Spells of Calabria: canyons, waterfalls and monumental centuries old trees

The Regional Natural Reserve of the Cupe Valleys can be considered among the most fascinating and evocative naturalistic sites of the whole Calabria region. With enchanting waterfalls plunged in pristine places, canyons that hide treasures of unexpected biodiversity, breathtaking views of gorges and cliffs that descend over hundreds of meters, the charm of waterfalls and streams with crystal clear waters, the numerous monumental trees and a floristic and faunistic patrimony of the highest value, the Reserve deserves a place of relief in the number of the naturalistic beauties of the Italian peninsula.

A hundred spectacular waterfalls up to over 300 feet high is nestled in a lush backdrop of subtropical type vegetation, where you can experience the unique experience of a bath in clear and unspoiled waters, fed by torrents that descend impetuously through the mountainous slopes until they reach the crystal clear waters of the Ionian Sea. One of the main attractions of the Reserve is certainly represented by the considerable presence of monumental plants, of considerable size and often of very old age. Particularly interesting are the Good Giant – a chestnut about 500 years old and with a circumference of more than 26 feet – and the Giants of Cavallopoli, centuries-old chestnut trees of incomparable beauty, among which the Giant Malandrino, a tree with a circumference of about 22 feet. The giant silane olive trees, an imposing larch pine presumably over 300 years old, the diameter of about 6,50 feet and high about 114, which dominates unopposed on a slope covered with old olive trees. Immersed in a lush and unspoilt nature, the villages and small villages that gravitate in the area of the Reserve are rich in historical and cultural evidence. 

Very interesting from the historical-mythological and cultural point of view are the ruins of ancient villages, castles and monasteries, including village Marcaglione and the monastery Santi Tre Fanciulli, and the remains of a real lost city, Barbaro. It is said that the city, with its uncertain origins and even more mysterious end, fell under the rule of the Saracens and that to free it Charlemagne had sent Orlando and other brave paladins. Enraptured by the evil spells of a witch, the paladins all died, except Orlando, who with his courage and courage managed to free the city.