Baroness Ghost Trail

The route is circular, mostly on a dirt road with an uneven gradient. It’s the perfect itinerary for spending a day in the woods and enjoying landscapes of extraordinary beauty. The site, designated as a SCI (Site of Community Importance), is set against an exceptional backdrop: Lake Lacina, an artificial reservoir that serves as a major hub of biodiversity and plays a significant role in preserving the native ecotypes of this area. Take Provincial Road 43, which starts in the town of Brognaturo and heads toward Guardavalle. As you ascend, you’ll reach a right-hand curve where you can park your car in a small clearing on the left side of the road, near the signage—present along the entire route and carefully marked by the Serre Regional Nature Park—from which the trail begins. Once the hike begins—along an easy trail with natural terrain through a forest of pines, beeches, and silver firs—you can immerse yourself with all your senses to fully enjoy this experience. The colors, typical of the various seasons, paint a particularly evocative and relaxing scene. Must-see stops include Baroness Scoppa’s castle and the picturesque lake, which you’ll walk along the most scenic shore. There, in addition to a picnic area, the lucky few may encounter what makes this site significant at the EU level: the presence of rare or endemic hygrophilous plant communities. In fact, it is home to the only population in Calabria of *Menyanthes trifoliata* (water butterbur), as well as flora and fauna of high naturalistic value, such as the “ghost of the woods,” the wildcat (Felis silvestris), and Bombina pachypus, the hooting toad.The wolf is also present, sitting at the top of the food chain, but the area is also home to the hare, the wild boar, and the Italian red deer (recently reintroduced by the Parco delle Serre), as well as aquatic birdlife such as the gray heron and the great crested grebe.