“Cwhat do you do when you are out there in nature? What are you doing? You live“: is one of the most famous phrases from the film Into the Wild – Into the Wild Lands. And if the protagonist of the book by Jon Krakauer was lost in Alaska, in Pollino National Park in Calabriayou feel the same feeling of freedom.
Here, an extraordinary and unexpected natural landscape encourages a direct dialogue with nature, without filters, and the dominant sensation and desire become those of “letting go”, fully savoring the spectacle in front of you. And from 2021, one will take care of promoting and giving new life to this unique area special tourist hub, Stackcapable of enclosing different souls in one place: a cutting-edge architectural projecta visitor centerone food shopan aerial refreshmentone bookshelfan educational exhibition space, an event center to support the territory, a bike point. The starting point to discover one of the lesser-known destinations in Calabria.
In Calabria… into the Wild
«THEPollino is a naturalistic paradise among the least anthropized in Italy, thelargest protected mountain area in the countryover 192 thousand hectares, is among the largest in Europe. Here there are panoramic paths that take your breath away. You can reach peaks from which the view ranges from the Ionian to the Tyrrhenian. There are the cycle routes which pass through the most evocative scenery of the Park. The rivers with the dizzying canyons make this area the ideal destination for those who want to do rafting And canyoning. The Pollino National Park is a unique, wild, raw territory.” Calabria possesses hidden wealth, as told by the group of Catasta founders: Giovanni Gagliardi, Donato Sabatella, Sergio Senatore and Manuela Laiacona; a synergistic team that provides different skills, there are those who deal with communication, those with the organization of events, those who specialize in the green economy and those in the agri-food sector.
And if a New York Times article included the Michelino beach (in Parghelia, in the province of Vibo Valentia) among the hundred most beautiful places on our peninsula, and if other authoritative foreign publications and many glossy “instagrammed” social networks have recently sparked interest in the beaches of one of the most reserved regions of Southern Italy, it must be recognized that theCalabrian hinterlandits villages and its natural landscape, still remain shrouded in mystery for large-scale tourism.
Few people know, for example, that the Pollino area: «it has the highest peaks in the Southboasts dtwo ancient beech forests, a UNESCO World Heritage Siteha 69 UNESCO geosites representative of the extraordinary geodiversity… In this context, in which Mother Nature still reigns supreme, live the last specimens of Lupus Italicusgenetically pure, griffins, golden eagles, deer, roe deer and otters. The faunal heritage is very rich, as is the botanical and medicinal heritage” as the Catasta team explains.
Calabria, 365 days a year
Ready to enter Pollino National Park? We start from an imposing and evocative entrance door, which leaves us speechless right from the beginning of the journey. Located in Morano Calabroa few meters from the Campotenese junction, in a central position within the mountain landscape. Stack is a open space of 620 m2surrounded by 10 thousand square meters of garden with over forty botanical species, the result of a cutting-edge architectural project signed by the star architect Mario Cucinellaan external geometric “triangle” shape, with curved internal lines that recall the woodpiles of mountain dwellers. And wood is the protagonist material, with tree trunks covering the entire facade.
In Calabria, a truly special “Catasta”.
A hub, a visitor center, a new tourist reception format. «We are a cooperative social enterprise. We develop cultural and tourism projects linked to the territories in which we operate, following a system logic we activate territorial networks and involve the local community. We implement initiatives and services with the aim of supporting growth and relaunching the local economy. We manage the tourist hub of the Pollino National Park in Campotenese, organizing information, reception services and promotion and valorisation activities of the Park. We are also a bike point on the Ciclovia dei Parchi. We have made Catasta a mountain cultural center, a place for sharing, a networking space, a laboratory for social growth.”
Culture, nature, good food. The keywords of Catasta. Inside there is a shop, a bookshop, a refreshment point, an exhibition space. «The Pollino is a playground for foodies. It is an agro-pastoral district that offers a very varied basket, including many Dop, Igp, Pat products and dishes with a strong identity that are an expression of gastronomic customs from the past that are still alive and handed down, and then there is the culinary repertoire of the Arbereshe villages”.
And thanks to a rich calendar of events and activities, the Pollino National Park becomes a tourist destination to be enjoyed all year round. «Events are of great importance for us, for the value of the synergies activated, for what they give back to the territory in terms of promotion, visibility, use and involvement. With Pollino Bike Festival we promote cycle tourism and encourage a healthy, sustainable way of traveling and learning about the territories. Pollino Cocktail Camp it is the national project carried out together with the Ethnobotanical Conservatory of Castelluccio Superiore which allows us to turn the spotlight on a very important asset of the Park, its botanical and medicinal biodiversity. Pollino Truffles and Mushroomswe have consolidated it as a network project by calling on tourist operators, mycologists, associations of quarrymen, mushroom growers and producers to collaborate, designed to promote the mycological biodiversity of the Park and to enhance the vocation of the Pollino for the search and extraction of truffles. Then there is Pollino Sybarisa sustainable tourism project dedicated to gentle and slow mobility that unites the Pollino with Sibari and the Tyrrhenian coast, supported by the Fondazione con il Sud and Finanza Etica”.
A very precious black truffle
Few people know it but this is also: «land of mushrooms and truffles. The Pollino is, in fact, among the areas recognized by UNESCO for the Intangible Heritage of Humanity “Truffle Search and Excavation”. An additional delicious reason to visit this Calabrian mountain landscape even in the cold season.
So what to do on a winter weekend in the Pollino National Park area? «A day should definitely be dedicated to trekkingperhaps participating in the Truffle Experiencethe exciting search for truffles together with the miners and their dogs, or the trekking dedicated to mushrooms led by mycologists to discover and learn more about mycological biodiversity. The Park also lends itself to being explored on two wheels. A day on the bike along the Parks Cycle Route, along the cycle/pedestrian path on the ancient railway line that crosses the Campotenese plateau between fields, groves and farms, or cycling in the beech forest towards Novacco skirting the spectacular UNESCO Geosite of Masistro, it is certainly a unique experience to have. Those who love to have fun in nature can also plan a stop at adventure parks. If it snows, there are outdoor activities to do snowshoe excursions conducted by the Park’s official guides. For lovers of botany we always recommend a visit to Ethnobotany Conservatory of Castelluccio Superiorewhich boasts one of the richest herbariums in Italy, a xylotheque and a botanical garden.”
But also many more cultural options: visiting the Prehistoric Cave and UNESCO Geosite of Papasidero where you can admire the famous rock engraving of the Bos Primigenius and the Mugepa of Rotonda, discover the Arbereshe villages, go and get to know the many agricultural and dairy companiesthe cellars where you can taste wines such as those obtained from Magliocco or the famous Moscato di Saracena. And once again the watchword is: “living”, immersing yourself in this Calabria yet to be discovered.