parco

Parco is an Italian term that designates a park or a public green space. In everyday use, a parco is a place for recreation and leisure, often featuring lawns, trees, paths, benches, and sometimes playgrounds, sports facilities, or visitor centers. The word covers a wide range of park types, from urban parks within cities to regional reserves and protected natural areas. The plural form is parchi.

Parco also functions as a proper noun in toponymy. It appears in the names of neighborhoods, administrative districts, and geographic features in Italy and in communities with Italian heritage. In many cases, park areas or protected spaces are named using parco as part of a longer designation, such as Parco Nazionale or Parco Regionale, analogues to national or regional parks.

Parco is also used as a surname. As a family name, it occurs among Italian-speaking populations and their descendants, and individuals bearing the name may be found in various fields and professions. The term remains closely tied to the concept of outdoor public space in both language and culture.

See also: Park; Parque; Parc.