Calabria · Cosenza
Laino Borgo
A village on the Lao river canyon, at the western entrance to Pollino National Park, known as Calabria's rafting capital.
Picked by Peter Benei
Letter to come
Why Laino Borgo is on our list
It holds Borghi Autentici and Città della Nocciola.
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Visiting
- Best time
- Apr–Oct
- By car
- 1 h 33 min from Salerno
- Population
- 1,683
- J9°
- F11°
- M12°
- A15°
- M20°
- J25°
- J29°
- A29°
- S25°
- O20°
- N15°
- D11°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime air temperature, averages for 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Why come
Laino Borgo sits on the border between Calabria and Basilicata. The name traces to the river Lao, itself named after the ancient Greek city of Laüs founded on the Tyrrhenian coast below. The centro storico climbs toward the castle ruins at its upper edge, looking across the valley to the Pollino slopes opposite, while the river runs through its canyon at the base of the settlement, the same stretch of water that carries the rafting trade through the warmer months.
Garlic and hazelnuts are grown on the slopes around the village, and the commune holds Borgo Autentico d'Italia status. The chapels on the pilgrimage route sit apart from this daily geography, on property outside the village proper, added to a settlement otherwise defined by its river, its border position and its castle height. What holds the place together is the Lao itself: it gave the town its name, cut the canyon that draws the rafters, and marks the edge between two regions the village has always sat astride.
How to get there
From Lamezia Terme (SUF), about 2 h 13 min by car.
Naples (NAP) is about 2 h 16 min away.
By car from the center of Salerno 1 h 33 min, Naples 2 h 16 min or Bari 3 h 16 min.
First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.
What to see
Santuario delle Cappelle (Sacro Monte)
Only Sacro Monte in southern Italy, sixteen pilgrimage chapels begun in 1557 by Domenico Longo after a journey to the Holy Land, depicting scenes from the Bethlehem grotto to the Crucifixion.
Rafting on the Lao river
Main rafting and canoeing center of southern Italy, with descents through a 200-meter canyon, launches from a wooden bridge near Piazza Navarro.
Castello Normanno
Norman castle ruins on the upper edge of the centro storico, a vantage point over the Lao valley and the Pollino slopes opposite.
Chiesa Madre dello Santo Spirito
Mother church of the village in the historic center, with a fourteenth-century San Nicola chapel preserving early-medieval traces.
Pollino National Park entrance
Western entrance to Italy's largest national park and UNESCO Geopark since 2015, with trails into the Lao river valley and the Orsomarso ridges.
Living here
Could you live here?
Laino Borgo is a village with a town close by.
- A village of 1,683, with Lauria (11,706 people) 15 min away for the shopping and a meal out. Our rule is a town within 15 minutes.
- Corigliano-Rossano, a city of 74,332, is 1 h 23 min by car. Further than our 30 to 60 minutes, a long way for the hospital visit or the monthly shopping.
The rules come from our series Where to Move in Italy, written from the places we have lived: Part 1, The End of the Road · Part 2, The Small Town · Part 3, The City · Part 4, The Postcard · Part 5, The Other Half. The towns we would pick are in Part 6, The Best Towns.
- Population 1,683, down 14.6% since 2015 (Italy's emptying towns)
- Nearest city Corigliano-Rossano, 1 h 23 min drive
- Nearest national health service hospital Praia a Mare, 16 km as the crow flies · how healthcare works in Italy
- Homes in the center: €380 to €460 per m² to buy, €1.30 to €1.80 per m² a month to rent
All the numbers Common questions, designations, lists and sources.
More about living here
- Very remote
- Pharmacy: none mapped
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Full fibre reaches 71% of homes
- Primary school in the comune
- Earthquake zone 2, medium hazard
- Lamezia Terme airport (SUF), 2 h 13 min drive, the nearest with scheduled flights
- Regional capital Catanzaro, 2 h 28 min drive
If you are moving here
Who lives here
2% of residents are foreign citizens, most often from Romania, against 9% across Italy. There are 354 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 49% of homes have no resident, holiday homes and empty ones counted together, against 27% across Italy. Cosenza province ranks 100th of 107 in Il Sole 24 Ore's quality of life ranking for 2025.
Health and schools
The nearest emergency room is in Praia a Mare, 16 km as the crow flies. The nearest major one is in Sangineto, 38 km away. The nearest IB school is Gonzaga International School Palermo, 304 km as the crow flies. The nearest school listed as international is École Francaise de Naples Alexandre-Dumas, 177 km away.
Information, not medical advice. Confirm with a professional.
Taxes
A home that is not your main one pays 1.06% a year in property tax, charged on the cadastral value rather than the price. A main home pays none unless it is in a luxury category. The town adds 0.4% to your income tax. 7% pensioner tax: this town qualifies, for someone with a foreign pension who has lived abroad for five years: 7% on foreign income, for ten years.
Information, not tax advice. Confirm with a professional.
What it costs
The average household in Calabria spends about €1,620 a month, €590 of it on food, against about €2,170 across Italy. A family of three pays about €398 a year for water, on the Calabria average. In Cosenza, the provincial capital, in September 2026, an espresso cost €1.20 and a man's haircut €20.91.
Climate and risk
17% of residents live in a zone the national maps rate high for floods. Under 1% live in a zone rated high or very high for landslides.
These shares cover the whole comune, not any one street. Check an address on IdroGEO.
Moving from abroad? Which visa you need. Sources: ISTAT, the Ministry of Health, ISPRA, the Finance Ministry, the Ministry of Enterprise, Poste Italiane, the comuni, the IB, International Schools Database, Il Sole 24 Ore, Cittadinanzattiva.
Known for
SACRO MONTE
Sixteen pilgrimage chapels begun 1557 by Domenico Longo after a journey to the Holy Land, the only Sacro Monte in southern Italy.
LAO RAFTING
Southern Italy's main rafting center, descents through a 200-meter canyon on the river Lao from spring through autumn.
GARLIC AND HAZELNUTS
Aglio di Laino Borgo, a strongly flavoured Calabrian garlic, paired with Città della Nocciola hazelnut groves on the surrounding slopes.
Common questions
- What is Laino Borgo known for?
- Laino Borgo is a village on the Lao river canyon, at the western entrance to Pollino National Park, known as Calabria's rafting capital.
- Where is Laino Borgo?
- Laino Borgo is a comune in the province of Cosenza, in Calabria, at 271 meters above sea level.
- What is the nearest airport to Laino Borgo?
- The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Lamezia Terme (SUF), about 2 h 13 min by car.
- How long is the drive from Salerno to Laino Borgo?
- About 1 h 33 min by car.
- When is the best time to visit Laino Borgo?
- Best in Apr–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 29 degrees, and November the wettest, with about 15 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Laino Borgo?
- Rivello, Aiello Calabro and Oriolo.
- How many people live in Laino Borgo?
- 1,683 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
- Is Laino Borgo a good place to live?
- By the rules in our Where to Move in Italy series, Laino Borgo is a village with a town of 5,000 people within 15 minutes (Lauria, 15 min). The nearest city, Corigliano-Rossano, is 1 h 23 min away by car. The nearest national health service hospital is in Praia a Mare, 16 km as the crow flies. Full fibre reaches 71% of homes.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
Recognized as
Landscape
The numbers
- Elevation: 271 m
- Population: 1,683
- Surface area: 57.08 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
The ranked lists
Lists Laino Borgo appears in
- The best hill towns inside a national park in CalabriaCalabriahill towninside a park6 towns · smallest 716 residents
- The best hidden towns inside a national park in the province of CosenzaCosenza provinceinside a parkhidden10 towns · smallest 352 residents
- The best hill towns in the province of CosenzaCosenza provincehill town10 towns · smallest 716 residents
Similar
Towns like Laino Borgo
What all six share with Laino Borgo: inland, away from the coast · under 3,000 people · hill towns
The letter
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