The little train of the Sila: narrow gauge from Camigliatello to San Nicola

There is a Calabria that almost no one seeks out: the mountain one, made of larch pines, high meadows and silence. While the coasts fill up, the Sila plateau stays out of the way, and the finest way to discover it is to climb aboard the little train of the Ferrovie della Calabria, a narrow-gauge line that survives today as a tourist route. It is not a comfortable, fast train: it is slow by choice, and precisely for that reason it offers a point of view you would never get from a car.

The train journey

The journey usually starts from Camigliatello Silano, a hamlet of Spezzano della Sila, a small holiday station immersed in the woods. From here the train climbs calmly, following the old route towards San Nicola-Silvana Mansio, one of the highest railway stations in Europe. The climb passes through dense pine forests, clearings and stretches where the woods open to reveal the pastures. It is a route short in kilometres but rich in landscape, meant to be savoured with the window open.

Lakes and Giants

Everything else on the plateau revolves around the railway. A short distance away lies Lake Cecita (or Mucone), an artificial basin set among the wooded hills, a starting point for walks and for visiting the area of the Sila National Park. To the south you reach Lake Arvo, around which the holiday village of Lorica spreads out, an ideal base for those who want to alternate the train with a day on the lake or on the trails. Not far off lies the reserve of the Giants of the Sila at Fallistro, a wood of towering centuries-old larch pines and maples, among the most celebrated monumental trees of the South: a short walk, suitable for everyone, that alone is worth the climb up to altitude.

Getting there

To get here it is best to have a car as far as the Sila: Camigliatello is reached from Cosenza, climbing up towards the plateau, and Cosenza in turn is connected by the motorway and by the national railway. Once up there, the little train becomes the centrepiece of the day, but to move between the lakes and villages (Camigliatello, Lorica, San Giovanni in Fiore) a car remains useful, because internal public transport is limited and geared more towards residents than tourists. Important: the tourist railway runs only on certain days and periods of the year, so always check the calendar and book before heading up to altitude.

When to go

The season I suggest is high summer, July and August, when the plateau is a cool escape from the heat of the coast: while the shoreline is crowded, up here you find mild temperatures, green meadows and fragrant woods. October is the other precious window: the foliage tints the beech woods and clearings, the air is clear and the few summer visitors have already vanished. In either case the Sila is not a destination taken by storm: it is frequented above all by Calabrians and the odd curious traveller, and that is enough to keep it far from the crowds.

A practical tip: treat the little train as the heart of a slow weekend, not as a mere hit-and-run attraction. Arrive the day before, sleep in one of the villages on the plateau, and pair the train ride with a walk to the Giants of Fallistro or along the shore of a lake. Bring a sweatshirt even in summer, because at altitude the evening really does turn cool, and comfortable shoes for the trails. And get yourself in the right frame of mind: up here you do not rush, you look out of the window and let the woods drift slowly by.