La Sila, also simply Sila, is the name of the mountainous
plateau
In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; ), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides ha ...
and historic region located in
Calabria
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 =
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographics1_title1 =
, demographics1_info1 =
, demographics1_title2 ...
, southern Italy. The Sila National Park is known to have the purest air in Europe.
Geography
The Sila occupies part of the provinces of
Cosenza,
Crotone and
Catanzaro
Catanzaro (, or ; scn, label= Catanzarese, Catanzaru ; , or , ''Katastaríoi Lokrói''; ; la, Catacium), also known as the "City of the two Seas", is an Italian city of 86,183 inhabitants (2020), the capital of the Calabria region and of its p ...
, and is divided (from north to south) into the sub-ranges ''Sila Greca'', ''Sila Grande'' and ''Sila Piccola'' ("Greek", "Greater" and "Lesser Sila", respectively). The highest peaks are the
Botte Donato
Botte Donato is a mountain in the Calabria region of southern Italy. It is part of the La Sila mountainous plateau (specifically the ''Sila Grande'' sub-range) and is the highest peak in the range at 1,928 meters in height. The mountain is withi ...
(1,928 m), in the Sila Grande, and Monte
Gariglione (1,764 m) in the Sila Piccola.
The Sila Greca is the northernmost section and is now mostly cultivated rather than thick woods. Around this area, Albanian villages such as
San Demetrio Corone
San Demetrio Corone (Arbëreshë: ''Shën Mitri'') is a town and municipality in the Calabria region of Italy, at an altitude of 521 meters and with 3,387 inhabitants. The town is among the most important cultural centers of the Albanian communit ...
sprang up when
Albanians
The Albanians (; sq, Shqiptarët ) are an ethnic group and nation native to the Balkan Peninsula who share a common Albanian ancestry, culture, history and language. They primarily live in Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Se ...
were fleeing the wrath of
Muslim invaders.
The Sila houses the eponymous national park, the
Parco Nazionale della Sila, formerly called National Park of Calabria; it was created in 2002.
The pine tree
Pinus nigra ssp. laricio, commonly called ''Corsican pine'' is native to the Sila.
Virgil
Publius Vergilius Maro (; traditional dates 15 October 7021 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He composed three of the most famous poems in Latin literature: t ...
,
Tucidides,
Strabo
Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-sighted that he could see ...
,
Cassiodorus
Magnus Aurelius Cassiodorus Senator (c. 485 – c. 585), commonly known as Cassiodorus (), was a Roman statesman, renowned scholar of antiquity, and writer serving in the administration of Theodoric the Great, king of the Ostrogoths. ''Senator'' w ...
report the vast expanses of pines in the Sila.
History
The first known settlers of the Sila plateau were the
Bruttii The Bruttians (alternative spelling, Brettii) ( la, Bruttii) were an ancient Italic people. They inhabited the southern extremity of Italy, from the frontiers of Lucania to the Sicilian Straits and the promontory of Leucopetra. This roughly corresp ...
, an ancient tribe of shepherds and farmers.
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
began to extend its sphere of influence over Calabria, Sila included, to the extent that any outside rule affected these mountains. Later it was nominally occupied in turn by the
Ostrogoths
The Ostrogoths ( la, Ostrogothi, Austrogothi) were a Roman-era Germanic peoples, Germanic people. In the 5th century, they followed the Visigoths in creating one of the two great Goths, Gothic kingdoms within the Roman Empire, based upon the larg ...
, the
Byzantines and, from the 11th century, the
Italo-Normans. The last favoured the creation of several monasteries, such as
Santa Maria della Matina Santa Maria della Matina was a monastery near San Marco Argentano in Calabria. It was originally Benedictine, but later became Cistercian.
In 1065, at the urging of Pope Nicholas II, a monastery was founded at Matina by Robert Guiscard, duke of ...
of
San Marco Argentano San Marco Argentano is a town and '' comune'' in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy.
Main sights include the Norman tower, several churches and the ruins of an abbey, Santa Maria della Matina.
San Marco Argentano w ...
,
Sambucina
''Sambucina'' is a genus of fungi in the Helotiales order. The relationship of this taxon to other taxa within the order is unknown (''incertae sedis''), and it has not yet been placed with certainty into any family. This is a monotypic
In b ...
at
Luzzi
Luzzi ( Calabrian: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is loc ...
and
Florense Abbey
The San Giovanni in Fiore Abbey (Italian: ''Abbazia Florense'') is an abbey located in the Province of Cosenza, in the Calabria region of southwestern Italy.
History 12th century
The abbey's origin date back to Joachim da Fiore's trip to La Sil ...
at
San Giovanni in Fiore
San Giovanni in Fiore (; nap, label= Calabrian, Sangiuvanni ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy.
The town originates from the Florense Abbey, built here by the Calabrian monk Joachim of ...
, founded by
Joachim of Fiore
Joachim of Fiore, also known as Joachim of Flora and in Italian Gioacchino da Fiore (c. 1135 – 30 March 1202), was an Italian Christian theologian, Catholic abbot, and the founder of the monastic order of San Giovanni in Fiore. According to th ...
.
In 1448-1535 immigrants from
Albania
Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
settled the area towards the
Ionian Sea
The Ionian Sea ( el, Ιόνιο Πέλαγος, ''Iónio Pélagos'' ; it, Mar Ionio ; al, Deti Jon ) is an elongated bay of the Mediterranean Sea. It is connected to the Adriatic Sea to the north, and is bounded by Southern Italy, including C ...
, creating the communities of ''Sila Greca'' ("Greek Sila").
After the annexation to the
Kingdom of Italy
The Kingdom of Italy ( it, Regno d'Italia) was a state that existed from 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 1946, when civil discontent led to ...
(late 19th century), Sila remained a base of
brigandage. New routes were opened to reduce the isolation of the mountain centres, which was dramatic especially in winter: these included the
Paola-
Cosenza-
Crotone road, and specialised mountain railways such as the
Cosenza-
Camigliatello Silano-
San Giovanni in Fiore
San Giovanni in Fiore (; nap, label= Calabrian, Sangiuvanni ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy.
The town originates from the Florense Abbey, built here by the Calabrian monk Joachim of ...
narrow-gauge line (now operating only for tourist special excursions), operated by the
Ferrovie Calabro Lucane, and the
Paola-
Cosenza rack railway
A rack railway (also rack-and-pinion railway, cog railway, or cogwheel railway) is a steep grade railway with a toothed rack rail, usually between the running rails. The trains are fitted with one or more cog wheels or pinions that mesh with th ...
, operated by
Ferrovie dello Stato
Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane S.p.A. ( "Italian Railways of the State"; previously only Ferrovie dello Stato, hence the abbreviation FS) is Italy's national state-owned railway holding company that manages transport, infrastructure, real estat ...
.
In 1915, the British traveller
Norman Douglas
George Norman Douglas (8 December 1868 – 7 February 1952) was a British writer, now best known for his 1917 novel '' South Wind''. His travel books, such as ''Old Calabria'' (1915), were also appreciated for the quality of their writing.
...
, author of the travelogue "Old Calabria", wrote about the Sila as "... a venerable granite plateau, which stood here when the proud
Apennines
The Apennines or Apennine Mountains (; grc-gre, links=no, Ἀπέννινα ὄρη or Ἀπέννινον ὄρος; la, Appenninus or – a singular with plural meaning;''Apenninus'' (Greek or ) has the form of an adjective, which wou ...
were still dozing on the oozy bed of the ocean...".
The 1949 film ''
The Wolf of the Sila'' was set in the area, and much of it was shot on location.
Today several centres, such as Camigliatello and Palumbo Sila, are becoming tourist resorts.
References
External links
Sila National Park
Portal of Sila Calabria
Sila WEB TV
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sila
Landforms of Calabria
Plateaus of Italy
Geographical, historical and cultural regions of Italy
Historical regions