What is Spezzano della Sila known for?

Western gateway to the park, with the Cupone visitor centre, Lake Cecita and the Giants of the Sila inside the commune boundary. The 1474 sanctuary, the third monastery founded by the Paolan saint, still standing in the centro storico. The frazione at 1,272 meters with the Monte Curcio ski lifts, the commune's high-altitude side.

When is the best time to visit Spezzano della Sila?

May–Oct. May through October is the long Sila season: the lifts on Monte Curcio stop, the plateau opens up to hikers, and Lake Cecita fills with anglers and picnickers. July and August are the busiest months because the cool air pulls Cosenza and Catanzaro residents up the hill to escape the coast. September and October bring porcini and chestnuts. November through April is quiet at 800 meters and snowed-in higher up; Camigliatello switches to ski mode from late December if there is snow, while the main village settles into a residential winter with most of the seasonal hotels closed.

Where is Spezzano della Sila?

Spezzano della Sila is a comune in the province of Cosenza, Calabria region of Italy, about 222 kilometers from Reggio Calabria.

How do I get to Spezzano della Sila?

From Reggio Calabria, Spezzano della Sila is roughly 222 km by road.

Calabria · Cosenza

Spezzano della Sila

A Sila plateau borgo at 800 meters, the gateway to the national park and its high forests.

Known for

SILA NATIONAL PARK
Western gateway to the park, with the Cupone visitor centre, Lake Cecita and the Giants of the Sila inside the commune boundary.
SAN FRANCESCO DA PAOLA
The 1474 sanctuary, the third monastery founded by the Paolan saint, still standing in the centro storico.
CAMIGLIATELLO
The frazione at 1,272 meters with the Monte Curcio ski lifts, the commune's high-altitude side.

When to visit

Best · May–Oct

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

The festa: Biagio di Sebaste, 3 February

Why come

The town sits on the Presila Cosentina, twenty kilometers east of Cosenza and on the western edge of the Sila plateau. The borough likely formed at the end of the tenth century, after the Arab raids on Cosenza pushed settlement inland toward higher ground.

The commune's territory reaches well beyond the historic centre. The mountain hamlets of Croce di Magara and Moccone fall inside its boundary alongside the resort frazione, and with them a share of the national park itself: its visitor centre and wildlife enclosures, its stand of centuries-old pines, and part of the largest lake in Calabria. Snow closes the high pastures in winter; in summer the same ground turns to hiking, mushroom-gathering and grazing country. The old village below and the high plateau above are administratively one place, even though little of daily life in one resembles the other.

The Sunday letter

We haven’t written Spezzano della Sila’s letter yet.

One town every Sunday, with the photo, the food, the festa. Be there when this one comes up. Free, by Peter & Sophia from Pietrasanta.

What to see

Santuario di San Francesco da Paola
Convent with attached cloister at the head of the historic centre, the building around which the old town still gathers.
Chiesa di San Pietro
Parish church in the old village, the main religious anchor of the Spezzano centro storico.
Chiesa di San Biagio
Smaller historic church dedicated to the town's patron, part of the network of religious buildings inside the borgo.
Riserva Biogenetica di Cupone
Visitor centre, naturalistic museum and wildlife enclosures of the Sila National Park, on the shore of Lake Cecita inside the commune.
Giganti della Sila
Stand of giant larch and silver fir pines over three centuries old in the Fallistro reserve, protected by the FAI.
Lago Cecita
Artificial lake at around 1,140 meters on the Sila Grande, the largest in Calabria, shared with neighbouring communes.
Camigliatello Silano
Frazione at 1,272 meters, the commune's mountain resort, with ski lifts on Monte Curcio and a regular Sunday market.

The slow-trip planner

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Plan your trip

Through the year

What happens here

Feasts and festivals that come back year after year. We give the month rather than the date, because the date moves and the month rarely does. Check with the source before you plan a journey around one.

Sagra della Cucuzzafood festival
usually held in July. Calabria Notizie — Sagre Calabria calendario

Living here

Population 4,218
Commuter belti
Pharmacy in town
Nearest high school over ~30 minutes away
Train station in the comune
Nearest airport Lamezia / Reggio, 1 h 43 min drive
Regional capital Catanzaro, 1 h 56 min drive

Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources

Recognised as

The numbers

Elevation: 800 m
Population: 4,218
Surface area: 80.29 km²

On the map

Google Maps Apple Maps Directions from Reggio Calabria

These figures were compiled from public directories — ISTAT, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata — and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.

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