Winter tourism in Calabria

1. Skiing looking out to sea in the Aspromonte National Park
2. From the shoreline to 2000 meters above sea level in 45 minutes
3. Pollino National Park is the Italy’s largest nature reserve
4. Skiing, snowshoeing and sleddog in the Sila National Park
5. Calabria Parks Cycle route: 545 km of wonder

Calabria can be reached by plane via three airports. The main airport is the International Airport of Lamezia Terme, about 20 km from the city of Catanzaro and 2 km from the Lamezia Terme railway station. Smaller airports with domestic flights are the Airport of Reggio Calabria and the Airport of Crotone. Calabria is also easily accessible by car and fast trains from Naples, Rome, Bari, and Catania airports.

Calabria is the southernmost region of the Italian peninsula, the tip of the boot.

Calabria is especially well-known for its sea, which almost surrounds it, and its 800-kilometer coast. However, it’s always easy to reach the mountains from the coast in just a few kilometers, generating a radical change in perspective, from the climate to the landscape. Hills and mountains in the interior areas exhibit natural environments as varied as they are extraordinary, rocky formations that nature has carved for our eyes, vegetation that brings out all the shades of green, from the palest to the most intense, and a landscape that can be both harsh and wild and, at other times, welcoming and gently rolling. Calabria is home to three national parks (the Pollino National Park, the Sila National Park, and the Aspromonte National Park), one regional park, and hundreds of special protection areas. Each of these areas preserves its biodiversity and typicality.

Pollino National Park

To the north of Calabria is the Pollino National Park, Italy’s largest nature reserve area, symbolized by the Pino Loricato. The park covers two regions, Calabria and Basilicata. The Calabrian side includes several charming villages. Since 2015, the Pollino National Park has been recognized by UNESCO as a “UNESCO Global Geopark”, thanks to its internationally important geological landscapes and numerous sites of considerable interest, including glacial cirques, peculiar rock formations, prehistoric caves such as the Romito Cave, gorges, and karst plateaus.

Cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, trekking, Nordic walking, mountain biking, and e-bikes, are just some of the main outdoor tourism activities the Pollino National Park can offer and propose during the winter season.

Sila National Park

Between the provinces of Cosenza and Catanzaro lies the Sila National Park.

On arriving from Cosenza, Sila immediately surprises us with the attractive mountain village Camigliatello Silano, geared to hospitality and well-equipped for mountain tourism with plenty of tourist accommodation. There’s a modern ski lift, ideal for snow sports enthusiasts, at the foot of the uplands not too far away. The village is the start for various types of trips for all tastes inside the Park.

First of all, a tour of the lakes - from Lake Cecita to Lake Arvo across The suggestive tourist resort of Lorica. Then there is the little Lake Ariamacina, the large Lake Ampollino, and Lake Passante near to which you can have a quiet winter walk.

Other places include the Centro Visita Cupone (Cupone Visitors’ Centre), near Lake Cecita, the Centro Visita Garcea (Garcea Visitors’ Centre), adjacent to Villaggio Mancuso, a tourist center in Catanzaro province made characteristic by its traditional wooden houses built among the Laricio Pines, and the beautiful reserve of centuries-old Laricio pines named I Giganti di Fallistro (the Fallistro giants), a residual forest with majestic specimens of trees up to 45 meters tall.

The steam train is so suggestive and shuttles between Moccone station and San Nicola, close to the tourist resort of Silvana Mansio, with its fairytale-like wooden houses.

Aspromonte National Park

In the southernmost part of Calabria, in the province of Reggio Calabria, lies the Aspromonte National Park.

This park also became part of the UNESCO World Network of Geoparks, in 2021.

Among this area's most important geological features are the so-called “Great Stones”, one of which is Pietra Cappa (one of the giant monoliths in Europe that reaches 140 meters high).

The conformation of Aspromonte, between the Ionian and the Tyrrhenian Seas, means that in just a few minutes you can go from the sea to its highest peaks, like Gambarie, with the tourist resort of the same name with a well-equipped ski resort and a modern ski-lift. The road from Reggio Calabria to Gambarie di Aspromonte in less than forty minutes is one of the most scenic in the region. From here it is possible to ski looking out to sea, embracing the Strait of Messina with the majesty of Mount Etna and the archipelago of the Aeolian Islands as a backdrop.

Serre Regional Natural Park

The Serre Regional Nature Park features vast forests and the center of Serra San Bruno.

St Bruno of Cologne came here in retreat and founded the first Carthusian monastery in Italy at the end of the 11th century, well-known as Certosa of Serra San Bruno, inhabited by Carthusian monks who live in their spiritual dimension, isolated from the world.

The Serre landscape features the Lake Angitola oasis, which is recognized as a wetland of international value. Furthermore, the landscape is characterized by slopes and hillsides covered by vast expanses of forest that constitute some of the most important forest complexes in the region. In the lower areas is located the Mediterranean maquis; the beech and fir woods cover all the major elevations up to the summit, in a sector of rare beauty due to the imposing tree stand, the wealth of fauna, and the presence of numerous streams.

The dense woods of the Serre are home to the last charcoal burners which produce coal in the same way as hundreds of years ago using a process that has almost become a ritual.

Calabria Parks Cycle route: 545 km of wonder

The Calabria Parks Cycle Route is a route for nature and sports lovers, which crosses cycling the splendor of 3 National Parks and 1 Regional Park, in addition to the numerous Protected Areas along the way, each with its peculiarities of flora and fauna.

The route crosses the Calabria region on the Apennine ridge for an area of ​​about 350,000 hectares, with a landscape heritage that combines the biodiversity of the territory and local endemisms with breathtaking views, overlooking the sea, and the charm of the ancient inhabited still in the mountain.

During the winter season, snow can occur on the hills. However, the roads are passable and the reception facilities are functional. For those who are not afraid of low temperatures on the pedals, the Ciclovia can therefore also be crossed in this season.

Find out more: calabriastraordinaria.it/en