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The present paper reports a socio-acoustic survey carried out in three large urban parks in Rome, selected on the basis of the outcome of a preliminary online survey. According to the experimental protocol applied in a previous study carried out in Milan and Naples, binaural recordings in 85 sites and interviews with 266 users of the three parks were performed only during the day in summertime. On the basis of selected acoustical descriptors, the sonic environment of the three parks was categorized and, thanks to statistical analysis, three clusters were identified. The results confirm that the sound environment in urban parks is often considered as "good" or "excellent" even if the sound pressure level is nearly always higher than the limits commonly used to define quiet areas. This is due to the influence of other factors, such as the presence of trees, natural features, and the tranquility; all of these components cannot be neglected in the assessment of the soundscape because they directly affect the psychological state of the person.

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Urban parks play an important role in preserving and promoting the health of citizens who are often exposed to noise pollution and the stress of daily life. The present study describes the main results obtained from a survey performed in five urban parks in Milan. Measurements of the acoustic environment were carried out in 29 sites together with interviews with 231 users on certain aspects of the parks not limited to merely sound. Acoustic data show that the surveyed parks mostly do not comply with the noise limit issued by the Italian legislation on protected areas. The unweighted 1/3-octave spectrum centre of gravity G and LA50 perform satisfactorily in discriminating among the acoustic environments. Such clear distinction was not observed in the subjective ratings on the perceived quality of the soundscape, likely due to the influence by non-acoustic factors that act as mediators in the assessment. This hypothesis is supported by the collected data on the perceived quality of quietness, which was rated worse than that of the soundscape. Comparing acoustic data with ratings, the perceived quality of the total environment was found to be less dependent on LAeq than soundscape and quietness.