Sila National Park - The Land of Calabrian Giants

Once upon a time there was an imaginary land of giants, goblins, dragons and princesses. Children listened with open mouths to stories of these fanciful creatures, fascinated, their imaginations running wild. Many adults think they are too grown up for fairy tales, but a walk through the enchanted forests of the Sila National Park may change their minds.

The Sila National Park was created in 2002 to protect an area that included the National Park of Calabria, the Fallistro Nature Reserve and parts of the Sila Valley totalling 73,695 hectares. The park includes some of Italy's most scenic landscapes with stretches of forest and wide plateaus, and since the park stretches from Cosenza to Catanzaro, you can also enjoy views of both the Ionian and Tyrrhenian sea.

A canopy of oak, ash, maple, and chestnut trees casts moving shadows on the forest floors, branches reaching to the sky giving shelter to the wildlife underneath. But the real stars of the park are without doubt, the giants. In this case not the giants of fairy stories, but the giant larch pine trees. Found in the magical Fallistro Nature Reserve, the trees tower up to 40 metres, the trunks resembling marble columns of a temple, covered with leaves in every shade of green that you can imagine.

Sadly many were destroyed in the past as their wood was harvested, but the remaining 56 pine trees and adjoining giant maples will give you an idea of the majesty of the primeval forests of the Sila region. Now the area is protected and a replanting programme is in place to ensure the future of the remaining giant trees.

For anyone visiting Calabria, this is a great place to enjoy the outdoors, whether you enjoy hiking, mountain biking, bird watching, orienteering or sailing.
But for those who want to experience the magic, just walk quietly on tiptoe to not disturb the sleeping giants. But don't be afraid as you are more likely to meet black squirrels than goblins...