The Strada delle Vette road (Monte Botte Donato)

However you choose to travel this road, by car, by mountain bike or on a trek of several days, this proposal is really stimulating; this route in fact runs at an average altitude of over 1600 metres. But the charm lies, first of all, in the quality...

In the heart of the Sila mountains, surrounded by firs, beeches and downy oaks, there is a road of unique charm that links Lago Arvo with the SS648 at Moccone (Camigliatello Silano).
This road (about 27 km), little used even in summer, has a single, rather narrow lane and a tarmac surface.
Although you can drive it, the ideal is instead to travel it from Moccone or by mountain bike. The net height gain is about 560 metres, while the total ascent comes to over 850 metres.
The road passes close to the summit of Monte Botte Donato (1928 m), and those who want to try the climb to this summit should set aside a walk of about 30 minutes up and 20 back, in an environment that is still very unspoilt. It is not hard to find wonderful specimens of pino loricato (Bosnian pine).
Near the summit, and roughly halfway along the route, we find the top station of the lifts (gondola), the weather station and Rifugio Lo Scoiattolo

Along the Strada delle Vette we find a great many hiking signs, very well maintained: wooden posts with lettering and waymarks freshly painted (2013).

However you choose to travel this road, by car, by mountain bike or on a trek of several days, this proposal is really stimulating; this route in fact runs at an average altitude of over 1600 metres. But the charm lies, first of all, in the quality of the environment and the richness of the vegetation, a richness that is not easy to find in the central Apennines but which is lush in the Parco dei Monti della Sila, on the Pollino and in Aspromonte.