If you close your eyes and think of Calabria, you probably imagine beautiful coastlines and gorgeous beaches. And you wouldn’t be wrong; Calabria is well-known for its incredible seaside towns.
But, Calabria is also home to incredible lush mountain ranges that, during the winter months, are a great place to visit.
Calabria has three National Parks and within those parks are charming villages with tourism and ski resorts that welcome locals and visitors all year round, whether it’s hiking in the warm months or winter sports, like skiing or tobogganing, in the snowy months.
If you are planning a trip to Calabria in the off-season and want to know where you can enjoy incredible views and have some fun in the snow, then you’ll want to check out these places.
Camigliatello Silano
This mountain village, located within the Sila National Park, is one of the most popular mountain resorts for locals and tourists. Here you’ll find small local shops selling artisan products as well as delicious local products such as porcini mushrooms, cheeses and cured meats. For those who like to ski, not far from the center of Camigliatello is the “Rifugio del Tasso”, where you can take a ski lift up to Mount Curcio and it’s two main ski slopes: one for more expert skiers (the Red Slope) and one for those less experienced (the Blue slope). For those famished after a day of skiing, Camigliatello offers many great restaurants with high-quality local products.
Lorica
Lorica is a small village resort located near Lake Arvo in the Sila Mountains. It is made up of three municipalities within the Province of Cosenza: San Giovanni in Fiore, Serra Pedace and Pedace. Lorica is a great place to visit all year round with an adventure park, hiking trails, horse-riding, skiing and even bob-sledding. Only three kilometers from Lorica, in the area of Coppo di Cavaliere, there is a funicular which can transport you high up to the top of Mount Botte Donato, located 1928 meters above sea level. From this vantage point you can appreciate the wondrous beauty of the valley below, not to mention the incredible panorama of the surrounding mountains. At the top of Botte Donato you can choose to either ski down the various slopes or, if cross-country skiing is more your thing, take a marked path that links Mount Botte Donato with Mount Curcio.
Gambarie d’Aspromonte
Located in the province of Reggio Calabria in the heart of the Aspromonte National Park is Gambarie d’Aspromonte. Although this hamlet is continuing to grow, it prides itself on conserving the harmony between nature and its developing landscape. So far, they’ve been successful because Gambarie d’Aspromonte is famous for its incredible ski slopes, five in total, that offer amazing views of the Messina Strait, the Aeolian Islands and Mount Etna. If you love the idea of skiing completely immersed in nature, then this is certainly the place to be.
So, there you have it! You don’t have to wait until the summer months to visit Calabria. There is plenty to do here even in the wintertime and for some of you, it’s milder here than the winters back at home.
Do you enjoy winter getaways? Share with us on the My Bella Vita Facebook Fan Page which of these Calabrian ski resorts would you be interested in visiting?
Image Credits: Beppeveltri, Faffy87, Domecost80
