Lake Arvo and Lorica

Lakes, pines and ski slopes in the heart of the Sila

In the heart of the Sila, the vast plateau of central-northern Calabria, at about 1,300 metres above sea level, lies Lake Arvo, one of the large artificial lakes created in the 1920s and 1930s for the production of hydroelectric energy, together with Lake Cecita and Lake Ampollino. Its blue waters, surrounded by forests of Calabrian black pine (pino laricio), beech and meadows, have created a landscape that many compare to those of Northern Europe, so much so that the Sila is sometimes called the "Little Switzerland" of the South, or "the Great Forest" of Italy, as the ancient Romans called it, who took timber from here to build their ships.

On the shore of the lake stands Lorica, a small mountain village and one of the main tourist resorts of the Sila, with hotels, restaurants and holiday homes. In winter, Lorica is a ski resort, with lifts that climb the slopes of Monte Botte Donato, at 1,928 metres the highest peak of the Sila, from which you can see both the Tyrrhenian and the Ionian Seas on clear days. In summer, the lake and the surrounding woods offer walks, horse rides, mountain bike routes, canoeing and fishing, and the cool climate attracts those fleeing the heat of the coast. Nearby is the headquarters of the Parco Nazionale della Sila, and the woods are home to the Apennine wolf, the roe deer and the black squirrel of Calabria. Local products include mushrooms, especially porcini, cheeses such as caciocavallo silano, and potatoes of the Sila.

Tip: go in autumn for the colours of the woods and the porcini mushrooms; in summer, take the chairlift to Monte Botte Donato.

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