Pollino National Park (

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

: ''Parco Nazionale del Pollino'') is an Italian national park in the southern peninsula, in the provinces of Cosenza, Matera and Potenza. Its named from the homonymous mountain massif

Pollino The Pollino (Italian: ''Massiccio del Pollino'') is a massif in the southern Apennines, on the border between Basilicata and Calabria, southern Italy. It became part of the Pollino National Park in 1992. The main peaks include Monte Pollino ...

. The park is home of the oldest European tree, a Heldreich's pine estimated 1,230 years old and the symbol of the park is the rare

Bosnian pine ''Pinus heldreichii'' (synonym ''P. leucodermis''; family Pinaceae), the Bosnian pine or Heldreich’s pine, is a species of pine native to mountainous areas of the Balkans and southern Italy. Description It is an evergreen tree up to in height ...

tree. Since November 2015, with the inclusion in the global list of geoparks by

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

, the Pollino Park is considered a

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

. Encompassing a total of 88,650 ha in the Lucanian side (''Muro lucano'') and 103,915 in the Calabrian one is the largest park in the country covering 1,925.65 square kilometers and among the 50 largest in the world. The common beech is the park's most prevalent tree and the park is also home to a variety of important

medicinal herbs Medicinal plants, also called medicinal herbs, have been discovered and used in traditional medicine practices since prehistoric times. Plants synthesize hundreds of chemical compounds for various functions, including defense and protection a ...

. Towns with interesting sights include Rotonda, Castrovillari,

Morano Calabro Morano Calabro ( Moranese: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy. It was the birthplace of mathematician Gaetano Scorza. Geography The municipality borders with Castrovillari (the nea ...

(convent of Colloreto),

Laino Borgo Laino Borgo ( Calabrian: ) is a town and ''comune'' of inhabitants in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy. It is located on the border between two regions ( Calabria e Basilicata), and lies at the entrance to the ...

Laino Castello Laino Castello ( 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 ...

Mormanno Mormanno ( Calabrian: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy. It is located in the heart of the National Park of Pollino Pollino National Park ( Italian: ''Parco Nazionale del Pollino'') is ...

Scalea Scalea ( Calabrian: , lit. "stair" or "ladder") is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy. The town takes its name from its terraced layout on a hillside at the bottom of the Capo Scalea promonto ...

Papasidero Papasidero is a village and ''comune'' in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region, southern Italy. It is part of Pollino National Park. Geography Papasidero is situated on a rocky spur 210 m above the sea level and is crossed by Lao an ...

, Civita, Cerchiara (church of ''Madonna delle Armi''). Albanian-speaking communities are present in communes such as

San Paolo Albanese San Paolo Albanese ( aae, Shën Pali Arbëresheve) is an Arbëreshë village and ''comune'' of 328 people in the province of Potenza, in the Basilicata region of southern Italy. Geography At an elevation of and situated on the slope of Mt. C ...

San Costantino Albanese San Costantino Albanese ( aae, Shën Kostandinit i Arbëreshëvet) is an Arbëreshë town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. Geography San Costantino Albanese sits on a hilltop overlooking ...

and others. In the Valle del Mercure have been discovered remains of pre-historic species such as ''

Elephas antiquus The straight-tusked elephant (''Palaeoloxodon antiquus'') is an extinct species of elephant that inhabited Europe and Western Asia during the Middle and Late Pleistocene (781,000–30,000 years before present). Recovered individuals have reac ...

'' and '' Hippopotamus major''. Rivers and streams include the Lao, Sinni,

Coscile The Coscile is a river in Calabria, southern Italy. In classical antiquity it was known as the Sibarys (Greek: ) and gave its name to the Ancient Greek city. It is the third-largest river in the region in terms of water discharge and extent of ...

, Garga, and Raganello. Wildlife include

golden eagle The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known birds of ...

, Italian wolf,

roe deer The roe deer (''Capreolus capreolus''), also known as the roe, western roe deer, or European roe, is a species of deer. The male of the species is sometimes referred to as a roebuck. The roe is a small deer, reddish and grey-brown, and well-adapt ...

wild boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is ...

, red fox,

European otter The Eurasian otter (''Lutra lutra''), also known as the European otter, Eurasian river otter, common otter, and Old World otter, is a semiaquatic mammal native to Eurasia. The most widely distributed member of the otter subfamily (Lutrinae) of th ...

Calabrian black squirrel The Calabrian black squirrel (''Sciurus meridionalis'') is a species of tree squirrel in the genus ''Sciurus'', endemic to the forests of the regions of Calabria and Basilicata, in the south of the Italian Peninsula. Taxonomy It has long been ...

forest dormouse The forest dormouse (''Dryomys nitedula'') is a species of rodent in the family Gliridae found in eastern Europe, the Balkans and parts of western Central Asia. It is categorized as being of least concern in the ''IUCN List of Threatened Specie ...

''(Dryomys nitedula)'', black woodpecker,

chough There are two species of passerine birds commonly called chough ( ) that constitute the genus ''Pyrrhocorax'' of the Corvidae (crow) family of birds. These are the red-billed chough (''Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax''), and the Alpine chough (or yellow- ...

, peregrine falcon,

red kite The red kite (''Milvus milvus'') is a medium-large bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as eagles, buzzards, and harriers. The species currently breeds in the Western Palearctic region o ...

lanner falcon The lanner falcon (''Falco biarmicus'') is a medium-sized bird of prey that breeds in Africa, southeast Europe and just into Asia. It prefers open habitat and is mainly resident, but some birds disperse more widely after the breeding season. A l ...

Egyptian vulture The Egyptian vulture (''Neophron percnopterus''), also called the white scavenger vulture or pharaoh's chicken, is a small Old World vulture and the only member of the genus ''Neophron''. It is widely distributed from the Iberian Peninsula and ...

and

red deer The red deer (''Cervus elaphus'') is one of the largest deer species. A male red deer is called a stag or hart, and a female is called a hind. The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia, Iran, and parts of we ...

(were introduced in the 2000s).

References

External links

Parco Nazionale del Pollino official website
(in English)
Parco Nazionale del Pollino official website
(in Italian) {{Authority control Arbëresh settlements National parks of Italy Parks in Basilicata Parks in Calabria Protected areas established in 1992 Protected areas of the Apennines Primeval Beech Forests in Europe