Calabria is a region characterised by the dual tourist attraction of sea and mountains.
Almost the whole region is bathed by the sea (the coasts stretch for a good 780 km): to the east by the Tyrrhenian Sea and to the west and south by the Ionian Sea; although it offers unrivalled beaches, with jagged stretches and crystal-clear waters, 90% of its territory consists of hills and mountains.
Suffice it to say that it's the only Italian region to host three National Parks (Pollino, Aspromonte and Sila).
Today, together with my aunts and cousins, we decide to set off for the Pollino National Park.
Among the gorges to visit within the Pollino Park, the Raganello deserves a mention for its wild and enchanted landscape.
Visiting the Raganello also gives you the chance to get to know the little village of Civita, of Albanian origin, a few houses perched on the edge of the canyon.
Civita is reachable from Castrovillari (A3 motorway exit Castrovillari - Frascineto) following the state road no. 105 towards the Ionian Sea.
Civita, also known as the village of the Devil's Bridge, is a hillside town in the north-east of Calabria overlooking the Ionian Sea, a privileged gateway to the Pollino National Park for visitors coming from Puglia, southern Calabria and Sicily.
Civita is one of the Italo-Albanian (Arbëreshë) centres that arose at the end of the late Middle Ages in central-southern Italy. Founded around 1471 by Albanian refugees who arrived on the Calabrian Ionian coast after the death of the national hero George Castriot Skanderbeg, Civita stands on a natural terrace close to the spectacular Raganello gorge, which widens into one of the most beautiful valleys of the south-eastern Pollino before the stream flows into the Ionian Sea.
Civita lies within the territory of the Pollino National Park at 450 m above sea level on the Calabrian side of the massif of the same name, and is an ideal starting point for walking, horse-riding and mountain-biking excursions with expert, qualified guides in the uncontaminated Nature of the largest National Park in Europe.
The village is also ideally placed for reaching the beaches of the Ionian Sea (about 20 km away) and the spa resorts of Cassano allo Ionio and Spezzano Terme.
The scenic wealth of Civita is not only environmental; the Albanian refugees who founded the village brought with them a whole ethnic, religious and cultural heritage that has been kept intact by subsequent generations down to the present day.
From the Greek-Byzantine rite, in which Mass is still celebrated today, to folkloric dances such as the involving vallje, to the characteristic architecture of the stone houses that create a strongly medieval atmosphere, enriched with very distinctive chimneys with orientalising lines, from the typical cuisine to the costumes that for the oldest inhabitants are everyday clothes, right through to the very language spoken by the people of Civita, proudly handed down from generation to generation, which makes Civita one of the rare Albanian-speaking islands in Italy — you arrive at a full immersion in another time and another place where the passing of the hours takes on other colours, sounds, smells and tastes
The visitor to Civita will therefore have to observe, explore, be curious and then, once back in their daily life, tell of a place that is close yet exotic, which will surprise and involve anyone who decides to visit it, from every angle. Civita is a tourist centre known for its natural beauties (Devil's Bridge, Raganello Canyon, Timpa del Demanio, Pollino Park) and its socio-cultural characteristics. Having left the car near the little square, our adventure begins. From Civita we go down to reach the spectacular Devil's Bridge, a medieval work recently restored over the Raganello Gorge. Legend has it that the bridge was built by the devil; it offers a splendid cross-section of the terminal stretch of the canyon.
Day 113 Aug 2006
the adventure begins
The sky is blue and the sun gives us indescribable colors.
Our outfit is complete with comfortable shorts, swimsuit, backpack on our shoulders, Sony DSC W70 underwater camera, hiking sandals essential for walking among the slippery rocks ((bought before entering Civita)), towel, and a full change of clothes to leave in the car.
The initial stretch to cover is always downhill, not very tiring, and the scenery before us changes continuously. A thick red mountain, streams, little birds, and colorful oleanders make us fall in love with the place.
The path is at times very dangerous, with currents of icy water and equally wet and slippery rocks, but it doesn't scare us. The colors are very intense.
Everything is natural, you have to be very careful; in case of falls against the rocks you're on your own, no rescue, no help. You have to let yourself go, walk very carefully, always look at the ground; sometimes it happens that the water is deep so you have to let yourself go, not think about the freezing temperature of the water, and dive in.. a few strokes and you're standing again.
Every gorge is its own thing, it must be crossed with courage and determination; the further you go, the more the spectacle grows.
After more than 1 hour of walking the sky becomes dark, the wind picks up.. we realize that rain is coming, so we change direction and turn back.
Other tourists decide to go on and with the help of a steel wire try to get past the deep pools of icy water; how do you walk certain paths if you can't swim????
In vain our considerations about the bad weather... they continue on alone... we don't know their fate... it started raining very hard and between rain, cold water, rocks, and waterfalls, danger was there behind every corner...
We managed to cover the return route very quickly, with rain and wind against us, a steep climb up to the village, but we made it... Straight to the car to change.. we're literally soaked, it's very cold, our legs are trembling, the water of the rocks doesn't go above 10° ((maybe even less))
We recommend a short wetsuit for the coldest people especially in the periods from autumn to spring, and a climbing helmet would also be better to wear.
It keeps raining, our sandwiches inside our backpacks are soaked with water, so we decide to take refuge in the only open restaurant and one that looks very interesting. It's called Agorà, it's right in the village square. To offer maximum hospitality, Agorà offers an abundant and exquisite appetizer that includes tastings of everything to do with the most typical products of our area, from cheeses to cold cuts, to prosciutto, to seasonal little fritters, to vegetables preserved in extra virgin olive oil, all the way to the goodness of peasant-style potatoes. ((more than 10 portions, all delicious))
We follow with 2 typical first courses seasoned with seasonal sauces and mushrooms, arriving at the meats of kid, veal, pork cooked on the embers, and to finish more veal tripe, wild boar with our local flavors, chops and meatballs, pork rinds with beans, kid's heads baked in a wood-fired oven.) We can only say that it was a delight to sit in that restaurant and savor all these well-prepared specialties. You can't imagine the price we paid — only €130.00 for 5 people including also 3 bottles of excellent red wine, water, and coffee!!!
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Final tips Venturing into the Gole del Raganello is surely a beautiful experience rich in emotions, but you must keep in mind that there is no help and that difficulties exist, so it's better to make sure of good weather conditions and to leave the gorges during hours when there's still light to illuminate the return path. The danger is getting stuck all night between the cold and with nothing to eat.
Stream between smooth mossy rock walls, pebbles and green trees above
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