The Pollino National Park

The Pollino is not a range, it is a massif: it rises solidly from both seas to over two thousand two hundred metres, and from whichever side you look at it, it presents itself as a wall. From the Basilicata side you go in through Rotonda, Viggianello, Terranova di Pollino and San Severino Lucano, villages already high up, from which the roads to the high plains begin.

The Bosnian pine

The symbol of the park is a tree that grows where nothing else does: the Bosnian pine, which puts its roots into the bare rock of the highest ridges and survives wind and frost by losing its branches on the exposed side. Its Italian name comes from the bark, split into plates like the lorica, the armour of the Roman legionary. The oldest specimens are several centuries old, and the most photographed are the ones that died standing and remain there for decades.

The area where they are most concentrated is Serra di Crispo, which is why it is called the Garden of the Gods. You get there on foot, and it is not a short walk: set off early and allow a full day.

Walking, at any level

You do not need to be a mountaineer. Paths of every length start from the huts and the high plains, and even an hour's walking changes the view completely: you go from beech wood to high grassland within a few hundred metres of ascent. Anyone wanting to reach a summit will find five- or six-hour routes, with guides available in the villages.

But this is real mountain country and should be treated as such. In summer the storms arrive in the early afternoon with great punctuality, the mist rises fast and there is often no phone signal. Boots, water, a windproof jacket, and the forecast checked before setting off rather than after.

Down low, in the water

If you do not want to climb there is the opposite option: the Raganello gorges and the canyons on the Calabrian side are walked in summer with guides, wading up the stream in a wetsuit and helmet. It is an activity that depends on the water level and is suspended when it rains: it is not improvised and not done alone.