VALLI CUPE CANYON

• Distance: Municipality of Sersale - (16 Km - 20 minutes)
• Difficulty: Family
• Accessibility: on foot - closed shoes recommended
• Cost: free access with authorized guides
• Why we recommend it: because the Canyon has a breathtaking geological conformation!
  

The Valli Cupe are located in the Municipality of Sersale and guard a wonderful place, one of the largest canyons in Europe.

The territory is characterized by rock walls up to 130 meters high, which fall sheer, forming deep gorges, caves and ravines where numerous species of animals and birds find refuge. This conformation gives life to numerous waterfalls and lakes, immersed in the dense vegetation where it is also possible to swim.

In the surroundings there are some remains of castles, monasteries and even abandoned villages, such as the Santi Tre Fanciulli monastery, the village of Marcaglione and Barbaro.

GOLE DEL CROCCHIO WATERFALLS

• Distance: Municipality of Sersale - (16 Km - 20 minutes)
• Difficulty: Family
• Accessibility: on foot
• Cost: Free access
• Why we recommend it: because bathing in these gorges is an unforgettable experience
  

The Gole del Crocchio waterfalls are excavated between suggestive rocky slopes dominated by a rich forest mantle.

The wild course of the Crocchio river forms spectacular waterfalls, interspersed with deep and large pools.

Along the way, you can admire the remains of an ancient mill that stands along the canal (now disused) which brought water to make the millstones work .

In summer, those who love the thrill of contact with the clear and pure waters of mountain streams can take a refreshing and healthy bath.

CAMPANARO WATERFALL

• Distance: Municipality of Sersale - (16 Km - 20 minutes)
• Difficulty: Family
• Accessibility: on foot
• Cost: Free access
• Why we recommend it: because nature is truly suggestive and swimming under the waterfall is special!

The Campanaro waterfall is located in the Municipality of Sersale and can be reached by following a path that enters a wood of holm oaks.

Before reaching the waterfall, along the path, it is possible to admire a straw shed, a typical peasant construction, the remains of a bridge built in the last century and bombed during the Second World War, a small multi-jump waterfall that ends in a lovely natural pool and numerous species of plants.

An ancient document from the Ministry of War confirms that in this place, at the time of brigandage, a "hand" (that is, five) of extremely dangerous brigands was captured.

SILA MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK

• Distance: Buturo 1,300 altitude - (30 Km - 40 minutes)
• Difficulty: Family
• Accessibility: on foot
• Cost: none
• Why we recommend it: because the unspoiled nature is spectacular

The Sila National Park represents an environmental heritage of the highest importance. The Sila is also an Italian Biosphere Reserve in the UNESCO World Network.

Inside you can admire wonderful natural landscapes, among which very high mountains and clear lakes stand out.

An absolutely unmissable place in Sila is the Biogenetic Reserve of the Giants of Fallistro. It is one of the heart places of the FAI in Calabria and represents the perfect place to enjoy the beauty of nature. Inside the reserve you can admire the so-called giants, secular trees that date back to the 1600s and are over 45 meters in height.

The main activity during the summer and in autumn are hiking in the woods of the Sila, "the green lung of Calabria", perfect for trekking even for several days.

LE CASTELLA

• Distance: Municipality of Isola Capo Rizzuto - (20 Km - 20 minutes)
• Accessibility: on foot
• Cost: paid access to the Castle
• Why we recommend it: because the Castle on the sea is a jewel not to be missed

In one of the most beautiful stretches of the Capo Rizzuto Marine Protected Area stands Le Castella, one of the most fascinating castles in Italy, thanks also to its particular location which sees it triumph over an islet linked to the coast only by a thin spit of land.

The fortress built in the fifteenth century. it never hosted the nobility of the place, but served as a shelter for soldiers engaged against the attacks of the invaders coming from the sea, it was also the retreat of Hannibal in retreat.

Even today it is possible to notice the different building phases superimposed on each other in different eras, Normans, Swabians, Byzantines, Angevins and Aragonese.

CAPO RIZZUTO MARINE PROTECTED AREA 

• Distance: Municipality of Isola Capo Rizzuto - (20 Km - 20 minutes)
• Difficulty: Family
• Accessibility: land / sea
• Cost: varies according to the organized tours
• Why we recommend it: because the natural marine scenery is unique

The "Capo Rizzuto" Marine Natural Protected Area is the largest in Italy in terms of size and offers a journey between legend and myth, to the scent of a crystalline sea that bathes the very fine amber sand and steep cliffs.

There are numerous activities and excursions offered by local operators. You will have the opportunity to take part in guided tours, both from land and from sea by boat; to visit the seabed thanks to scuba diving; to organize sailing excursions and excursions with glass-bottomed boats. 

But the sea hides other precious secrets in its depths. On the shoals of Capo Rizzuto, there is the Gunny wreck, at a depth of 24 meters. In the same locality, a hundred years ago, the sea swallowed up another ship, the Bengal. Finally, at Le Cannella, the red beach is beautiful.

SANTA SEVERINA

• Distance: Municipality of Santa Severina - (40 Km - 45 minutes)
• Accessibility: on foot
• Cost: access to the castle for a fee
• Why we recommend it: because the Castle with a view over the valley is truly impressive

Two thousand five hundred souls of which a thousand in the village, Santa Severina, thirty kilometers from Crotone is a must for those who venture into that part of Calabria.

The village is truly suggestive and stands on a tufa spur overlooking the Neto valley and when the mist submerges the valley itself it resembles a large stone ship.

Absolutely to visit is the Castle, purchased in 1905 by the municipality which recently brought it back to its former glory. Works of military engineering among the most beautiful in the region, it is made up of a square keep with four corner towers and is surrounded by mighty crenellated walls and surrounded on three sides by a moat. It contains labyrinths, dungeons and stables with medieval frescoes, halls with magnificent stucco decorations.