The NEW Scandinavian South

The NEW Scandinavian South

Change destination, if the Sila Mountains becomes Holmenkollen

Discover the national park of Calabria in winter, between surprises, as the
plateau becomes a paradise for cross-country and local traditions.

Al Centro cross country Charlemagne, also managed by the Municipality
Sangiovannese, is open every weekend, also is the school for school dog
sledding, with courses or a chance to try this sport. At this center you can
also enjoy cross-country skiing, with many special facilities, and hiking and
snowshoeing. From this year on, the Centre provides a shuttle service for
visitors aboard a snowmobile that allows you to venture into the plateau. An
area not only fixated on the nature, the whole encompasses and preserves
beautiful villages, craft shops and many ancient traditions.

It is worth reaching the town San Giovanni in Fiore, the land of Joachim of
Fiore, the Monaco abbot who lived here in 1110 AD. Here you will find the abbey
florense, medieval, a nave (among the largest sacred buildings of Calabria).
Striking for linearity and simple stone with which it was built has darkened
the whole length of the nave, as the look was not to be distracted to the
altar, a symbol of salvation.

One of the glories of the village of San Giovanni in Fiore is the art of gold,
continued by some shops offering reproductions of antique jewelry. The family Spadafora,
the founder was inspired by models of artisans Greek, Etruscan and Arabs in
Calabria left a sign of their passage. Today the production is made of unique
pieces, the result of high engineering goldsmith, as the precious “open
sesame”, a jewel pendant that is divided into four, to become almost
magically in a necklace style. Or the “iannacche”, composed of
fragments of filigree made with threads of gold and silver, that is given to
the mother-in-law to seal their commitment to the marriage of their sibling.

The country also boasts an ancient textile tradition of the School Carpets
Caruso. “Ozaturi to pizzulune”, the typical covered
“trappigne”, the “n’cullerata” are just some of the
artifacts that can be admired. “I wanted to learn this, to have a good
excuse to stay always with women,” joked the master Dominic Caruso, weaver
since he was a child. He was one of the few to pursue a path that began in the
Middle Ages, around the majestic Abbey Forensic, where clustered households,
who came in Sila, from the farmhouses Casentini and Marquis Crotone. Families,
hoping to ensure the protection of so abbots however while protected, were
suffering the harsh climate of the winters. From here the need to provide the
plant on the frame, both the fabrics for clothing, both to heat their homes.
The hamlet of San Giovanni in Fiore became the real capital of Sila, with
fabrics that are traded in local fairs. Domenico also carries one of the
largest art projects ever undertaken in the region: the reproduction of the
boards (20 January 2015)

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the Article online

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