TENT's new film The Wolf Within is a timely call to protect Europe's wolves.
If you had to pick one spot in Europe to look for wolves – to understand their ecology, their history, to experience the landscapes they regulate – experts would choose Abruzzo. In the Apennine mountains, sun-strewn peaks frame cascading, forested valleys, where ridgelines are coated in a rich blanket of beechwood. Thriving ecosystems here are still regulated by apex predators, creating a mosaic of highly biodiverse forests, grasslands, valleys and river systems. With healthy populations of iconic species such as the Marsican brown bear, chamois, wild boar, golden eagles, griffon vultures and more, nature in Abruzzo is vibrant and alive. Here, in the wild heart of Italy, the world’s most captivating social predator makes its home.
In follow up to the documentary, The Wolf Within, TENT has worked with Italy’s leading wildlife guides and wolf ecologists to create two immersive 4-night experiences, allowing you to connect with the wild and meaningfully contribute to the conservation of the Apennine wolf.
Guided by experts, you will have the best chance of observing wolves, which often requires patience and local knowledge. As you attune to the natural rhythms of Abruzzo – under the azure skies of Autumn, or in the vitalizing aura of Winter – you will become alive to nature’s details: the sounds of woodpeckers drilling tree trunks; the shrieks of golden eagles above; scratch-marks left by the claws of Marsican bears in the bark of beech trees. Each evening we return to the comfort of your family-run hotel for authentic Italian food, wine, rest and relaxation, ready for tomorrow’s adventure.
A part of Italy’s native flora, wolves are forever immortalised in the nation’s history, depicted nurturing the infant Romulus and Remus to health in the origin story of the Roman Empire. But like much of Europe, across the 18th and 19th centuries, Italian wolves were intensely persecuted; their numbers plummeting to less than 100 in the 1970s. Here in the Abruzzo region, wolves found refuge in the cradle of the remote Apennines. Thanks to legal protections, Italy’s wolf populations have recovered to more than 3,500 today. Wolves seen today in the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park are the direct descendants of the original survivors that eluded waves of persecutions. Here they never became extinct, taking cover in the dense forests and alpine meadows of the Apennine mountains.
“In the gaze of the wolf, lies a connection to something deeper than ourselves. A calling, to The Wolf Within”
This immersive experience offers the best chance of seeing wild wolves in Europe. In the pristine air of the Apennines, you’ll be guided by Italy’s best wildlife guides, tracking iconic species in the crisp, fresh snow. In the silence of winter, you’ll understand how the wolf interacts with and regulates the ecosystem, seeing first hand the complex ecological relationships that govern natural cycles in Italy’s most beautiful natural region. Snow shoe at dawn looking for signs of the wolf; immerse yourself in the healthy forests; feel the surge of biodiversity that wolves sustain; and return to a warming log fire, for a glass of wine and artisanal, home-cooked foods.
4 nights half-board at Albergo Villino Quintiliani
Binoculars, headlamps, spotting scopes during the hikes
Transfer from Rome-FCO to Pescasseroli
All local transportation
*For self paid lunches we will enjoy several authentic restaurants in the charming village of Pescasseroli.
Alcohol, personal extras and International Travel Insurance are not included. A single room supplement of £400 will apply for individual guests.
Expertly guided wolf observation throughout
Snow-shoeing experience
Dawn Apennine chamois observation experience
Silent, ecological walks in old-growth forests
Visit to Apennine wolf museum
Community coexistence learning
Listening for wolf howls at dusk
*Programmes are designed with optimal chances of observing wolves safely from a distance, often requiring patience. With this in mind, we recommend this activity to be appropriate for adults and young adults of ages 14+
The remote forests of the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park are full of nature’s gifts, waiting to be uncovered. This 5-night, immersive experience offers unparalleled chances of seeing wolves, bears, chamois, deer, wild boar, raptors, and much more. Your expert guides have curated the perfect itinerary, visiting the most beautiful spots in Abruzzo with the highest chances of seeing keystone species. Featuring a night’s stay in the stunning Terraegna Mountain Refuge, you’ll look and listen for wolves at dusk and dawn in the remote mountains; watch the forests come to life with the sun; and understand the history of coexistence that has underscored Italy’s foremost conservation success.
4 nights half-board at Albergo Villino Quintiliani
1 night at Terraegna Mountain Refuge
Binoculars, headlamps, spotting scopes during the hikes
Transfer from Rome-FCO to Pescasseroli
All local transportation
*For self paid lunches we will enjoy several authentic restaurants in the charming village of Pescasseroli.
Alcohol, personal extras and International Travel Insurance are not included. A single room supplement of £400 will apply for individual guests.
Expertly guided wolf observation throughout
Sunrise wolf and bear observation experiences
Overnight excursion to Terraegna Mountain Refuge
Silent, ecological walks in old-growth forests
Visit to Apennine wolf museum
Visit to Bear Smart Community to learn of coexistence practices with apex predators
Listening for wolf howls at dusk
*Programmes are designed with optimal chances of observing wolves safely from a distance, often requiring patience. With this in mind, we recommend this activity to be appropriate for adults and young adults of ages 14+
The premium rated, family run Albergo Vilino Quintiliani sits close to the centre of the charming village of Pescasseroli, allowing you to unwind in comfort after days in the wild. After our activities, we will return to the comfort of the hotel for delicious, authentic Italian food, sharing stories of nature, with downtime in the perfect setting.
For those choosing the Autumn experience, you’ll have the chance to hike or drive to the remote mountain refuge – a former transhumance shepherding refuge, uniquely renovated as a beautiful retreat for wildlife lovers. Set in bear and wolf country, a dawn chorus of the wolf’s howl will welcome the days’ sun, as you set off with your binoculars and spotting scope.
Included in the trip’s price is a significant contribution at 35% of the trip's total cost, direct to Italy’s leading wolf-focused NGO, Io Non Ho Paura Del Lupo. By looking for wild Apennine wolves, you’ll be directly supporting their work to improve coexistence between wolves and humans. The European Nature Trust offers all proceeds from these trips directly to conservation.
Io Non Ho Paura Del Lupo works to improve coexistence between the wolf and humans. They deliver communication campaigns that improve understanding of the wolf’s ecological role and how to live effectively alongside the species, as well as tangible interventions that mitigate conflict with shepherd communities. By working with local shepherds in the Apennine and Alpine regions of Italy, INHPL are enhancing predator-friendly livestock breeding practices; promoting the dissemination and adoption of preventative wolf-damage measures in farms and livestock-rearing activities; engaging the community with meaningful citizen science research programmes; and monitoring the ecology of Italy's wolf populations through field-based
Key actions: Conflict Mitigation, Wolf Monitoring and Research, Communication Campaigns, Youth and Adult Education, Coexistence Funding, Livestock Protection.
The Wolf Within Coexistence Adventures have been devised in partnership with Wildlife Adventures – Italy's leading sustainable ecotourism company.
Coexistence Adventures will be guided by a team of rangers and expert guides from Wildlife Adventures, along with wolf experts at Io Non Ho Paura Del Lupo. The Winter Wolf Adventure will also be led by Paul Lister, environmentalist and Founder of The European Nature Trust.
Founder
The European Nature Trust
Founder & Guide
Wildlife Adventures
Wolf biologist
Vice President, Io Non Ho Paura Del Lupo
TENT's new film The Wolf Within is a timely call to protect Europe's wolves.
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