Calabria: on the sun-drenched trails of Aspromonte, every rock turns to gold.

On August 29, 1862, the Aspromonte woods filled with shouts, smoke, fire, and bullets. The Bersaglieri of the Royal Army charged against the thousands of Garibaldi volunteers, who intended to march from Calabria toward Rome to conquer it.

Giuseppe Garibaldi, the hero of two worlds, was wounded in the leg. This inspired a famous folk song, sung to the tune of a Bersaglieri march, and it sparked one of the crucial chapters in the epic story of the hero of the Italian Risorgimento. In those woods, in the territory of Sant'Eufemia d'Aspromonte, a monument commemorates the episode, marking the tree against which Garibaldi leaned after being shot.

Today, a pristine silence reigns in those woods, broken only by the occasional hiker who ventures along the Aspromonte trails to discover their rugged, unspoiled, and natural beauty. A fascinating travel destination in all seasons, the Aspromonte, the wild heart of Calabria , is a land that reveals its most scenic and poetic side in autumn. Between gorges and streams, ancient hilltop villages, and views stretching all the way to the Strait of Messina, this mountain massif that characterizes the Calabrian Apennines offers scenic trails that seem to have emerged from an Impressionist painting.

Aspromonte: How to Get There and What to Do in Autumn

Aspromonte National Park is located in the heart of southern Calabria and encompasses much of the province of Reggio Calabria. From the capital, less than an hour's drive takes you to the first mountain villages, such as Gambarie, Santo Stefano in Aspromonte, and San Luca, gateways to a world of forests, panoramas, and legends.

Autumn is the ideal season for exploring the Aspromonte on foot: temperatures are mild, skies are still mostly clear. Nature, as is typical of the season, engages all the senses: sight, with the changing colors of the treetops from week to week; smell, with the rich aromas of the undergrowth, enriched by mushrooms and chestnuts; hearing, and taste, with the clamor and flavors of the festivals in the small villages.

In addition to hiking, autumn in Aspromonte invites you to discover the many villages that dot the area: the splendid medieval Gerace , with its cathedral and one hundred churches, and narrow cobbled streets; Stilo , one of the Most Beautiful Villages in Italy , characterized by its Byzantine Catholic church; and isolated Bova , where ancient Calabrian Greek is still spoken and where you can admire splendid views. These are places where time passes more slowly and, in some cases, seems to have stood still.

Finally, in autumn, a visit to Aspromonte is enhanced by the flavours of its cuisine: the scent of bread baked in wood-fired ovens fills the alleys of the villages, caciocavallo cheese is never missing, mushrooms and chestnuts characterise seasonal recipes and, from the beginning of November, the new Greco di Bianco , the passito wine considered one of the oldest in Italy, arrives on the tables.

Three autumn excursions in Aspromonte

Aspromonte is a mountain to be discovered step by step, especially in autumn . With a dense network of trails, maintained by the National Park and the Italian Alpine Club, the massif offers experiences for everyone: from leisurely walks in the woods, accessible to everyone, to panoramic hikes to the highest peaks, reserved for those with a little more training and experience with hiking, and to multi-stage walks .

The beauty of trekking in Aspromonte during autumn is the opportunity to witness nature's transformation and the unique shimmer of the season's characteristic light on the granite rocks, which glow with golden and reddish hues. The beech trees also turn red and orange, and the wind blowing down from the peaks carries the scent of resin and wet earth.

From Gambarie to Montalto

This is the iconic hike in Aspromonte: Montalto is the highest peak in the Calabrian massif, at 1,955 meters above sea level. Starting from Gambarie , the area's main tourist center, you'll pass through a large beech forest, which in autumn explodes with the classic colors of yellow, gold, copper, and brown.

The trail follows a gentle but steady climb until reaching the ridge. The elevation gain is approximately seven hundred meters, making it a moderately challenging hike. The round-trip hike takes about five hours.

From the summit, the view is breathtaking, especially on clear, bright days: to the north, the gaze rests on the Sila and the Pollino massif, to the south, you can see the Strait of Messina and, with a little luck, even Mount Etna looming on the horizon. The descent can follow a circular route that reaches the picturesque Belvedere di Puntone Galera , where the autumn afternoon light enhances the rocky, wooded landscape.

Trekking to the Maesano Waterfalls

Not far from the aforementioned Gambarie, within the Aspromonte National Park, lies one of Calabria's most evocative natural spectacles: the Maesano Waterfalls , also known as the Amendolea Waterfalls. These three waterfalls cascade between granite rocks and ferns, creating a landscape that becomes even more magical in autumn.

The trail to the waterfalls begins at the Menta River dam, which creates a man-made lake nestled in the woods. The route follows a well-marked path, descending through beech and poplar trees until reaching the viewpoint overlooking the falls, where the shelter of the forest leads to some barren, treeless ridges. Along the way, you'll cross small streams and encounter breathtaking views, with the play of light changing with every step.

This itinerary, easier than the previous one, is perfect for those seeking a hike in nature, yet accessible to everyone. The elevation gain is limited (about 300 meters) and the total duration is no more than three hours.

From San Luca to the Sanctuary of Polsi

A longer, more challenging, and complex route leads from the village of San Luca to the Sanctuary of the Madonna di Polsi , one of Calabria's most important spiritual sites. It follows ancient pilgrim mule tracks, passing through woods, valleys, and pastures, until reaching the sanctuary nestled among the rocks.

The route, which corresponds to the fourth stage of the Sentiero Calabria walk, is moderately challenging. It takes between three and four hours to walk the outward journey alone, due to a total distance of approximately 13 kilometers. However, the elevation gain is approximately 500 meters, making an outward and return hike possible, starting early in the morning.

In addition to visiting the rich Sanctuary of the Madonna di Polsi, this trek offers the opportunity to admire a special place: the Valley of the Great Stones , an area that runs alongside the Fiumara Bonamico, through which the trail passes, and which is characterised by splendid and gigantic monoliths, true stone monuments created by nature.

The monoliths have been given fascinating names such as Pietra Cappa, Pietra Lunga, Pietra Castello, and Rocca San Pietro. Pietra Cappa is perhaps the most spectacular of the monoliths: it rises from the top of a wooded hill like an eternal lookout. It occupies approximately four hectares of land and is 140 meters high.

Stones are natural monuments around which man has left traces of history: at Pietra Castello there are remains of ancient fortifications, the Rocca San Pietro was excavated in ancient times by ascetics seeking a rudimentary shelter, near Pietra Cappa there are the ruins of a church dedicated to San Giorgio.

The route allows you to admire its contours while climbing the Fiumara Bonamico, before beginning the direct ascent towards Guardia della Mancusa, the highest point of the route, and finally Polsi.