Taverna

Orange Flag of the Italian Touring Club

A perfect mix of nature, art and culture makes Taverna one of the most important tourist destinations in Calabria. On the slopes of the Sila Piccola, in the Sila Piccola National Park, this town surrounded by greenery enjoys a considerable natural and environmental heritage, with several mountain villages in the midst of forests, ideal starting points for excursions and outdoor activities.

The 'Monaco - Antonio Garcea' Visitor Centre is located in the hamlet of Villaggio Mancuso, among imposing larch pine woods. It is a biodiversity oasis and multifunctional complex with museums, educational areas, workshops and a conference hall, with spaces and paths, available for a wide range of users, allowing accessibility and enjoyment of the natural environment also for visitors with motor disabilities (e.g. a path for the visually impaired and blind, descriptive tables in Braille, possibility of excursions by Joelette).

With regard to the cultural aspect, the prime attractions are the works of Mattia Preti, also known as the Cavaliere Calabrese, one of the greatest Italian painters of the 17th century, who was born in Taverna.

His paintings are located in different places around the town, in a sort of 'scattered museum': they can be found in the Municipal Museum; in the Church of San Domenico, richly decorated with stuccoes and frescoes; and in the Baroque Church of Santa Barbara. There is also an open-air Museum of Contemporary Art and the Vie della Poesia (Streets of Poetry), with the verses of authors such as Alda Merini engraved on terracotta and scattered around the streets of the town.

The area's typical products include the PGI Sila potato, Pane della Sila and Caciocavallo Silano, a cheese of ancient origin, particularly nutritious, with its unmistakeable pear or flask shape.