Lacina-Lu Bellu
We follow a path that will allow us to immerse ourselves in stupendous forests of beech and fir among which are truly extraordinary specimens that soar skyward drawing rosettes of leaves, light and shadow.
Route info
MUNICIPALITIES AFFECTED: Brognaturo (VV), Serra San Bruno (VV), Stilo (RC)
DEPARTURE: Lacina, Brognaturo (VV)
ARRIVAL: Casermetta “Lu Bellu,” Serra San Bruno (VV)
ROUTE TIME: about 4 hours
DISTANCE: 5 miles
DEVELOPMENT: 237 m
MAXIMUM ALTITUDE: 1,277 m above sea level.
MINIMUM AL TITUDE: 1,040 m above sea level.
DIFFICULTY: medium
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Description
When you arrive in Brognaturo (VV), follow on SP 43 toward Lacina. When you reach the basin that houses Lake Alaco and immediately after the fork leading to the dam of the same name, turn right onto a dirt road. From this point, having left the car, proceed following the uphill road that, having passed some cultivated terraces and a pond on the left, reaches a clearing. Omitting the detour to the right, we continue with a series of hairpin bends. This first part is completely uphill, but we can quench our thirst at a fountain and admire enchanting granite outcroppings silhouetted here and there among the beech trees. After about 2 km from the start you come to a clearing with fir and wild apple trees. We follow the road for about another kilometer, avoiding the detours, until we reach an oblong clearing that immediately on the right presents a fir tree at the foot of which is a small milestone: locality “Pomara.” From this point we take the road that descends to the ancient pass, located in a saddle between localities “Pomara” and “Pietra del Caricatore,” known as “Croce di Panaro,” recognizable precisely by the presence of a wooden cross on the left. We continue opposite by taking the road to the right from “Croce di Panaro.” The trail now has a short uphill section with a large fir tree on the right and a milestone on the left. Past the top, you descend again to a small clearing, a trivium. We take the road in front of us on the right. An uphill section begins that will take us to the next fork. We abandon the section that continues uphill toward “Pietra de lu Mora” and Pecoraro and bend to the right. The small road now follows the side of the relief and is affected by other beautiful fir trees, a wetter bottom due to the presence of spring water, and a stream. This short stretch will lead us to join the road, also a dirt road, that descends from “Triangle” locality. The last section of our route begins, completely downhill, which in about 30 minutes will take us to the “Lu Bellu” barracks. Just before arriving, if we turn left (there is an appropriate sign), in just 5 minutes we can reach the impressive granite quarry known as “Pietra di l’Ammienzu.”
CARDAMINE QUITABELII
If we walk this route from April to late May, we may see a plant typical of damp, shady beech forests and on occasion, albeit rarely, chestnut groves. This is Cardamine Quitabelii, an herbaceous perennial plant up to 60 cm tall. It is easy to recognize by its serrated leaves and, above all, by its flowers: white with ray symmetry that gather in the terminal part of the plant in corymbs or racemes. Cardamine leaves and flowers were once used in cooking for omelets or soups. The genus name (Cardamine) may be derived from two Greek words: Kardia (heart) and Damao (tame), this is because in ancient times it was believed that plants of this type possessed certain medicinal (cardiotonic) properties.
BOAR
Much is made of this animal, a hunter’s delight and a plague on agriculture. The wild boar had disappeared from more Italian regions soon after World War II. To cope with the rarefaction of the ungulate, a massive restocking effort was begun using a species from Eastern Europe, however. The new species, which is larger, more robust and more prolific than the original Calabrian strain, has, along with other factors, led to the current critical situation, especially for certain types of crops. An animal with crepuscular and nocturnal habits, during the day it rests lying in holes in the ground, which it digs with its snout and hooves, and among bushes. They are social animals that live in groups, each occupying an area of about twenty square kilometers. Remember: wild boars have aggressive temperaments.
FOMES FOMENTARIUS
Along the way we will come across a curious mushroom that spirally lines the trunk of a tree. It is an inedible pest because it is woody. Grows on broadleaf trees, both living and dead, in summer-autumn. Its shape is shelf or plinth. The color of its parts varies, depending on the stage of maturity of each. Fomes Fomentarius is known as a decoy mushroom because mixed with saltpeter it was the most effective solution for lighting fires. Was it for this purpose that Otzi, the famous mummy discovered in 1991, carried it, or because he had discovered the usefulness of its flesh as a hemostat?
L'AMMIENZU STONE
Our walk continues, and after a long downhill stretch, having arrived almost near our destination, a short detour to the left will take us to admire the granite complex, in the past a place of quarrying and working for many of the stone masons of Serra, known as “Pietra di l’Ammienzu.” This complex temple of nature, surrounded by successions of trees rising like columns all around, rests partially covered by green moss. The main element of the quarry, which is truly impressive, reaches a height of about 11 meters. On some stones we can still notice the carvings of workmanship.