La Sila Mountains

Address: Sila National Park, Calabria, Italy

Website: https://www.parcosila.it (regional park info)

Admission: Park entrance and visitor centre fees may apply for Sila National Park (check local park authority)

La Sila, often called the Sila, is a mountainous plateau and range in the Calabria region of southern Italy. It is characterised by high plateaus, forested slopes and several peaks, with the highest summit reaching 1,928 metres.

Visitors come for hiking, forest trails, lakes and seasonal recreation including winter sports at local small resorts. Notable features include mountain lakes and extensive forests of pine and beech that cover much of the plateau.

The area has been used historically for pastoralism, timber and small-scale agriculture; in the modern era parts of the plateau were set aside for protection and recreation as Sila National Park. Infrastructure developed to support rural communities and outdoor tourism.

Geographically La Sila occupies a central position within Calabria, between the Ionian and Tyrrhenian coasts, and forms part of the Apennine system in southern Italy. The plateau is accessible from regional towns and provincial roads.

• Forests and recreation: The plateau is known for extensive calabrian pine and beech forests, and it supports summer pastures as well as winter snow sports at small local resorts.

What to See#

• Botte Donato: A summit reaching 1,928 metres that is the highest point of the Sila plateau and is a common target for hikers and viewpoint visits.
• Sila National Park: A protected national park area covering large parts of the plateau, established to conserve the region’s forests, peatlands and mountain lakes and to support outdoor recreation.

La Sila is reachable by car from Cosenza or Catanzaro. Regional roads lead into the park; public buses serve some towns at the park’s edges but schedules are infrequent. Driving gives the best access to lakes and trailheads.

• Explore the forest roads by car early in the day - wildlife and scenery are most interesting in morning light.
• Visit the mountain lakes such as Lago Ampollino and Cecita for the clearest water and scenic walking routes.
• Local food is hearty and cheese-based - try mountain specialties at small trattorie in summer.