Description of the attraction
National Park "Aspromonte" is located in the southern part of the Apennine Mountains in the Italian region of Calabria. It includes the peaks of the Aspromonte mountain range, reaching two thousand meters in height (Mount Montalto - 1955 meters). And at the foot of the steep mountains, the Mediterranean Sea splashes. The name Aspromonte can be translated from Italian as "impassable mountains" - this name was given to the massif by farmers who found its steep slopes and rocky soils difficult to cultivate.
The territory of the Aspromonte National Park, crossed by several waterways, is inhabited by a wide variety of animals, among which the most common are wolves. The bird kingdom is represented by birds of prey - peregrine falcons, goshawks and eagle owls. The vast expanses of the park are covered with forests - beech, black and white fir, stone oak, chestnuts and the Mediterranean maquis shrub. And on the short coastal strip there are citrus fruits, grapes and olive trees. And only here, in the southern part of Aspromonte, is the rare bergamot, a lemon-yellow fruit used in perfumery and the production of the famous Earl Gray tea, grown.
In addition to its ecological value, the Aspromonte National Park has a historical, artistic and archaeological value, since these territories have been inhabited by a variety of tribes since antiquity. The inhabitants of some of the villages in the park have Greek roots and have preserved Greek culture and tradition.
Today, the park hosts numerous excursions introducing the heritage of these places. The peaks of Aspromonte offer breathtaking views of the Strait of Messina, separating Calabria from Sicily, and the Ionian and Tyrrhenian Seas. Among the interesting places of the mountain range, it is worth noting the ski resort of Gambarie and the temple of Santa Maria di Polsi in the town of San Luca.
