Holiday apartment in Spezzano Della Sila – nature, culture and special excursions

Spezzano Della Sila offers you a journey through lakes, high plateaus, nature observation and culture. Lago Cecita is an artificial lake in the province of Cosenza in the Sila Grande and is located, among other places, within the municipality of Spezzano della Sila. Cupone is a locality near Lago Cecita in the municipality of Spezzano della Sila.

Nature between Lago Cecita and ancient pines

The I Giganti della Sila nature reserve is home to 58 Laricio pines that are more than a hundred years old and can grow up to 45 metres tall. Another striking landscape connection is provided by the small wooden chapel Chiesetta di San Lorenzo: it stands on the shore of Lago Cecita in the heart of the Sila high plateau, near the national park.

Nature trails and nature observation

The Centro Visita Cupone is an environmental education centre with nature trails, wildlife observation points, a museum and a geological garden. In the Cupone Botanical Garden, a 350-metre-long educational trail leads past 115 native plant species. The labels are provided in Braille and with raised characters for visually impaired people. The access road to the I Giganti della Sila nature reserve is unpaved, but presents an obstacle that can be overcome; audio description devices are available for blind visitors.

Culture with religious and European history

The Sanctuary of San Francesco da Paola in Spezzano della Sila is chronologically the third church built by San Francesco da Paola and the first church of the Franciscan Order of Charity anywhere in the world. La Nave della Sila provides another cultural focus. It is housed in a former cattle shed restored by architect Sila Barracco in Parco Old Calabria and presents Italian emigration from a national perspective rather than one limited to a single region. Parco Oldcalabria® was inspired by the accounts of numerous foreign and Italian travellers who explored southern Italy, and Calabria in particular, as part of the Grand Tour from the 18th century onwards.

Through the Sila by train and bicycle

The Trenino della Sila has a German-manufactured 353 Borsig locomotive dating from 1926, as well as fully restored wooden carriages. Regular passenger services run along the route from Moccone to San Nicola Silvana Mansio; the train stops, among other places, in Camigliatello Silano, Ringhio, Sculca and Croce di Magara. For cycling travellers, the second stage of the Ciclovia dei Parchi della Calabria runs through Parco Nazionale della Sila along the lakeside to the Centro Visita Cupone, the destination of the stage, and passes through Spezzano della Sila, among other places.

Holiday apartment in Spezzano Della Sila for planning your trip

In the days leading up to the feast of the martyr, the Chiesetta di San Lorenzo becomes the destination of a pilgrimage departing from Camigliatello Silano, during which numerous worshippers celebrate the Eucharist. When choosing a holiday apartment in Spezzano Della Sila, you can therefore use your preferred combination of nature trails, lake, culture, train journey, cycling tour and religious experience as the starting point for your planning. If you are travelling with children, the clearly distinct themes help you mentally combine active and quieter activities.

Discover more destinations

For further travel planning, you can also find Solfara Mare, La Bruca, Laurignano, Croce di Magara, Acquappesa Cs, Belvedere Marittimo, Intavolata and Grisolia.

For the higher-level travel overview: Cosenza.