thumb
The
Pollino National Park (Italian:
Parco nazionale del Pollino) is a
national parkA national park is a reserve of natural or semi-natural land, declared or owned by a national government, set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, and protected from most development...
in
BasilicataBasilicata is a region in the south of Italy, bordering on Campania to the west, Apulia to the north and east, and Calabria to the south, having one short southwestern coastline on the Tyrrhenian Sea between Campania in the northwest and Calabria in the southeast, and a longer one to the...
and
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...
. Comprised within the
provincesIn Italy, a province is an administrative division of intermediate level between municipality and region .||...
of
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...
,
MateraThe Province of Matera is a province in the Basilicata region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Matera.It has an area of 3,447 km², and a total population of 203,837 . There are 31 comunes in the province . The main comunes by population are:- External links :* **
...
and
PotenzaThe Province of Potenza is a province in the Basilicata region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Potenza.It has an area of 6,545 km² and a total population of 387,107 . There are 100 comuni in the province .In 272 BCE the province was conquered by the Greek army...
, with its 1,820 square kilometres it is the largest natural park in the country. It takes its name from the Pollino Massif (highest peak 2,267 m).
It was founded in 1992 and includes both natural and archaeological points of interest.
thumb
The
Pollino National Park (Italian:
Parco nazionale del Pollino) is a
national parkA national park is a reserve of natural or semi-natural land, declared or owned by a national government, set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, and protected from most development...
in
BasilicataBasilicata is a region in the south of Italy, bordering on Campania to the west, Apulia to the north and east, and Calabria to the south, having one short southwestern coastline on the Tyrrhenian Sea between Campania in the northwest and Calabria in the southeast, and a longer one to the...
and
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...
. Comprised within the
provincesIn Italy, a province is an administrative division of intermediate level between municipality and region .||...
of
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...
,
MateraThe Province of Matera is a province in the Basilicata region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Matera.It has an area of 3,447 km², and a total population of 203,837 . There are 31 comunes in the province . The main comunes by population are:- External links :* **
...
and
PotenzaThe Province of Potenza is a province in the Basilicata region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Potenza.It has an area of 6,545 km² and a total population of 387,107 . There are 100 comuni in the province .In 272 BCE the province was conquered by the Greek army...
, with its 1,820 square kilometres it is the largest natural park in the country. It takes its name from the Pollino Massif (highest peak 2,267 m).
It was founded in 1992 and includes both natural and archaeological points of interest. The park's symbol is the
Bosnian PineThe Bosnian Pine is a species of pine that occurs in the mountains of southeastern Europe, in southwestern Bulgaria, Bosnia, Albania, the Republic of Macedonia, Serbia, northern Greece , and locally in southern Italy , growing at 900–2,500 m...
, which here has one of its last remaining growing areas in Italy. Towns with interesting sights include
RotondaRotonda is a town and comune in the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. It has a population of 3,752 . It extends over a surface of 42 km² and its inhabitant density amounts to 93 people/km ²....
,
CastrovillariCastrovillari is town and comune in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy.-History:The name derives probably from the medieval Latin castrum villarum, meaning "fortress of the villas"...
,
Morano CalabroMorano Calabro is a town and comune in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy.-Sister cities: Porto Alegre Brazil...
(convent of Colloreto),
Laino CastelloLaino Castello is a town and comune in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy....
,
MormannoMormanno is town and comune in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy. It is located in the heart of the National Park of Pollino, near the course of the Lao River....
,
ScaleaScalea is a town and comune in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy.Scalea is a picturesque, little town which takes its name from its terraced lay-out an the hillside, at the bottom of the Capo Scalea promontory...
,
PapasideroPapasidero is town and comune in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy. It is part of the Pollino National Park....
,
CivitaCivita is a hilltown and comune in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy. Facing the Ionian Sea, it is part of the Pollino National Park....
,
CerchiaraCerchiara di Calabria is a town and comune in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy.Cercharia occupies the ancient site of Arponium in Magna Graecia, under the Byzantine name of Circlarium...
(church of
Madonna delle Armi). Albanian-speaking communities are present in communes such as
San Paolo AlbaneseSan Paolo Albanese is a village and comune in the province of Potenza, in the Basilicata region of southern Italy.-Geography:The village is bordered by Alessandria del Carretto , Cersosimo, Noepoli, San Costantino Albanese and Terranova di Pollino....
,
San Costantino AlbaneseSan Costantino Albanese is a town and comune in the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata....
and others. In the Valle del Mercure have been discovered remains of pre-historic species such as
Elephas antiquus and
Hippopotamus majorHippopotamus major is an extinct species of hippopotamus found in Pleistocene fossil sites in Europe and Great Britain....
.
Rivers and streams include the Lao,
Sinni, Coscile and Raganello.
Amongst the various trees of the park, notable species include
Abies albaEuropean Silver Fir is a fir native to the mountains of Europe, from the Pyrenees north to Normandy, east to the Alps and the Carpathians, and south to southern Italy and northern Serbia, where it intergrades with the closely related Bulgarian Fir...
,
Acer lobeliiAcer lobelii is a rare maple native to southern Italy and the western Balkans. Synonyms include Acer platanoides subsp. lobelii Gams and Acer cappadocicum subsp. lobelii De Jong....
,
Fagus sylvaticaThe European Beech or Common Beech is a deciduous tree belonging to the beech family Fagaceae.-Natural range:The natural range extends from southern Sweden to central Italy, west to France, southern England, northern Portugal, and central Spain, and east to northwest Turkey, where it intergrades...
,
Pinus heldreichiiThe Bosnian Pine is a species of pine that occurs in the mountains of southeastern Europe, in southwestern Bulgaria, Bosnia, Albania, the Republic of Macedonia, Serbia, northern Greece , and locally in southern Italy , growing at 900–2,500 m...
,
Pinus nigraThe European Black Pine Pinus nigra , is a variable species of pine, occurring across southern Europe from Spain to the Crimea, and also in Asia Minor, Cyprus, and locally in the Atlas Mountains of northwest Africa...
,
Taxus baccataTaxus baccata is a conifer native to western, central and southern Europe, northwest Africa, northern Iran and southwest Asia. It is the tree originally known as yew, though with other related trees becoming known, it may be now known as the common yew, or European yew.-Description:It is a small-...
and others. Wildlife include
Golden EagleThe Golden Eagle is one of the best known birds of prey in the Northern Hemisphere. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. Once widespread across the Holarctic, it has disappeared from many of the more heavily populated areas...
,
Italian WolfThe Italian Wolf also known as the Apennine Wolf, is a subspecies of the Grey Wolf found in the Apennine Mountains in Italy. It was first described in 1921 and recognised as a distinct subspecies in 1999. Recently due to an increase in population, the subspecies has also been spotted in areas of...
,
Roe DeerThe European Roe Deer is a deer species of Europe, Asia Minor, and Caspian coastal regions. There is a separate species known as the Siberian Roe Deer that is found from the Ural Mountains to as far east as China and Siberia...
,
Black WoodpeckerThe Black Woodpecker, Dryocopus martius, is a large woodpecker, 40-46 cm long with a 67-73 cm wingspan.It lives in mature forest across the northern palearctic. It is the sole representative of its genus in that region. Its range is expanding in Eurasia. It does not migrate.-Description:The plumage...
,
ChoughThe Red-billed Chough or Chough , Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax, is a bird in the crow family; it is one of only two species in the genus Pyrrhocorax...
,
Peregrine FalconThe Peregrine Falcon , also known simply as the Peregrine, and historically as the "Duck Hawk" in North America, is a cosmopolitan bird of prey in the family Falconidae. It is a large, crow-sized falcon, with a blue-gray back, barred white underparts, and a black head and "moustache"...
,
Red KiteThe Red Kite is a medium-large bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as eagles, buzzards and harriers. The species is currently endemic to the Western Palearctic region in Europe and northwest Africa, though formerly also occurred just outside...
,
Lanner FalconThe Lanner Falcon is a large bird of prey that breeds in Africa, southeast Europe and just into Asia. It is mainly resident, but some birds disperse more widely after the breeding season....
,
Driomys nitedula,
Egyptian VultureTh Egyptian Vulture is a small Old World vulture, found from southwestern Europe and northern Africa to southern Asia. It is the only living member of the genus Neophron. In Southern Asia this species is called the Scavenger Vulture.-Taxonomy:There are three recognised subspecies of the Egyptian...
,
European OtterThe European Otter , also known as the Eurasian otter, Eurasian river otter, common otter and Old World otter, is a European and Asian member of the Lutrinae or otter subfamily, and is typical of freshwater otters....
and
DeerDeer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. They include for example Moose, Red Deer, Reindeer, Roe and Chital. Animals from related families within the order Artiodactyla are often also considered to be deer – these include muntjac and water deer...
External links