{"id":2857,"date":"2019-11-19T07:27:19","date_gmt":"2019-11-19T07:27:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/smaf-ltd.com\/wordpress\/?p=2857"},"modified":"2024-12-21T21:38:04","modified_gmt":"2024-12-21T21:38:04","slug":"vibo-valentia-the-valley-of-the-mills","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.smaf-ltd.com\/wordpress\/vibo-valentia-the-valley-of-the-mills\/","title":{"rendered":"Vibo Valentia, The Valley of the Mills"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

19.11.2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The province of Vibo Valentia<\/strong> is certainly known to most for the wonderful Costa degli Dei<\/em>. Capo Vaticano, Tropea, Ricadi, Pizzo, Zambrone<\/em>, are the most famous tourist resorts for the beauty of the crystal clear waters that bathe them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Mount Poro: <\/strong>Costa degli Dei<\/strong><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

However, Calabria, beyond its splendid coasts, has a very rich natural heritage in the form of a predominantly hilly and mountainous area, rich in biodiversity. Characteristic flora and fauna that can best be observed with a trekking path, guided by one of the local expert environmental guides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Cascade along the Valley of Mills<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This terrific trekking between nature and food and wine will take you on the peak of the Mount “Poro”.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Down from the hill of Mount Poro<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

THE MOUNT PORO<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mount Poro<\/em> can be defined as the fulcrum of the Vibonese hinterland<\/strong>. It overlooks the splendid landscape of the Costa degli Dei<\/em>, set in a panoramic position between the mountains and the sea, and is characterized by very extensive meadows<\/em> that are still used today for grazing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Meadows of Mount Poro<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The altitude, 700 meters above sea level, not being very high, allowed the development of a rich vegetation among green pastures, olive groves, vineyards and rows of poplars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Famous Mount Poro’s pecorino<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

RECOMMENDED PATH<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The excursion to Mount Poro will\nstart from Spilinga<\/strong>, a very\nwell-known location for the production of \u2018nduja<\/em>,\nwhich is located at the foot of Monte\nPoro<\/em>, just 11 km from Tropea<\/em> and\n10 km from Capo Vaticano<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Spilinga<\/em>, going along a mule track, it is possible to go up the bed of the Ruffa river<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
The seaside of Mount Poro<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is with this path that it is possible to admire precious historical testimonies and natural wonders and to arrive to the remarkable village of Soriano Calabro<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
The village of Soriano<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

THE REMAINS OF THE NINE MILLS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the trek, the remains of Nine Mills<\/strong> will appear along the so\ncalled “Valle dei Mulini<\/em>“. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their origins date back to around the 7th-10th century; during the era of the Arab invasions the mills were improved and increased and were a very important resource from the economic point of view for this territory up until the 1950s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Ruins of the Dominican convent in Soriano<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Along the way an expert guide can illustrate the rich heritage of the flora that includes both the most known Mediterranean scrub<\/em>, such as oak, elm, laurel, strawberry trees, myrtle, blackberries, wild fennel, oregano<\/em> and others. But above all very particular plants such as Mediterranean orchids, including the “orchis italica<\/em>“, also called “naked man<\/em>“. You can also observe the “Woodwardia Radicans<\/em>“, a tropical fern<\/strong> with a very beautiful and unique appearance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
<\/strong>Woodwardia Radicans<\/strong><\/em> <\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

THE RARE GIANT FERN<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This plant certainly deserves a\nbrief study. It is a Rare Giant Fern<\/strong>,\nwhose fronds can reach a length of three meters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Italy we can find it in Sicily<\/em>, in some gorges of the Peloritani<\/em> and in some areas of Campania<\/em>, but above all it is present in Calabria, on Mount Poro<\/em> and in Aspromonte<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Mill in the trekking path<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Along the Stilaro river<\/em>, near the Marmarico<\/em> waterfall, near Bivongi<\/em>, there are numerous specimens. However, it is precisely along the banks of the Ruffa stream<\/strong>, and near the Milo river<\/strong>, that more than 2000 specimens of Woodwardia radicans<\/em> grow. It is the most impressive concentration of this rare plant so far discovered in the world. The cause of this concentration is precisely the microclimate of this territory, which represents the ideal habitat of this plant. High humidity, poor direct lighting and temperatures between 10 and 25 degrees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Milo River<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A REMARKABLE FAUNA HERITAGE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also noteworthy is the wildlife, consisting of wild boar, badger, fox, stone marten, weasel, hedgehog, dormouse<\/em> and others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Sight of Stromboli Volcano From Mount Poro<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Depending on the period in which\nthis excursion is made, thrushes, marsh\nharriers, snipes <\/em>and larks<\/em> can be\nspotted at different times, precisely because this valley represents a transit\nand wintering area for these animals. Moreover, among the birds of prey, you\ncan admire the buzzard<\/em>, the owl<\/em>, the barn owl<\/em> and the kestrel<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

THE PECORINO OF “MONTE PORO”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Returning to Spilinga, it is possible to visit the local shops of typical products, like Cir\u00f2 wine<\/strong>, ‘nduja<\/strong>, salamis<\/strong>, capicollo, soppressata<\/strong>, some of them also preserved in oil, and the delicious pecorino cheese of Mount Poro<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Pecorino Cheese<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

“Pecorino del Monte Poro<\/em>” is considered by many to be the best pecorino cheese in southern Italy. The milk from local farms is made special by the essences<\/em> of the plateau, on which extensive grazing is practiced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Creamy and soft: Pecorino of Mount Poro<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This cheese, protected by the special mark “DOP<\/strong>,” represents a local excellence that differs from other similar products due to some precautions during the production process, by the traditional processing and, finally, by the special aging techniques of this genuine cheese…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

19.11.2019 The province of Vibo Valentia is certainly known to most for the wonderful Costa degli Dei. Capo Vaticano, Tropea, Ricadi, Pizzo, Zambrone, are the most famous tourist resorts for the beauty of the crystal clear waters that bathe them. However, Calabria, beyond its splendid coasts, has a very rich natural heritage in the form … Continue reading Vibo Valentia, The Valley of the Mills<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2860,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,9],"tags":[67,13,15,16,19,68,91,29,30],"class_list":["post-2857","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food-culture-company","category-mediterranean","tag-ancient","tag-authentic","tag-calabria","tag-calabrian","tag-culture","tag-history","tag-italiantaste","tag-italy","tag-mediterranean"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smaf-ltd.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2857","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smaf-ltd.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smaf-ltd.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smaf-ltd.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smaf-ltd.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2857"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.smaf-ltd.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2857\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3219,"href":"https:\/\/www.smaf-ltd.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2857\/revisions\/3219"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smaf-ltd.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2860"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smaf-ltd.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2857"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smaf-ltd.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2857"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smaf-ltd.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2857"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}