Walking along the Calabrian Royal Road

The first stop for those who choose to follow the Calabrian Royal Road in the region is the medieval village of Laino Borgo, in the heart of Pollino National Park and the Lao River Valley Nature Reserve. It is one of the most popular destinations for outdoor enthusiasts who, in addition to hiking, wish to experience the thrill of rafting in Calabria and river excursions. The historic centre of Laino Borgo, among the smallest in Italy, recalls the notable passage of the Lombards through Calabria, along the ancient Capua–Regium route (later known as the Calabrian Royal Road). It also offers visits to the Chiesa Madre del Santo Spirito (Mother Church of the Holy Spirit) and the Sanctuary of Our Lady "dello Spasimo", also known as the Sanctuary of the Chapels, one of the Marian shrines venerated in Calabria.Laino Borgo is one of the places to visit during the Easter rites, when the Good Friday "Giudaica" takes place, the long procession of participants that stages the Passion of Christ.

The second stage of the walk along the Calabrian Royal Road is the town of Campotenese, a hamlet of Morano Calabro. This place is known as the "Provence of Calabria", do you know why? If you visit in summer, between late June and late August, the scent and purple hues of the fields immediately reveal why: you are at the heart of the Campotenese Lavender Park, one of the major lavender-growing areas in southern Italy. Here grows a distinctive species of lavender native to Calabria, Lavanda loricata (whose name recalls the Pino Loricato (Bosnian pine), the symbol of the Pollino National Park), also known as "Loricanda". The visit makes it possible to admire around 60 varieties within a single-species botanical garden, each presented with clear and accessible explanations for enthusiasts. Posting a photo with your own bunch of Loricanda is a must!

From Campotenese to the historic centre of Morano Calabro, the third stopover on the Calabrian Royal Road, the stretch is a rather rough but short. Among the Most Beautiful Villages in Italy, Morano Calabro is known as the Pollino Nativity Scene, both for its distinctive medieval layout – which rises from the ancient San Nicola quarter up to the ruins of the Morano Calabro Norman-Swabian castle – and for the famous Living Nativity of Morano, which each year brings Christmas to life with hundreds of participants. The yellow-and-blue majolica tiles of the dome of the Church of Saint Mary Magdalene, mark the town's main religious building. Inside, it houses a precious Madonna of the Angels by Antonello Gagini (1505) as well as the Chapel of Saint Sylvester. Not to be missed are the Museum of the History of Agriculture and Pastoralism and the Pollino Il Nibbio Naturalistic Studies Centre. Did hiking along the Calabrian Royal Road whet your appetite? We recommend trying the village’s signature dish: Stoccu e Patèni, a delicious stockfish with potatoes and dried peppers (crùschi).

The itinerary along the Calabrian Royal Road concludes in the city of Castrovillari, aptly known as the "Capital of Pollino" and the "City of Carnival", home to the region's most important Historical Carnival. The historic centre coincides with the ancient Cìvita quarter, which is home to the monumental Aragonese Castle, designed by the military engineer Francesco di Giorgio Martini; the thirteenth-century Franciscan Protoconvent, founded by Pietro Cathin and now the city's main multifunctional hub for culture and the arts (home to the SiMuCCà – Castrovillari City Museum System); and the Church of Saint Joseph, Castrovillari (16th century), whose interior features a sixteenth-century fresco of the Madonna of Constantinople and two important paintings. Beyond the carnival season, Castrovillari also hosts a major spring event, the Primavera dei Teatri festival, dedicated to contemporary theatre, as well as the International Folklore Festival  in the summer, during which a summer edition of the Carnival is also held.