Parco Nazionale del Pollino

The Pollino National Park, shared by the provinces of Potenza, Matera and Cosenza, with its 192.565 acres, is the largest nature park of Italy (includes 56 municipalities, nine mountain communities and four oriented reserves). It takes its name from the Pollino Massif, and was established in 1988. The emblem of the Park is the Loricato Pine (Pinus heldreichii), very rare in Italy. Between the municipalities of the Park, some are of historical and archaeological interest (Castelluccio Inferiore, Viggianello and Rotonda in Lucania side; Castrovillari, Civita, Morano Calabro, Laino Borgo, Mormanno, and Papasidero in the Calabrian side); others, are important in terms of socio-cultural, as the Albanian communities who settled in the area between 1470 and 1540 (St. Paul and St. Constantine Albanian, for the Lucania side; San Basile, Lungro, Plataci, Frascineto and Civita, in the Calabrian side). Among the many tree species, there are the white spruce, beech, all types of maples, black pine, yew, several species of oak, chestnut, and, at higher altitudes, the rare Loricato Pine. Countless species of medicinal and aromatic plants, as well as the various families of berries. The fauna is varied, and includes species now extinct in other areas: golden eagle, black woodpecker, the chough, kite and real owl, peregrine falcon, Apennine wolf and roe deer native of Orsomarso. The current profile of the highest peaks is modeled by the action of ancient glaciers, traces of which the most obvious are found on the north-west of Serra Dolcedorme, with the basin called Fossa del Lupo. Seasonal snowfields of considerable size are present on all the highest peaks of the massif. In the Park it can go trekking, hiking, mountain climbing, canyoning, rafting, cross country skiing, mountain biking and caving.