The
Sila (or
Italian:Italian is a Romance language spoken by about 60 million people in Italy, and by a total of around 70 million in the world. In Switzerland, Italian is one of four official languages. It is also the official language of San Marino, as well as the primary language of Vatican City...
La Sila) is the name of the
mountainousA mountain range is a chain of mountains bordered by highlands or separated from other mountains by passes or valleys. Individual mountains within the same mountain range do not necessarily have the same geology, though they often do; they may be a mix of different orogeny, for example volcanoes,...
plateauIn geology and earth science, a plateau, also called a high plain or tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting of relatively flat terrain...
and historic region located in
CalabriaCalabria , in antiquity known as Bruttium, is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of the Italian peninsula. It is bounded to the north by the region of Basilicata, to the south-west by the region of Sicily, to the west by the Tyrrhenian Sea, and to the east by the...
, southern
ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
. It occupies part of the provinces of
CrotoneThe Province of Crotone is a province in the Calabria region of Italy. It was created in 1996 out of part of the Province of Catanzaro. The capital is the city of Crotone.It has an area of 1,717 km², and a total population of 172,970...
,
CosenzaThe Province of Cosenza is a province in the Calabria region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Cosenza.It has an area of 6,650 km², and a total population of 733,797 . It is the biggest Calabrian Province...
and
CatanzaroThe Province of Catanzaro is a province of the Calabria region, in Italy. The city of Catanzaro is capital both of the province and of the region....
, and is divided (from north to south) into the
Sila Greca,
Sila Grande and
Sila Piccola ("Greek", "Greater" and "Lesser Sila", respectively) sub-ranges. The highest peaks are the Botte Donato (1,928 m), in the Sila Grande, and Monte Gariglione (1,764 m) in the Sila Piccola.
The Sila houses the eponymous National Park, the Parco Nazionale della Sila, formerly called National Park of Calabria and created in 2002.
The first known settlers of the Sila plateau were the
BruttiiThe Bruttii , were an ancient Italic people who inhabited the southern extremity of Italy, from the frontiers of Lucania to the Sicilian Straits and the promontory of Leucopetra, roughly corresponding to modern Calabria....
, an ancient tribe of shepherds and farmers.
The
Sila (or
Italian:Italian is a Romance language spoken by about 60 million people in Italy, and by a total of around 70 million in the world. In Switzerland, Italian is one of four official languages. It is also the official language of San Marino, as well as the primary language of Vatican City...
La Sila) is the name of the
mountainousA mountain range is a chain of mountains bordered by highlands or separated from other mountains by passes or valleys. Individual mountains within the same mountain range do not necessarily have the same geology, though they often do; they may be a mix of different orogeny, for example volcanoes,...
plateauIn geology and earth science, a plateau, also called a high plain or tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting of relatively flat terrain...
and historic region located in
CalabriaCalabria , in antiquity known as Bruttium, is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of the Italian peninsula. It is bounded to the north by the region of Basilicata, to the south-west by the region of Sicily, to the west by the Tyrrhenian Sea, and to the east by the...
, southern
ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
. It occupies part of the provinces of
CrotoneThe Province of Crotone is a province in the Calabria region of Italy. It was created in 1996 out of part of the Province of Catanzaro. The capital is the city of Crotone.It has an area of 1,717 km², and a total population of 172,970...
,
CosenzaThe Province of Cosenza is a province in the Calabria region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Cosenza.It has an area of 6,650 km², and a total population of 733,797 . It is the biggest Calabrian Province...
and
CatanzaroThe Province of Catanzaro is a province of the Calabria region, in Italy. The city of Catanzaro is capital both of the province and of the region....
, and is divided (from north to south) into the
Sila Greca,
Sila Grande and
Sila Piccola ("Greek", "Greater" and "Lesser Sila", respectively) sub-ranges. The highest peaks are the Botte Donato (1,928 m), in the Sila Grande, and Monte Gariglione (1,764 m) in the Sila Piccola.
The Sila houses the eponymous National Park, the Parco Nazionale della Sila, formerly called National Park of Calabria and created in 2002.
History
The first known settlers of the Sila plateau were the
BruttiiThe Bruttii , were an ancient Italic people who inhabited the southern extremity of Italy, from the frontiers of Lucania to the Sicilian Straits and the promontory of Leucopetra, roughly corresponding to modern Calabria....
, an ancient tribe of shepherds and farmers. After the destruction of
SybarisSybaris was a celebrated city of Magna Graecia on the western shore of the Gulf of Taranto. The wealth of the city in the 6th century BC was such that the Sybarites became synonymous with pleasure and luxury...
in 510 BC,
RomeAncient Rome was a civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea, it became one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
began to extend its sphere of influence over Calabria, Sila included. Later it was occupied in turn by the Ostrogoths, the Byzantines and, from the 11th century, the Italo-Normans. The latter favoured the creation of several monasteries, like the
MatinaMatina is a municipality in the Brazilian state of Bahia....
of
San Marco ArgentanoSan Marco Argentano is a town and comune in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy.Main sights include the Norman tower, several churches and an abbey....
, the
SambucinaSambucina is a genus of fungi in the Helotiales order. The relationship of this taxon to other taxa within the order is unknown , and it has not yet been placed with certainty into any family. This is a monotypic genus, containing the single species Sambucina aculeata.-External links:*...
at
LuzziLuzzi is a town and comune in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy....
and the Florense Abbey at
San Giovanni in FioreSan Giovanni in Fiore is town and comune in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy.-Geography:The town is bordered by Aprigliano, Bocchigliero, Caccuri, Castelsilano, Cotronei, Longobucco, Pedace, Savelli, Serra Pedace, Spezzano Piccolo and Taverna.-People from San...
, founded by
Joachim of FioreJoachim of Fiore, also known as Joachim of Flora and in Italian Gioacchino da Fiore , was the founder of the monastic order of San Giovanni in Fiore . He was a mystic, a theologian and an esoterist...
.
In 1448-1535 immigrants from
AlbaniaAlbania , officially the Republic of Albania , is a Mediterranean country in South Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Montenegro to the north, Kosovo to the northeast, Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south-east...
settled the area towards the
Ionian SeaThe Ionian Sea is an arm of the Mediterranean Sea, south of the Adriatic Sea. It is bounded by southern Italy including Calabria, Sicily and the Salento peninsula to the west, and by southwestern Albania, including Saranda and Himara, and a large number of Greek islands, including Corfu, Zante,...
, creating the so-called community of Sila Greca ("Greek Sila"). Today the communes in Sila in which the Albanian language is preserved are 30.
After the annexation to the
Kingdom of ItalyThe Kingdom of Italy was a state forged in 1861 by the unification of Italy under the influence of the Kingdom of Sardinia which is its legal predecessor State, and with the decisive help of France and Great Britain...
(late 19th century), Sila became a base of
brigandageBrigandage refers to the life and practice of brigands: highway robbery and plunder, and a brigand a person who usually lives in a gang and lives by pillage and robbery.- Origin of the word :...
. New routes were opened to reduce the isolation of the mountain centres, which was dramatic especially in winter: these included the
Paola-Place names:Italy* Paola, Italy* Acqua Paola, a 17th century Roman aqueductUnited States* Paola, California* Paola, Florida* Paola, KansasOther nations* Paola, Malta , a town in the south of Malta...
-
CosenzaCosenza is a city in Italy, located at the confluence of two rivers: the Busento and the Crathis. The municipal population is of around 70,000. The urban area, however, counts over 260,000 inhabitants....
-
CrotoneCrotone is a city in Calabria, southern Italy, on the Ionian Sea. Founded circa 710 BC as the Achaean colony of Croton , it was known as Cotrone from the Middle Ages until 1928, when its name was changed to Crotone. In 1994 it became the capital of the newly established Province of Crotone...
road, and mountain railways such as the
CosenzaCosenza is a city in Italy, located at the confluence of two rivers: the Busento and the Crathis. The municipal population is of around 70,000. The urban area, however, counts over 260,000 inhabitants....
-Camigliatello Silano-
San Giovanni in FioreSan Giovanni in Fiore is town and comune in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy.-Geography:The town is bordered by Aprigliano, Bocchigliero, Caccuri, Castelsilano, Cotronei, Longobucco, Pedace, Savelli, Serra Pedace, Spezzano Piccolo and Taverna.-People from San...
narrow gauge line (now no longer operating regularly, and only just for tourist special excursions), operated by the Ferrovie Calabro Lucane, and the
Paola-Place names:Italy* Paola, Italy* Acqua Paola, a 17th century Roman aqueductUnited States* Paola, California* Paola, Florida* Paola, KansasOther nations* Paola, Malta , a town in the south of Malta...
-
CosenzaCosenza is a city in Italy, located at the confluence of two rivers: the Busento and the Crathis. The municipal population is of around 70,000. The urban area, however, counts over 260,000 inhabitants....
rack railwayA cog railway, pens and rails railway, rack-and-pinion railway or rack railway is a railway with a toothed rack rail, usually between the running rails. The trains are fitted with one or more cog wheels or pinions that mesh with this rack rail...
, operated by
Ferrovie dello StatoThe Ferrovie dello Stato , know also with the acronym FS, is the operator of the Italian railway network. A public concern, it is a railway company of Italian state and its capital is held by the Italian state....
.
Today several centres, such as Camigliatello and Palumbo Sila, are becoming tourist resorts.
External links