The Serre Calabresi or ''Calabrian Serre'' ( Calabrian dialect: ''Serra'') are a mountain and hill area of

Calabria , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

, southern

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, characterized by large extents of woods. The name could be derived by the Jewish ''Ser'', meaning "mountains", or it could refer to the shape of a handsaw. The highest peak is the Monte Pecoraro, with an altitude of 1423 m.

Geography and geology

The chain begins at the Passo della Limina and ends at

Isthmus of Catanzaro 240px, Satellite view of the isthmus. The Isthmus of Catanzaro (or ''Isthmus of Marcellinara'', also called ''Saddle of Catanzaro'' or ''Saddle of Marcellinara'' due to its morphology) is a narrow strip of land separating the Ionian Sea from the Ty ...

, the narrowest in Italy (c. 30 km separating 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 ...

from the

Tyrrhenian Sea The Tyrrhenian Sea (; it, Mar Tirreno , french: Mer Tyrrhénienne , sc, Mare Tirrenu, co, Mari Tirrenu, scn, Mari Tirrenu, nap, Mare Tirreno) is part of the Mediterranean Sea off the western coast of Italy. It is named for the Tyrrhenian pe ...

). It is bounded by the Sila Range from the north and by the

Aspromonte The Aspromonte is a mountain massif in the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria ( Calabria, southern Italy). The literal translation of the name means "rough mountain". But for others the name more likely is related to the Greek word Aspros ( Ά ...

from the south. Geologically, the Serre Calabresi are part of the so-called Calabrian Alps, and are mostly formed by graniti, porphyry and

diorite Diorite ( ) is an intrusive igneous rock formed by the slow cooling underground of magma (molten rock) that has a moderate content of silica and a relatively low content of alkali metals. It is intermediate in composition between low-silic ...

. The eastern area also includes

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...

, while the

Monte Mammicomito Monte Mammicomito is a massif in the Serre Calabresi, southern Calabria, southern Italy. It is composed of Devonian-origin limestone. Monte Mammicomito is separated from Monte Consolino Monte Consolino is a mountain in the Serre Calabresi ra ...

has instead a

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

dolomite Dolomite may refer to: *Dolomite (mineral), a carbonate mineral *Dolomite (rock), also known as dolostone, a sedimentary carbonate rock *Dolomite, Alabama, United States, an unincorporated community *Dolomite, California, United States, an unincor ...

structure, characterized also by

Karst topography Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...

Badlands Badlands are a type of dry terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils have been extensively eroded."Badlands" in ''Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 47. They are characterized by steep slopes, m ...

are also present.

Fauna and vegetation

The fauna of the Serre has been depleted by human hunting. Recently, the Italian wolf has returned, probably from Sila. Vegetation include ''

Abies alba ''Abies alba'', the European silver fir or silver fir, is a fir native to the mountains of Europe, from the Pyrenees north to Normandy, east to the Alps and the Carpathians, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, and sou ...

'' and

Oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

in the lowest slopes, while the

Beech Beech (''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia, and North America. Recent classifications recognize 10 to 13 species in two distinct subgenera, ''Engleriana'' and ''Fagus''. The ''Engle ...

predominates over the 80 m of altitude.

Sources

External links

Parco Naturale Regionale delle Serre
{{mountains of Calabria Mountains of Calabria Mountain ranges of Italy Geographical, historical and cultural regions of Italy

Geography and geology

Fauna and vegetation

See also

Sources

External links