Italy Now Has More Forest Than Farmland Since Middle Ages

Italy's forests just hit a milestone that hasn't happened since knights roamed castles: trees now cover more land than farms.

Forests stretch across 60,000 square miles of the Italian Peninsula as of 2020, according to a new report from the National Union of Mountain Municipalities. That's more territory than all the country's agricultural land combined, marking a stunning reversal from centuries of deforestation.

The forests are doing work worth millions without anyone lifting a finger. In the mountain municipality of Marcetelli, where 94% of land is now forested, the trees provide services that would cost $9.5 million if humans had to do it artificially. They're storing carbon, filtering water and air, and preventing erosion completely free of charge.

Here's the unexpected twist: the forests are solving Italy's rural exodus problem. For 20 years, young Italians fled mountain villages for big cities, leaving behind farmland and emptying medieval towns. Since 2021, that trend reversed in 932 municipalities, with people moving back at a rate of 10 per 1,000 inhabitants. Many of these towns are in heavily forested areas.

Mountain regions account for three-quarters of Italy's total forest area but hold just 13.5% of the population. That leaves plenty of room for nature to flourish alongside the returning residents.

The Ripple Effect

The growing forests are breathing new life into entire ecosystems. Endangered brown bears and wolves now have expanding habitat to support their recovering populations. Wild boar and red deer numbers are rising too, providing sustainable game meat for Italian restaurants and creating opportunities for eco-tourism.

The report acknowledges that farmers left behind land that forests reclaimed, but the economics tell a clear story. If demand for Italian agricultural products justified keeping that land farmed, the families would have stayed. Instead, people are choosing to live closer to nature, and the market is responding.

Travelers looking to experience these rich woodlands can head to Perugia or Udine provinces, which contain four of Italy's five most-forested municipalities. The Alps, Apennines, and surrounding regions now offer a greener, wilder Italy than the country has seen in 700 years.

Nature is reclaiming Italy, and Italians are coming home to join it.