Sila, the mountainous plateau that constitutes the green heart of Calabria, has always been the destination of choice for skiers from Puglia, Sicily, and Basilicata, but it is now being more and more appreciated for its valuable offer in the food and wine tourism sector.
Hospitality and catering are growing more and more in connection with the surrounding nature and the raw materials it offers, and, in this sense, Sila is a land of records. Not only it is the largest plateau in Europe, it has extremely clean air and old giant trees, as well as being among the regions with the most native grape varieties, the producers of which joined forces in an important consortium, ‘Terre di Cosenza’. Moreover, it houses one of the highest vineyards in the continent, where, at 1230 meters above sea level, Demetrio Stancati and Flaviana Bilotti grow Chardonnay grapes to produce their dry sparkling white wine with the traditional method named ‘AltaQuota‘ (High Altitude). There are also rumors that in the near future someone will also start producing a high-quality gin.
In restaurants like ‘Aquila & Edelweiss’ or ‘Tavernetta’ owned by the D’Amico and the Lecce family respectively, younger generations bring new energy and novelty integrating them with the passion for their traditions inherited from their families. For the Grillo family, for example, pastoralism has been the family affair for 4 generations and now in their ‘Biò Farm’ agritourism – where sheep and goats flock to the local breeds of cattle and pigs reared in the semi-wild state – the restaurant offers dishes made with ingredients coming from the family own land (wheat, potatoes, dairy products, etc.).
Ilona Catani Scarlett