Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
PARCO NAZIONALE DEL POLLINO
Italy's largest national park, the
Parco Nazionale del Pollino
(Pollino National Park;
www.parcopollino.it
)
,
straddles Basilicata and Calabria and covers 1960 sq km. It acts like a rocky curtain separating the region from
the rest of Italy and has the richest repository of flora and fauna in the south.
The park's most spectacular areas are
Monte Pollino
(2248m),
Monti di Orsomarso
(1987m) and the canyon
of the
Gole del Raganello
. The mountains, often snowbound, are blanketed by forests of oak, alder, maple,
beech, pine and fir. The park is most famous for its ancient
pino loricato
trees, which can only be found here and
in the Balkans. The oldest specimens reach 40m in height.
The park has a varied landscape, from deep river canyons to alpine meadows, and is home to rare stocks of roe
deer, wild cats, wolves, birds of prey (including the golden eagle and Egyptian vulture) and the endangered otters,
Lutra lutra
.
Good hiking maps are scarce.
The Carta Excursionistica del Pollino Lucano
(scale 1:50,000), produced by the
Basilicata tourist board, is a useful driving map. The large-scale
Parco Nazionale del Pollino
map shows all the
main routes and includes some useful information on the park, its flora and fauna and the park communities. Both
maps are free and can be found in local tourist offices. You'll need your own vehicle to visit the Pollino.
Basilicata
In Basilicata the park's main centre is
Rotonda
(elevation 626m), which houses the official park office,
Ente
Parco Nazionale del Pollino
( 0973 66 93 11; Via delle Frecce Tricolori 6; 8am-2pm Mon-Fri, plus
3-5.30pm Mon & Wed). Interesting villages to explore include the unique Albanian villages of
San Paolo Al-
banese
and
San Costantino Albanese
. These isolated and unspoilt communities fiercely maintain their mountain
culture and the Greek liturgy is retained in the main churches. For local handicrafts visit
Terranova di Pollino
for wooden crafts,
Latronico
for alabaster, and
Sant'Arcangelo
for wrought iron.
Asklepios
( 347 2631462, 0973 66 92 90;
www.asklepios.it
;
Contrada Barone 9; s/d €30/50) has basic ac-
commodation but is the place to stay for walkers as it's run by an English-speaking guide Giuseppe Cosenza who
can also arrange mountain-biking and rafting trips. Otherwise, the chalet-style
Picchio Nero
( 0973 9 31 70;
www.picchionero.com
; Via Mulino 1; s/d incl breakfast €60/73; ) in Terranova di Pollino, with its Austrian-
style wooden balconies and recommended restaurant, is a popular hotel for hikers; it's family-run, cosy and
friendly, has a small garden and can help arrange excursions.
Two highly recommended restaurants include
Luna Rossa
( 0973 9 32 54; Via Marconi 18; meals €35;
Thu-Tue) in Terranova di Pollino, where creative local specialities are rustled up simply and with real flair in a
rustic wood-panelled building providing breathtaking views, and
Da Peppe
( 0973 66 12 51; Corso Garibaldi
13; meals €25-35; lunch & dinner Tue-Sun) in Rotonda, which uses wonderful local meat and woodland
products such as truffles and mushrooms.
Calabria
Civita
was founded by Albanian refugees in 1746. Other towns worth visiting are
Castrovillari
, with its well-
preserved 15th-century Aragonese castle, and
Morano Calabro
- look up the beautiful MC Escher woodcut of
this town. Naturalists should also check out the wildlife museum
Centro Il Nibbio
(
0981 3 07 45; Vico II
Annunziata 11; admission €4;
10am-1pm & 4-8pm summer, 10am-1pm & 3-6pm winter) in Morano, which
explains the Pollino ecosystem.
White-water rafting down the spectacular Lao river is popular in the Calabrian Pollino.
Centro Lao Action
Raft
( 0985 2 14 76;
www.laoraft.com
; Via Lauro 10/12) in Scalea can arrange rafting trips as well as canyon-
ing, trekking and mountain-biking trips. Ferula Viaggi in Matera runs mountain-bike excursions and treks into the
Pollino. For guided trips in Calabria visit
www.guidapollino.it
.
