Sila
To find the purest air in Europe one need not wander to highest reaches of the Alps or extreme northern Scandinavia. Rather, one need only head down to the far south of Italy, to a vast forested plateau deep in the interior of Calabria known as the Sila, the largest high altitude plain in Europe, with an average elevation of over 1,000 meters.
The Sila is split into three different sections: the northernmost Sila Greca toward the Greek ruins of Sibari, the central Sila Grande in the province of Cosenza, and the Sila Piccola in the province of Catanzaro. The Sila Grande, Sila Piccola and the Aspromonte (much further south toward Reggio Calabria) constitute the non-contiguous Parco Nazionale della Calabria.
Efforts are currently underway to expand the park, to connect the three sections so as to provide a continuous ecosystem. There have been several success stories in recent years, including that of park symbol, the wolf, which is making a comeback. The wolf's rise, however, has provoked significant controversy, as it is in Yellowstone National Park, USA: surrounding farms complain that the predator has already starting killing their livestock.
The Sila was for centuries exploited for its immense natural wealth. Logging was a major industry here, though the forest had a myriad of other riches: merchants used to travel traveled all the way from England to collect maple syrup, for example. Beginning with the Normans, with their long tradition of keeping royal forests, rulers of the land reaped profits from the territory, which remained in the hands of feudal landholders until the unity of Italy.
A few of these
landholders deserve profound thanks, those that
bequeathed their forests intact to the state - the park
may be said to have its origins in these donations. One
particularly important bequest was that of Fallistro and
its centuries-old giant pines, today a nature reserve.
Most of the rest of the forest is much younger, less
than one hundred years old. Like the forests of New
England, USA (which the Sila greatly resembles), after
extensive logging there was not much left of the
original forest by the late 19th century. Thanks to
conscientious planning and action of in particular local
enthusiasts, the forest was replanted and in 1968 the
National Park established: today the forest may not be
primordial but it certainly feels like it.
But is this really the Calabrian Yellowstone? A brave
description; certainly size-wise it cannot compare. But
visit the Sila when it is blanketed with snow or with the
first flowers of spring. Hear the birds' singing and
animals' scurrying, sounds naturally softened by the
enveloping wood. Walk through solemn stands of pine, passing
not a single sign of human habitation and scarcely viewing
any on the horizon... and the Sila begins to approximate the
sublime beauty, that otherworldliness of a time before man
that the great American park so elegantly represents.
A a day trip itinerary through the Sila is detailed, along with several hiking excursions and visits to the characteristic towns of Longobucco and S. Giovanni in Fiori.
Courtesy of Dolcevita
© 1997-2010 Enrico Massetti
TangoItalia - Food, Wine, Travel, and... tango in Italy.
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