The Sila is a high plateau in the toe of Italy where the south turns unexpectedly alpine. The national park, protected since the late 1990s, covers about 73,000 hectares of laricio pine and beech forest, lakes such as Cecita, Arvo and Ampollino, and open meadows, and it is a UNESCO biosphere reserve.
The centuries-old giant pines of the Giganti della Sila reserve, some about 40 meters tall, are the star; the small town of Camigliatello Silano is the base, with mushrooms and caciocavallo cheese in every shop window. Snow falls here in winter, wildflowers carpet the meadows in spring and the lakes reward a summer picnic. Wolves live in the park, though you are more likely to see a squirrel.
