Sila Range

A very rewarding trip can be made into the Sila range. La Sila consists of three parts - the main range, Sila Grande, the Sila Piccola to the south, and along the northern edge of the range the Sila Greca, named after the Albanians of the Greek Orthodox faith who have been settled here since the 15th century. The Sila is a plateau-like massif of ancient rocks with a total area of 3,300 sq.km/1,274 sq.mi and an average height of 1,300-1,400m/3,900-4,620ft, rising to 1,930m/6,370ft in Botte Donato, which presents a precipitous face to the Crati valley, but falls away gradually towards the Gulf of Taranto. Its extensive forests of chestnuts, beeches, oaks, black spruces and pines are still inhabited by wolves as well as by numerous black squirrels. Since 1927 the rivers have been harnessed to provide electricity by the construction of dams which form large artificial lakes; the most attractive of these are Lago Arvo (1,280m/4,224ft) and Lago Ampollino.

On the high plateaux, with their extensive areas of grazing, the trim houses of the new settlers who have been established here under the government's land reform form a striking contrast to the wretched cottages of the past.