Cosenza Day Trip: Castrovillari, Calabria, Castrovillari, Italy (B)

An hour’s drive north, inland from Cosenza and you are surrounded by the sweeping and scenic Pollino and Dolcedorme mountains until you arrive in the sleepy town of Castrovillari.

The Ferrovie di Calabria bus line travels to Castrovillari but takes longer as it stops everywhere. Instead, take the comfortable IAS Scura line from platform 5 or 6 at Cosenza’s Autostationze – morning times: 06:30, 08:00, or 10:00 am. The bus from Cosenza takes you along Rende and the university first for around 25 minutes, until heading onto the highway and finally up the winding road to the Castrovillari Autostationze. An easy stroll from the bus station and you find yourself on Castrovillari’s broad tree-lined and paved Corso – very pleasant. You may come across the town’s coat of arms embedded in the pavement.

Bordering Basilicata and based at the foot of the mountains within the Pollino National Park – Italy’s largest national park – you can’t but help feel as if you’re in an amphitheatre of soaring mountains and stunning gorges. A fleeting glimpse from within the bus… ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).