Excursion to the Pollinello Vetusta Beech Forest

Did you know that in Calabria, in the Pollino National Park in the province of Cosenza, the oldest beech trees in Europe have been discovered? This is the Vetusta Beech Forest (Pollinello), declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2021.

Curious to get to know these centuries-old trees up close and breathe in the pristine air around them?

Backpack on your shoulders! Let's set off together for an unforgettable excursion to the Pollinello Vetusta Beech Forest in the municipality of Castrovillari.

Six hundred years and counting! We are talking about the oldest beech trees on the European continent, those of the Pollinello Vetusta Beech Forest, so classified by the scholars of the University of Tuscia in a research project that has supported the Park Authority and earned these centenarians the well-deserved declaration of UNESCO Heritage.

Reaching the Vetusta Beech Forest from Castrovillari or from other access points to the park is an excursion of pure wellbeing that crosses a unique territory, nestled between the peaks of Pollino and Dolcedorme.

Along the route, which is suitable for both trekking experts and amateur enthusiasts, one encounters a variety of flora and fauna that leaves one spellbound: from the Pino Loricato, the park's symbolic plant, which extends up to 2,000 m above sea level and withstands extreme climatic conditions, to the dear old beech trees.

The Pollinello Vetusta Beech Forest, more than 600 years old, is one of 94 Vetusta Beech forests recognised by UNESCO worldwide, i.e. in 18 different countries including Italy, where there are 13. Two of these are in Calabria, in the Pollino National Park.

In addition to the Vetusta Beech Forest, the Pollino Park offers dozens of ways to experience nature in close contact with nature and enjoy open-air sports activities and visitor trails.

A few examples? Water sports lovers are in rafting paradise in Calabria, which is practised in the Gole del Raganello Nature Reserve and in the Fiume Lao Nature Reserve, among the many watercourses that cross the park's territory carving suggestive gorges in the rock, also perfect for canyoning and canoeing.

Lovers of plant species will encounter a great variety of medicinal and aromatic herbs in these woods; while in spring it is customary to enjoy the spectacle of orchids, gentian violets and, in summer, the extremely rare red lily.

Are you an animal lover and want to share the experience of wildlife observation with your children?

There is nothing better than an excursion in and around the Vetusta Beech Forest to admire many different species up close in complete safety: from large birds of prey to the Apennine wolf and the typical Orsomarso Roe Deer (an indigenous species).

The more daring can hike to the summit of Serra Dolcedorme (2,267 metres), the highest in the park, to admire the 360° panorama that embraces both the Tyrrhenian and Ionian coasts.

Other unmissable excursions? The Caves of the Nymphs in Cerchiara, and the Romito Cave in Papasidero; or a visit to the historical centre of Castrovillari, the small "Capital of the Pollino" and the many villages in the foothills, some of which are part of the The Most Beautiful Villages in Italy association.