Sila in winter: snow, forests and adrenaline-fuelled adventures

While in other seasons the Sila National Park is a riot of colours and scents, winter in Sila is pure magic! A landscape for the soul, often blanketed in snow, which is perfect for winter sports.

Experiencing Sila in winter means enjoying the snow in Sila, skiing and snowshoeing (day and night), wildlife walks through the woods of Sila and many other adventures that inevitably end at the table and in the villages of Sila!

Come and discover Sila in winter and the charm of snow-covered silence.

Would you like to go skiing in Sila? You'll be spoilt for choice! In winter, Sila is perfect for lovers of downhill and cross-country skiing, with a range of ski areas within the park. The main slopes are located in Lorica, in the province of Cosenza, a mountain hamlet in the municipality of San Giovanni in Fiore (1,314 m). A snow lover's paradise in Sila, Lorica offers skiers a cable car that takes them to the top in no time, to the Blue, Red and Black slopes.

With an integrated ski pass, you can also ski in Sila in nearby Camigliatello Silano, in the municipality of Spezzano della Sila, where there are two ski lifts with gondola lifts and closed cabins and two downhill ski slopes (Blue and Red). If you want to ski in Sila in the province of Crotone, Villaggio Palumbo is the place for you! The mountain hamlet of the municipality of Cotronei offers picturesque scenery, two chairlifts and a ski lift to reach Mount Gariglione (1,765 m) and its slopes with artificial snow and night lighting.

Other sports to practise in Sila in winter? In Lorica, you can try your hand at snowboarding and a fun bobsleigh run. For children and lovers of other snow sports, we recommend the Snowpark and the Mareneve Ski School in Villaggio Palumbo. Do you have a soft spot for snowshoeing in Sila? Then the right places are the woods of Sila Grande, Piccola and Greca: Fago del Soldato, Mount Cupone, Silvana Mansio and then Tirivolo and the upper Tacina Valley, Trepidò Soprano and Sottano. These are perfect places to explore with snowshoes on your feet, even over several days.

With snowshoes, you can reach the romantic Sila lakes: Lake Arvo, Lake Cecita and Lake Ampollino are among the main ones. Their snow-covered shores are perfect for a romantic winter trip in Sila.

Sila in winter is also the perfect destination for those travelling with their four-legged friends! If you love animals, don't miss the birdwatching activities and adrenaline-fuelled sleigh rides and cross-country skiing offered by the Carlomagno Cross-Country Ski Centre: located at 1,500 metres, this centre is the largest cross-country skiing complex in Calabria and one of the largest in central and southern Italy, with a mountain refuge offering refreshments and all kinds of snow equipment in Sila. An unmissable event for those who visit Sila in winter is organised here: the "Criterium Interappenninico", a crossing of Sila with sled dogs, involving international champions of the discipline.

Among the woods of Sila, in the municipalities of Taverna, Sorbo San Basile and Zagarise, there are some of the most evocative mountain tourist villages in the region, such as Villaggio Mancuso, and a series of visitor centres dedicated to discovering the flora and fauna of Sila, perfect for young and old alike: from MABOS - Sila Forest Art Museum to the Monaco Visitor Centre. Winter in Sila Grande is no less impressive! There are many fun alternatives to skiing: from visits to geological and archaeological sites to the Ship of Sila Museum of Emigration, passing through the Cupone Visitor Centre and an unforgettable ride on the Sila Historical Train, the original steam locomotive that crosses the park.

Does winter in Sila mean relaxation, wellness and good food for you? All you have to do is rely on the professionalism of hotels, accommodation facilities and wellness centres that offer the thrill of hydromassage pools with lake views, among the woods of Sila, where you can immerse yourself while sipping a steaming herbal tea. The high-altitude huts and refuges are a warm nest where you can find refreshment and typical Sila products: Sila Potato PGI in a thousand recipes, Caciocavallo Silano PDO and Pecorino Crotonese PDO melted on the grill or in first courses, mushrooms, soups and platters of Sila cold cuts.