Sila Park
Edited by:
Massimo Martini
Access
The Sila National Park can be reached from the Tyrrhenian side via the Mediterranean motorway, exiting at Cosenza (north or south), continuing towards Camigliatello Silano on the Silana-Crotonese state road ; this artery crosses the Sila plateau from west to east, linking Cosenza with Crotone and constituting the main access route to the park. The Ionian side can be accessed from the Jonica, near Crotone, by taking the westwards. The Park Authority headquarters are in Lorica, a hamlet of San Giovanni in Fiore (CS), on the shores of Lake Arvo, in Via Nazionale. The main centres of access and tourist services are Camigliatello Silano (north-western side), Lorica on Lake Arvo (centre of the park), Villaggio Mancuso (Sila Piccola) and Trepidò, on Lake Ampollino. The Cupone Visitor Centre is located near Lake Cecita, a few kilometres from Camigliatello Silano, and has nature trails, wildlife areas and a museum; the Antonio Garcea Visitor Centre is in Villaggio Mancuso. The main railway connection is the Tyrrhenian line (Naples-Reggio Calabria) with a station in Cosenza, from where one continues by road. The Treno della Sila train - with historic steam - seasonally connects Camigliatello Silano with San Nicola-Silvana Mansio through woods and tunnels. The reference airport is Lamezia Terme.
.Introduction
The Sila National Park extends across the heart of the Calabrian Sila plateau, in the provinces of Cosenza, Catanzaro and Crotone, covering an area of 736.95 km² spread over nineteen municipalities. Formally established by Law no. 344 of 8 October 1997, and with a park authority established by the Presidential Decree of 14 November 2002, published in the Gazzetta Ufficiale no. 63 of 17 March 2003, it succeeds the pre-existing Calabrian National Park (established in 1968) by incorporating and expanding the two original nuclei of Sila Grande and Sila Piccola, with the addition of a portion of Sila Greca. It is the Italian national park with the highest percentage of wooded area - about 81% of the total - consisting mainly of larch pine (Pinus nigra var. calabrica) and beech forests. The symbol of the park is the Apennine wolf (Canis lupus italicus), a species that was persecuted for centuries and removed from the list of harmful species in 1971. In 2014, the International Coordinating Council of the UNESCO MAB Programme inscribed Sila as the 10th Italian Biosphere Reserve in the MAB World Network.
Description
The Sila is an acrochorus - an elevated plateau with a roughly quadrilateral shape - oriented north-south, forming the largest mountain massif in Calabria. Its geological structure differs clearly from the rest of the Apennines: the central sector is formed by magmatic and metamorphic granite rocks of Hercynian (Palaeozoic) origin, around which more recent sedimentary formations extend. This granitic geology - unique in the southern Apennines - results in acidic soils and a characteristic landscape, with wide flat or gently undulating areas averaging more than 1,300 metres above sea level. The territory is divided into three geographical units: the Sila Grande to the north, with the highest peak at Mount Botte Donato (1,928 m) and vast larch pine forests; the Sila Piccola to the south, of a more metamorphic nature with Mount Gariglione (1,765 m) and important mixed forests of beech and silver fir; the Sila Greca in the north-eastern sector, with a prevalence of turkey oak and English oak forests at lower altitudes. From the summit of Mount Botte Donato, on clear days, the Tyrrhenian and Ionian Seas can be seen. The water system is exceptionally rich: Sila is Calabria's water reservoir, with the sources of Calabria's main rivers - Crati, Neto, Mucone and Savuto - and three artificial lakes within the park. Lake Cecita (built in 1951 on the Mucone, capacity 108 million m³, perimeter 46km) is the largest and is surrounded by dense forest; Lake Arvo (1927-1931, capacity 83 million m³, perimeter 24km), on whose shores Lorica lies, is the park's tourist heart; Lake Ampollino (1923-1927, capacity 67 million m³, perimeter 26km) touches the municipalities of four provinces. To these are added the smaller lakes Ariamacina - home to a natural oasis - and Passante.
The Silan laricio pine (Pinus nigra var. calabrica), an endemic species of the siliceous reliefs of the Calabrian Apennines and Etna, is the dominant species in the park and the most characteristic vegetation element: it occupies 43% of the wooded area with pure formations in the plains and in association with beech in the higher altitudes. It can reach heights of 50m and more; the pitch extracted from its resin was widely used in antiquity to waterproof the ships of the Roman fleet. The Nature Reserve "I Giganti della Sila", in the locality of Fallistro in the municipality of Spezzano della Sila, managed by the FAI (Fondo Ambiente Italiano), preserves 56 monumental trees - 50 larch pines and 5 sycamore maples about 350 years old - with heights of up to 43m and circumferences of up to 6m. About fifteen monumental beech and fir trees grow on Monte Gariglione. The beech (Fagus sylvatica) accounts for 35% of the wooded area and dominates at altitudes above 1,400-1,500m; in Sila Piccola, the mixed beech-fir (Abies alba) forests of Monte Gariglione and Monte Femminamorta are among the forest formations of greatest scientific value. The flora includes the wild orchid, primrose, red lily (Lilium bulbiferum), wild geranium and violet. The Cucujus haematodes beetle - a critically endangered species (Critically Endangered IUCN) - has the only viable population in Europe in Sila; Cucujus tulliae is likely to be a strictly Calabrian endemism.
The fauna counts 175 native vertebrate species. The Apennine wolf (Canis lupus italicus) is present with one of the largest packs in southern Italy, estimated at around thirty individuals. The wild cat (Felis silvestris) and the otter (Lutra lutra) occupy the most intact environments. The red deer (Cervus elaphus) - extinct in Sila at the beginning of the 20th century - has been successfully reintroduced; the Golia-Corvo Nature Reserve is home to around 150 specimens in a habitat area. The Italian roe deer (Capreolus capreolus italicus) is widespread throughout the area. The southern squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris meridionalis), a subspecies characterised by its black livery, is present in isolated populations. The nesting bird population exceeds 110 species; the diurnal birds of prey include the golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus), red kite (Milvus milvus) and the goshawk (Accus milvus);goshawk (Accipiter gentilis); the eagle owl (Bubo bubo) and the barn owl (Tyto alba) are the main nocturnal birds of prey. The black woodpecker (Dryocopus martius) frequents the mature larch pine forests. The Sila is a resting area during migrations on the Sicily-Messina Strait-Calabria route.
The Sila territory has been inhabited by man for thousands of years: the Gallopane Nature Reserve is home to the Cupone Visitor Centre with wildlife areas that house specimens of roe deer, red deer, fallow deer, wolf and mouflon for conservation purposes. The villages in the park preserve a rich historical and craft heritage: San Giovanni in Fiore is home to the Badia Florense, founded in 1200 by the monk Gioacchino da Fiore (1135-1202), a Calabrian theologian of European fame, with its famous "Museo Demologico" documenting the history and traditions of the plateau. Longobucco is renowned for silver work - with a centuries-old goldsmith tradition - and for the looms in operation in the Botteghe d'Arte Tessile Celestino (Celestino Textile Art Workshops). The Patata della Sila IGP, grown on the high-altitude plateaus, is the park's most representative gastronomic product. The historic steam train, the Treno della Sila, runs the Camigliatello Silano-Caprara route through forests and tunnels, and is one of the most scenic railway routes in Calabria.
Information
General Data
Typology: National Park; UNESCO MAB Biosphere Reserve (since 2014, 26th session of the International MAB Coordinating Council, Jönköping, Sweden)
Year of establishment: 1997 (Law 8 October 1997, no. 344); park authority: Presidential Decree 14 November 2002 (G.U. no. 63 of 17 March 2003); UNESCO MAB Biosphere Reserve: 2014
Managing body: Ente Parco Nazionale della Sila
Reference body: Ministero dell'Ambiente e della Sicurezza Energetica
Area: 736.95 km²
Minimum altitude: ~800m
Maximum altitude: 1.928m
Maximum elevation: 1,928m - Monte Botte Donato (Spezzano della Sila CS / San Giovanni in Fiore CS)
Region(s): Calabria
Provinces: Cosenza - Catanzaro - Crotone
Municipalities involved - Province of Cosenza (CS): Acri - Aprigliano - Bocchigliero - Casali del Manco - Celico - Corigliano Calabro - Longobucco - San Giovanni in Fiore - Spezzano della Sila
Municipalities concerned - Province of Catanzaro (CZ): Albi - Magisano - Petronà - Sersale - Taverna - Zagarise
Municipalities concerned - Crotone Province (KR): Cotronei - Mesoraca - Petilia Policastro - Savelli
Official website: https://www.parcosila.it