Parco Nazionale della Sila

The Sila National Park protects a broad, forested plateau in Calabria, across the provinces of Cosenza, Catanzaro and Crotone. Laricio pine woods, highland lakes and open uplands shape the landscape of its three sectors: Sila Grande, Sila Greca and Sila Piccola.

Why it matters

The park covers 73,695 hectares in nineteen municipalities. Woodlands cover roughly four-fifths of the protected area, with Calabrian black pine among its characteristic trees. The Sila also forms the core and buffer zone of the UNESCO Sila Man and the Biosphere reserve.

What to notice

In the Fallistro nature reserve, the monumental laricio pines known as the Giganti della Sila stand among the plateau's oldest trees. Six artificial lakes lie within the park: Cecita, Arvo, Ampollino, Ariamacina, Passante and Votturino. Wildlife includes the Sila wolf, the park's emblem, as well as deer, otters and a wide range of birds. Monte Botte Donato reaches 1,928 metres in Sila Grande; Monte Gariglione, in Sila Piccola, reaches 1,764 metres.

Context and history

Proposals to protect the Sila date to the early twentieth century. A national park in Calabria was established in 1968; the present Parco Nazionale della Sila was created by law in 1997 and definitively established by decree in 2002. The modern park incorporated the earlier protected area. It sits within a wider network of Natura 2000 sites and the UNESCO biosphere reserve.