Sila, is one of the most beautiful area of Calabria: it's a granitic plateau, where there aren't high summits, but there are mountains, hills, lakes, torrents, ventilated rivers valleys covered with large and luxuriant emerald green grasslands, under a sky sometimes grey gloomy, sometimes blue clear.
With scenes of the Far West, you can find nature in it's virgin state untouched by man with it's colours, perfumes and enchantments.
Within the forests you can encounter deer, roebuck, fallow deer, fox, martens, wild boars and the famous wolf of the Sila.
On the plateau there are a variety of trees like pines, oaks, firs, alders, poplars, beech, ferns, but the king of the Sila is Pine called "Pinus Laricio".
The trunk of this tree is straight and can reach 50 metres in hieght. This kind of tree is typical in this region and therefore is called "Pino Silano".
Geographically Sila is part of the Calabria Apennine and stretches for nearly 1.500 kmq with an average altitude of 1.200 metres. A large part is mostly National Park.
Sila is a 2500 year old forest called "Silva" from Greeks and Romans, from which derives the name "Sila".
Only after the kingdom of Italy constitution Sila was divided in 3 portions:
"Big Sila", "Little Sila" and "Greek Sila".
In the pasted Sila produced resin, called "pece brutia", and the logs of the "pinus laricio" was mostly requested to build the Greek and Roman boats.
Between these mountains, by dispensation of Pope Clement III, lived a hermit, Gioacchino da Fiore, a famous Cistercian preacher born in Celico (CS), whom Dante named "of prophetical spirit endow".
In the 1950's came the exploitation of Sila. "Cecita", "Arvo" and "Ampollino" lakes were created perfectly inserted in this environment that it's difficult to believe they are artificial.
The economy of Sila is mostly agricultural in spite of the tourism development. Virgilio, who wrote "pascitur in Magna Sila buxom iuvenca", testifies its traditions.
Sila, magnificent and rich of mystery, mild and wild , preserving its charm and in spite of the numerous roads, you can admire suggestive itineraries to run through Sila with the historical coal train, on foot, by horse, by bike or in the winter to practise the
cross-country or downhill skiing.
There are many way to get to Sila: from the North through the highway 109; fromthe South trough the highway 179, but the best way is through Cosenza with the highway 107, that covers the plateau in breath so you arrive in the heart of the "Big Sila" at the famous tourist country Camigliatello Silano.