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With peaks soaring to over 7,000 feet and wilderness
dominating the landscape, Pollino is often called the Dolomites of the
south. Its approximate 1
million acres makes Pollino National Park, the
largest protected area in Italy between Calabria and Basilicata,
has a wealth of landscapes to offer: great areas of wilderness
where the cuirassed pine - the true emblem of the park
- clings to
the rocky slopes as the wind shapes its twisted trunk; not far away,
rolling hills and valleys, lush slopes with flowering plants in
springtime, and then endless upland plains where the sheep still graze
like in ancient times.
From east to west, the eye meets the sea and the coast is within easy
reach despite the considerable altitude of the mountains. The solitude of
the highest peaks dominated by the majestic flight of the golden eagle is
juxtaposed to the common reality of the anthropic environment: small
villages where the old women still wear their traditional garb not far
from larger towns hosting important cultural events that attract visitors.
In this territory survive groups of ethnic Albanians that tenaciously
preserve their Arbėreshe (Italian-Albanian) cultural and linguistic
traditions as well as the archaeological remains of civilizations that
have dominated this area over the centuries.
Thus, a visit to Pollino National Park becomes a worthwhile
experience for various reasons: you will find an unusual natural
environment, in many ways still wild; you will encounter the culture,
customs and folklore of the people of Southern Italy; you will get to know
a nature reserve that aims to protect its natural resources and can offer
its visitors a wide range of ways to enjoy a visit in the midst of a
beautiful countryside where they can make discoveries and sample the
pleasures of the olden days.
The environmental program of the Park has as its priority the
safeguarding of its natural resources so varied, precious and at times
even rare such as the autochthonous roe of Orsomarso, the wolf
of the Appennines, the golden eagle, and the cuirassed pine.
Development based on conservation aims to carry out specific actions to
protect the diversity of the existing natural systems, their ecology,
biology, and functions, and to assure a sustainable utilization of
renewable resources by balancing the environmental burden with the
capabilities and limits of Nature.
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