Calabria: Sila National Park on the road

Leave the motorway at the Cosenza Nord tollgate and continue along State Highway 107, which takes little time to turn east and climb the slopes of the Sila massif. Going up, Going up, you overlook a steep valley which in spring is coloured with broom and if you lower the window you can smell its fragrance. The first town you come to is Rovito, with its houses scattered up and down the hills and where, in 1844, the Bandiera brothers were executed along with other patriots. Off we go again. A little further south, you pass Spezzano della Sila, a village with a historic centre made up of narrow streets and paved stairways, and continue steeply uphill, following winding bends through a forest of pine and beech trees. The point of arrival for the night is close at hand: Camigliatello Silano, an excellent destination for winter sports and home to a literary park dedicated to the British writer Norman Douglas, who visited Calabria in the early 20th century and described his journey in his work Old Calabria.

Follow the diversions that leads to the Cecita artificial lake. The landscape changes and we are plunged into an almost Scandinavian atmosphere: the long, deep inlets formed by the lake are quite reminiscent of North European fjords.

When you reach the hamlet of Cupone, you can set off on a hike along a 3 km loop trail that starts and ends at the Forestry House and Park Visitor Centre and leads to the discovery of a botanical garden, a geological garden, an arboretum and enclosures that are home to wildlife species such as deer, roe deer, mouflon, fallow deer, wolves and eagle owls. Return to Camigliatello and take state highway 107 once more to the Giants of Sila State Nature Reserve, where you will be enchanted by the imposing varieties of laricio pine (the tallest measuring 43 metres), witnesses of the ancient 'silvia bruta', the forest that covered much of the Calabrian hinterland until the second half of the 19th century. Once back on the state highway, you reach the 1,050-metre altitude of San Giovanni in Fiore, the largest town in Sila, with its beautiful Florense Abbey. Commissioned by Abbot Gioacchino da Fiore, it was completed in 1230 but later remodelled in the 16th and 17th centuries. It is notable for its mixture of styles, ranging from Romanesque to Baroque. Along with the abbey, the Demological Museum, dedicated to the local work, traditions and popular culture, and the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie are worth a visit.

Back on the road. The first 15 kilometres are all twists and turns. All the way to Lake Ampollino, a perfect spot for a stop and a picnic. We continue towards Torre di Spineto and the slopes of Sila Piccola until the turning for the Gariglione Forest State Nature Reserve. It is best to look for parking and continue on foot to the Forestry Station, the starting point of the hike through the "fairy forest", with beeches, alders, pines and silver firs. We pick up the car and continue the journey on the road to Lake Arvo. Along this stretch of road, our eyes are filled with enchanting views dominated by Mount Botte Donato, the highest mountain in Sila. The road along the northern shore of Lake Arvo, at the points where it descends towards the water, also offers the possibility of stopping overnight. We have arrived in Lorica, home of the National Park and a tourist centre with a varied range of accommodation.

From Lorica we head off once more. Once in Rovale, we descend to Silvana Mansio, a small rural tourist centre. We go towards Luzzi crossing a plateau where pastureland alternates with pine forests, shrubs and small cultivated fields. At the San Marco pass, you can stop for a picnic with a view of the Sila Greca and then descend towards the Crati valley, with a detour to visit Sambucina abbey, so called because it preserves a fresco of the Madonna of the Sambuco inside.

There are only a few more scenic bends to go before arriving at the final stop on this motorhome tour: Luzzi is a typical inland Calabrian village, with houses cascading down the slopes of a hill.