In Ortona dei Marsi, over 1,000 metres up in Italy’s Apennine mountains, fewer than 400 people live across ten settlements. Their closest neighbours are wolves, bears, and deer – it's always been that way.
It's not a rare sight for locals to spot a wolf right outside their window, a bear climbing on their chicken coop roof, and a deer peeking out at the end of the street.
On 30 April, the municipality officially named one of the town’s districts, Aschi, the Town of Wolves. “Wolves are part of our history, of the emotions and fears we keep in our childhood memories. They are part of our identity and cultural landscape,” mayor Giuseppe Buccella told us. “It is a gesture of respect, belonging, and heritage.”
The timing was no coincidence. Earlier in April, 23 wolves were found dead across the national park in which Ortona dei Marsi lies, some within 15 minutes away from the town. Analyses confirmed they were poisoned, likely with pesticides. Investigations are focusing on nearby farms.
The episode shocked the local community. “We feel outrage and grief,” Buccella told us. “This incident forces us to reflect on the challenges of our territory. We need real solutions to coexist with wildlife, to find an equilibrium between protecting human activities and safeguarding animals.”
Living alongside wolves, wild boars, and bears does create real problems for residents and farmers. In Italy, wolves kill an average of 8,742 farmed animals a year, and in Abruzzo, the region where the poisonings took place, the annual figure is 97.
That struggle is felt across Europe. Last year, EU institutions agreed to change wolves’ status from “strictly protected” to “protected”, granting member states more freedom to manage their wolf population.
However, de-protecting is not a solution, as NGOs argue that wolves are a sign of healthy ecosystems. While the European population has been growing over the last couple of years, it remains endangered.
213 associations have advocated for more effective measures, such as better livestock management and compensation schemes for farmers. An EU-backed project in Grosseto, for example, saw 50% fewer animals killed after installing fences and guard dogs.
During my visit to the Town of Wolves, I met Antonietta, who returned to her home town after years in a bigger city. She told me about how common it is to spot wolves in the hills surrounding the town and showed me pictures of bear cubs strolling near her house at night.
She recalled a scarier experience, too, when she got in a bear's way as it went for her chickens. But does she fear local wildlife? “No, coexistence is beautiful,” she said. “There’s enough space for everyone.”