with a thousand-year-old rural culture.
Aveto Nature Park comprises the highest peaks in the Ligurian Apennines and also some smaller reserves, such as Agoraie Park and the Foresta delle Lame. This was the area in which the monks of San Colombano settled in the late Middle Ages and founded the abbey at Borzone and introduced agriculture and stockbreeding. It is where the region's most extensive pasture land is to be found, including the Alpine summer pastures, where typical local cheeses can be bought. In the Foresta delle Lame, which has an abundance of lakes, is the habitat of insect-eating plants.
The small towns built on the coastal rocks are the centre of the Cinque Terre Nature Park and are famous all over the world, but the area also has less famous sights that are well worth seeing. The hillside terracings that were built with great effort and often come right down to the cliff edge are where the vineyards producing some very special, superior wines are cultivated. From the far western promontories to the three islands to the east, the coastal rocks are dominated by Mediterranean maquis, which gives way to olive groves and vineyards and, even higher up, to ilex trees and oak trees cultivated for cork. The panoramic promenades with a view over the sea are of great natural interest: it is here that the seagulls build their nests and many rare floral species can be found. A marine reserve is also due to be opened here very soon.
The Park of Montemarcello and Monte Magra comprises the estuary area of the River Magra and the vast area lying above Caprione promontory, which closes the Bay of La Spezia to the east, but it also extends inland as far as the confluence of the River Vara with the Magra. When you reach the top of the promontory, you can enjoy a wide panorama that ranges from the Apuan mountains to Portovenere; shrubs and ilex tress cover the western slopes, while on the eastern side a vast pine forest slopes down towards the estuary.
The promontory of Portofino has been the object of special attention since 1935: here the woods of deciduous trees meet with the Mediterranean environment in a context that is of great historical interest. There are thousands of different plant species to be found in the dense maquis: it is an environment that has yet to be studied in depth, where botanists and entomologists are still making interesting discoveries. Neither is this natural richness limited to the dry land: since 1999 the underwater environment has been a marine reserve.
In some protected areas, karst phenomena have created underground systems of grottoes and tunnels that are open to speleologists and other visitors, as is the case with the grottoes at Toirano; another very interesting karst area is the Bric Tana Nature Park near Millesimo, where you can admire the typical pinnacle limestone formations rising up in the midst of the woods. The Ligurian Alta Via is a natural park with quite singular features: it stretches for 400 kilometres and goes from one end to the other of Liguria. It is divided into stages, some with accommodation facilities, and offers numerous historical and naturalistic points of interest.
The Rio Torsero nature reserve comprises an important fossiliferous deposit near to Ceriale. In the area called the "Langhe" at Piana Crixia, there is a gigantic mushroom-shaped rock that is a great favourite with tourists, who walk down the enchanting hillsides and suddenly find themselves in the lunar landscape of the calanques.

The island of Gallinara off the coast of Alassio has recently been made into a nature reserve: this is where the royal seagull builds its nest in the midst of the dense Mediterranean vegetation. On the southern side of the island there are the remains of some Roman mooring areas. Another island reserve is to be found on Bergeggi, which has grottoes and coves among the lush vegetation where it is not unusual to see euphorbia growing. Gallinara and Bergeggi are also soon to become marine reserves.
Lying between the Argentina, Arroscia and Nervia valleys, the Ligurian Alps Nature Park is about to come officially into being. It offers a great variety of climates and vegetation as well as itineraries of great historical interest, including the ancient mountain villages situated at altitudes exceeding 2000 metres.
The Finale Nature Park is also soon to be opened: this is an area between Finale Ligure and Noli comprising an impressive system of plateaux, valleys and limestone rocks where tourists can admire some spectacular karst phenomena, the remains of bygone civilisations and some Roman monuments.
The Hanbury Botanical Gardens are internationally famous and are today protected as part of our natural and cultural heritage. In these large gardens near the border with France, there are many species of tropical and subtropical plants and flowers that were brought here and acclimatised by an enterprising English naturalist.