This national park occupying over 70 000ha between the Umbria and the Marche is a nature lovers' paradise. Wolves, wildcats, chamois and stags live here, alongside goshawks, sparrow hawks and peregrine falcons. Legend has it that Lake Pilato is the final resting place of Pontius Pilate. Could that be why it is the only place in the world where Chirocephalus Marchesonii, a minuscule crustacean which lends the water its reddish tinge, is to be found? Stop off in the villages to taste specialities such as the renowned tartufo di Norcia.