Holiday Activities
There is so much more to this part of Italy than just sun, sea and sand! If your ideal holiday involves exploring untamed mountain ranges, admiring the wild life and discovering small villages hidden away in the countryside, you'll love Calabria. The Pollino Massif of the north merges south into the Catena Costiera mountains, dropping down to the Tyrrhenian Sea. On the eastern (inland) side, the mountain ranges drop to the River Crati valley. The Le Serre Mountains reach down to the toe of Italy, and east of Cosenza lie the Sila Mountains and forests.
The countrysideiabounds with forests, olive groves, vineyards, sparkling mountain streams and incredible views at almost every turn. The Pollino National Park is recognised throughout Europe as an area of outstanding natural beauty. Wolves, golden eagles, falcons, buzzards, hare, deer and wild boar are just some of the many protected species that thrive here. For more information on the National Park please visit http://www.asklepios.it
Bird watching, Hiking, Camping, Mountain biking: the Pollino National Park offers camping facilites, hiking, mountain biking, bird watching etc. For more information on the Park visit their website www.parcopollino.it
Paragliding: if paragliding is your idea of heaven, facilities are available in Scalea and Praia Mare - visit www.flytirreno.com and http://www.prodelta.it/menu.htm
Scuba Diving at DinoSub - Praia a Mare. The Isle of Dino - a marine sanctuary. The dive centre is on the beach at Praia a mare (2 miles from Scalea) and operates between the 15th of June and the 15th of September. The office is inside the holiday village "LA MANTINERA" at Praia a Mare. Praia a Mare also has a large aqua park, one of the largest in Italy.
Snorkelling - there are lots of interesting sites in Scalea and the surrounding coastline.
Horse riding, tennis, water skiing, windsurfing are also available in the immediate vicinity. The La Bruca Riding Centre is located 2 miles south of Scalea and pony trekking is available in Santa Domenica de Talao.
Skiing - about one and a half hours drive from Scalea are Calabria's main Ski resorts. These are in the Sila Grande which is near Cosenza. There are three resorts, Camigliatello Silano 1400m , Lorica 1350-1920m, and Ciricilla 1400-1500m.
Canoeing and Water Rafting are very popular activities on the famous white waters of Fiume Lao. The Canoeing and Rafting Office is located on Via Lauro.
