Calabria. Sila Park

A day of adventure in the green. This is the one you spend in the saddle exploring the Sila plateau because it is not simply about visiting an uncontaminated forest full of Mediterranean scrub and tall trees, including the characteristic beech and larch pine, but it is about the search for sensations and emotions. The route is the classic ring that starts in Camigliatello Silano and allows you to reach a special point that is worth at least half the effort made on the pedals: Botte Donato. But let's go in order. First you take advantage of some disused railway tracks, reach springs and the Christ pass of Monte Scuro, a privileged observation point on the plateau and Lake Cecita. Then the three highest mountains in Calabria are tackled: here, in summer, herds of cattle can be encountered at the mountain pasture and the typical huts of the vaccari (cowherds) echo among the details of the route. This adventure in the Sila National Park, a Unesco biosphere reserve, continues as far as Botte Donato, an excellent vantage point on the tour to admire the Tyrrhenian and Ionian Seas, and with favourable weather conditions, as far as Mount Etna and the Aeolian Islands. Along the route to be followed to return to the starting point, small villages are encountered, while along the asphalted stretches the traffic is minimal, almost non-existent, except for other keen walkers or cyclists. One recommendation: leave well equipped to cope with unexpected events such as breakdowns and punctures.