Italy

Olive trees have been cultivated in Italy for thousands of years and are a symbol of peace and wisdom.

Some olive trees in Italy are over 1,000 years old and still produce olives used to make olive oil!

The tall, slender Italian cypress is commonly found lining roads or framing buildings and is a classic symbol of the Italian landscape.

These trees can live for hundreds of years and are often planted near cemeteries due to their association with immortality.

Also known as the "umbrella pine" because of its distinctive shape, the stone pine is native to the Mediterranean region and is a common sight in Italy.

The seeds of the stone pine are edible and are known as pine nuts, which are a key ingredient in pesto.

Italian lavender is prized for its beautiful purple flowers and soothing fragrance, often used in essential oils and perfumes.

Lavender fields in Italy bloom in summer and attract a variety of pollinators, including bees and butterflies.

Despite its name, the strawberry tree doesn’t produce strawberries but small, round, red fruits that resemble them.

The fruits of the strawberry tree are edible and are often used to make jams in Italy.

The Apennine wolf is a subspecies of the gray wolf and is native to the mountainous regions of Italy, especially the Apennines.

The Italian Wolf is Italy's National Animal.

The European hedgehog is a common sight in Italian gardens and forests, where it hunts for insects, worms, and snails.

Hedgehogs curl up into a tight ball when threatened, using their spiky quills as a defense against predators.

The Alpine ibex is a wild mountain goat with large, curved horns that can grow up to a meter long! It’s native to the Italian Alps.

These nimble animals are incredible climbers, often seen scaling steep, rocky cliffs that seem almost vertical.

The Italian sparrow is a small bird found throughout Italy, often seen in towns and cities, chirping from rooftops and gardens.

Unlike many sparrows, the Italian sparrow has a unique combination of features from both the house sparrow and the Spanish sparrow, making it a distinct species.

The Marsican brown bear is a critically endangered subspecies of the brown bear, found only in the Abruzzo region of Italy.

There are fewer than 60 Marsican brown bears left in the wild, making them one of the rarest bear species in the world.

The golden eagle is one of the largest birds of prey in Italy and can often be seen soaring high above the mountains, searching for food.

With a wingspan of up to 2.3 meters (7.5 feet), the golden eagle is a powerful hunter, preying on mammals like rabbits and hares.