Calabria on foot from Pollino to the Strait, along the stages of the Italian Path. Mission impossible? No, far from it! The company has succeeded perfectly and it has been achieved Angelo Gigliotti, research engineer of the Cnr. From one forest to another, passing through ancient villages and old refuges: the crossing on foot of Calabria, along its mountainous ridge, lasted 24 days. Almost a month in which there was no shortage of difficulties, including the August storms but, Angelo Gigliotti, he certainly did not lose heart. The researcher is 41 years old and was born in Decollatura, in the Reventino mountains in the province of Catanzaro.
He graduated from Unical and then followed several specialization courses in Portugal, Germany and Spain. He works for the National Research Center atMonterotondo Institute of Environmental Engineering and Geoengineering in Rome but, for some time now, he has decided to return to his country in Calabria. In fact, it was in Decollatura that he started the volunteer project Discovering Reventino which aims to enhance the naturalistic resources of the place. Especially the beauty of the mountain.
Calabria by Angelo Gigliotti
From the Pollino mountains to the peaks of the Aspromonte, the engineer walked for almost a month along the Calabrian stretch of the Italian Alpine Club Cai (Italian Alpine Club) path. The Calabrian section of the Sentiero Italia consists of 31 stages, a total of 570 kilometers long. A route that touches national parks and protected areas, shelters and ancient villages. "Traveling on foot is not just a passion but a modus vivendi, a mindset". Thus the scholar of the National Research Center who also has the qualification as an environmental hiking guide.
“Walking on foot you get to know the places, the people who live there - underlines Gigliotti - You relate to a world that is completely different from our everyday universe. Traveling on foot allows you to reconnect with places we have forgotten or have never visited". “Walking through the mountains - explains Gigliotti - allows you to relate to the most intimate part of yourself. Of course, fear is not lacking when carrying out these feats, but fear must always be preserved because the mountains demand respect! ".
Path Italy
Il Path Italy it is about 7 thousand km long and connects the Apennine chain of our country, including the mountains of Sardinia and Sicily. In 1983 the Sentiero Italia association had the idea of creating an itinerary that connected the mountain ridge that vertically crosses the whole of Italy. The stages comprising the entire itinerary are highlighted with white and red signs and with the words "YES". In 2018 the Italian Alpine Club, in full synergy with the Sentiero Italia association, relaunched the entire itinerary that crosses the entire peninsula, defining it with precision Italy Cai path.
The path itinerary is divided into 400 stages; the departure is fixed from Santa Teresa di Gallura in the province of Sassari and then continues in Sicilia. From Trinacria, the itinerary goes up the entire peninsula following the Apennine ridge and the southern slope of the Alps up to Muggia, in the province of Trieste. Sentiero Italia passes through 6 Unesco natural sites, 20 regions and 360 municipalities of the Beautiful country.
Historical information and news
On the site www.sentierioitalia.cai.it you can find information and insights on the full-bodied itinerary that runs through the peninsula. On the site you can also consult the press area with the entire archive of articles and publications which, over the years, have told the story of the extraordinary itinerary.
There are also insights and stories on the cultural, landscape and gastronomic beauties that the path offers in its many stages.
The path of villages, nature and wonders told by Angelo Gigliotti
The approximately 7 km of paths that connect the boot in a single path have many digressions on the subject: there are in fact the paths of the villages, flavors and wonders of Italy.
Without forgetting the footprints on the path. These are the different sections of a route that not only indicates inaccessible roads in the midst of woods and forests but they also focus on the many magnificent villages that are part of the itinerary. Enchanted places where many protected fauna species still live and where you eat divinely.
(Thanks to Angelo Gigliotti for granting some images regarding his crossing on foot in Calabria)
