Reservas Bed & Breakfast a Morano Calabro: Bed & Breakfast Chalet Rocco

The 'Rocco' chalet (1100 metres above sea-level) is situated in the heart of the National Park of Pollino, one of the most beautiful and uncontaminated natural areas in Europe, able to delight the most critical of explorers. In this area there are high mountain crests, impenetrable forests and some of the most beautiful canyons in the world. Travelling through this countryside, one remain fascinated by the great variety and quality of a precious botanic garden. The chalet for its position is the ideal leaving point for excursion in the whole park area. You can fully live the emotions that this land 'Calabro Lucana' can offer in a friendly atmosphere.

Facilities: Tel.\ Fax, Internet, electronic post, satellite T.V., massage, animals accepted, expert guides.

The B.&B. is situated in a region called Calabria in the south part of Italy at about 1 Km. From the exit 'Campotenese' of the A3 motorway Salerno-Reggio Calabria in C. da Barbalonga n°99 - 87016 - Morano Calabro (Cosenza).


Between the Tyrrhenian and the Ionian sea, on the Calabria and Basilicata border is the National Park of Pollino. Its territory extends for about 200.000 hectares, in 56 communities situated in thr provinces of Potenza, Matera and Cosenza; its highest peak is Mt. Dolcedorme, (2266 metres) but its limits descends to about 100 metres above the sea-level. The residents of the 32 Calabrian communities and the 24 communities of Lucania are divided over all the territory, even above the 1000 metres but there are no more than 170.000 inhabitants. In the most internal area, where the roads are more like path, it's possible lo live by farming alone and in some villages it's common use to exchange products, i.e. eggs for tomatoes. Many people still use donkeys or oxen as means of transport even on asphalt roads. A lot of the inhabitants of the Park still live 'day by day'.
This and many other old traditions, we thought had disappeared, are still present in the Pollino where life is steady and slow, misured by dawn, sunset and the passing of the seasons.
The National Park was officially found in 1993 but its history goes back many years. In fact there are many traces of the inhabitants all over the territory. The oldest we found in the archaeological Park of Papasidero, where in 1961 a cave was discovered; inside there is a beautiful graffito figuring a 'bos primigenius' of 10.800 B.C.. Other excavations inside the cave brought about the finding of small human beings and other important archaeological remains which go back to 19.000 B.C.. Other important remains are in the Rotonda Museum. Among the many objects it's possible to admire an enormous elephant found in 1982 together with a hippo: animals that lived in the Pollino about a million years ago when a great part of the territory was covered by a marsh land with a tropical climate. According to the Garzanti vocabulary, Pollino derives from the Latin word 'Pullus' which means Marsh Land. It's therefore possible the name Pollino derives from the antique origins of a lake area. To demonstrate the religious feeling we found many sanctuaries, churches and chapels: every village has several. In particular the Sanctuary of Madonna delle Armi (Madonna delle Grotte) of 1450, and the sanctuary of Costantinopoli of VII and VIII centuries respectively of Cerchiara di Calabria and Papasidero (CS), should be seen for their numerous frescoes and the suggestive landscape.
The monasteries are other important monuments from which the history of the villages was born. The most famous is the monastery of Colloreto of 1550 on the Salerno-Reggio Calabria motorway in the province of Cosenza. Many are to be found in other villages but they are mostly ruins like the one of Francavilla, Chiaromonte (joined together by a 'lattodotto'), Carbone, Noepoli, Cerchiara, Papasidero etc. A great part of the territory, inside the Park, is made up of enormous cliffs; the rocks are eroded by water and form deep gorges. Climbing the many valleys used to be impossible but now we can, using the natural bridges formed by enormous blocks trapped in the narrowest part of the gorges to the construction of real bridges in stones and clay like the famous Devil's Bridge (unfortunately recently collapsed) and the Ilce Bridge on the Raganella gorge going back about 500 years ago. Still in use are the characteristic bridges with an iron structure and paved in wood (built about 100 hundred years ago) leading to asphalted roads. The Italian Viadotto of the 'Autostrada del Sole' on the Gorge of the river Lao, based on enormous cement pylons and 254 metres high, is one of the most modern structures worth visiting. Another spectacular 'Viadotto' is along the Sinnica road crossing the largest artificial lake in Europe, lake Senise, also situated in the territory of the Park. The Park also offers an enormous variety of natural and wild landscapes, still to be discovered. For the visitors who arrive in the park the first advice is to ask for a local guide, especially if one wants to visit the innermost places like the gorges of rivers but also for the smallest of walks in woods and fields. For the visitors who arrive in the park the first advice is to ask for a local guide, especially if one wants to visit the innermost places like the gorges of rivers but also for the smallest of walks in woods and fields. The Raganello gorge is worth visiting together with the Lao river which hides a lot of secrets and wonderful waterfalls which are only possible to be seen in canoes or rubber dinghies. On foot it's possible to see other beautiful streams like the Peschiera, the Frido, the Argentino etc.. Again on foot and guided by experts you can't renounce a visit to the Loricati pines (symbol of the Park) which are 1700-2000 metres above the sea-level. It's easy to lose ones bearing because the pathways have no signs and the distances are enormous. Of course there are other thing to find and do in the Park. Visit it without pretending too many commodities; it gives an idea of living in a 'corner of Paradise'.

The B.&B. is situated in a region called Calabria in the south part of Italy at about 1 Km. From the exit 'Campotenese' of the A3 motorway Salerno-Reggio Calabria in C. da Barbalonga n°99 - 87016 - Morano Calabro (Cosenza).


Distance from the sea: 30 minutes from the Ionian Sea and 40 minutes from the Tyrrhenian Sea.