The best cycling routes around Taverna

A tiny village with a charmingly abandoned feel, consisting of a few houses and a church. There's a restaurant and a fountain with a picnic area for refreshments.

Unfortunately, it's been dry lately. Only a trickle of water comes out.

Among the three large Calabrian lakes of the Sila, the Ampollino is certainly the least contaminated and consequently the most authentic to be appreciated by lovers of nature and landscapes.

Unfortunately abandoned and vandalized, but it can still serve as a makeshift shelter.

A very unique village, typically rural and deeply Sila. You'll find fountains, bars, and a few restaurants. The potato festival, a specialty of this area, is wonderful.

Ginestra is a shrub that, thanks to symbiosis with bacteria, binds nitrogen from the air and fertilizes even the poorest, dry soils. In fertile soils, it spreads too much, creating dense fields that smother other plants – a bit like an uninvited guest who eats everything from the buffet. Inside, it contains sparteine, an alkaloid used to treat cardiac arrhythmia, atrial fibrillation and circulatory problems, and its stiff shoots have been used for centuries to make brooms. And even today, in some places, these shoots are used as traditional rods given to naughty children in December instead of presents.

A plant with intensely yellow flowers that grows wild in southern Italy. Here it is most often called ginestra. It occurs especially in mountainous and dry areas, and its presence in the landscape of Calabria in spring and early summer is very characteristic - it creates yellow spots on the slopes and along the roads. The intensely yellow flowers stand out against the green slopes, creating a strong and at the same time harmonious contrast. This combination works on the imagination and gives a strong impression of the freshness and exuberance of nature. In Calabria, especially in May and June, this contrast is perfectly visible: the green hills are covered with a yellow shower of flowers, creating almost painterly landscapes.

In summer, you can take advantage of numerous cycling routes that lead through diverse landscapes - from mountain spruce forests to water areas of lakes. In winter, the area is home to the Camigliatello Silano ski resort, which attracts skiing and winter sports enthusiasts with its well-prepared facilities and picturesque location in the Sila massif. This is a place more for local skiing enthusiasts and beginners who want to combine active recreation with a vacation in the warm climate of Calabria. If you are looking for more serious skiing routes, you have to go further north in Italy or to the Alps. In Calabria, on the other hand, you will certainly appreciate nature, peace and a unique mountain climate.