Guide to the Sila National Park: The Green and Wild Heart of Calabria.
The Sila National Park is one of Italy’s most fascinating protected areas. Officially created through the merger of the two historic sections of the former Calabria Park (established in 1968), this vast territory extends around Mount Pettinascura in the Sila Grande and Mount Gariglione in the Sila Piccola.
The Silano Plateau is famous for an extraordinary record: it boasts the largest forested area in all of southern Italy, a true “green lung” nestled among lakes, ancient forests, and time-honored traditions.
Artificial Lakes, Transhumance, and IGP Flavors
The landscape of the Sila is a perfect blend of the power of nature and traditional human activities:
- The Sila Lakes: Within the park are three of the plateau’s six reservoirs (including the famous Lake Cecita), enchanting bodies of water that seem to blend perfectly into the alpine landscape.
- Living Traditions: Throughout the park’s wide valleys, historic practices such as transhumance and summer grazing are still carried out today.
- Culinary Delights: Local agriculture is renowned throughout Italy, particularly for the cultivation of the famous and delicious Sila Potato (PGI).
Flora: From Giant Pines to the Legendary Forest of Fossiata
The park’s vegetation varies depending on the area, offering unique scenery:
- Sila Grande: This is the undisputed realm of pine and larch trees. Here you’ll also find the famous Giant Pines, natural monuments over a century old that are revered by visitors from all over the world.
- Sila Piccola: The elegant silver fir dominates here, while beech is widespread throughout the area thanks to ideal altitude and climate conditions.
- La Fossiata: A special mention goes to the legendary, millennia-old forest of La Fossiata (in the Sila Grande). In this fairy-tale forest, crystal-clear springs gush forth among alders, ferns, rushes, and daffodils, giving rise to the area’s three main rivers: the Cecita, the Lese, and the Neto.
Fauna: The Realm of the Wolf and the Lords of the Night
The dense network of forests in Sila Park provides a safe habitat for countless wild species, making it a perfect destination for wildlife enthusiasts.
The Rulers of the Sky: Majestic birds of prey, such as eagles and eagle owls, soar above the clearings, hunting in direct competition with agile predators like foxes, martens, and stone martens.
Large Predators: The Apennine wolf (the park’s historic symbol) and the shy wildcat are the undisputed kings of these woods.
Small mammals: When the sun goes down, dormice, hazel dormice, and oak mice roam undisturbed among the branches.
