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 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
(c) 1997-2008 E. Massetti
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