Due:Distance by car: 1,40h – 135 km
The valley of the river Raganello, is characterized as a typical deeply incised river valley, with sheer cliffs over 100 meters high. This torrent creek is one of the most appealing spots for adventure and hiking and canyoning enthusiasts. In the upper part of the valley, the soil is impervious finding narrow rocky canyons and cliffs on the bed of the stream. Only in the lower part, near the mouth of the Ionian Sea, the valley opens and drops down significantly.
The Natural Reserve Gole Raganello is accessible from the town of Civita, a town on the slopes of the Pollino Massif, in whose territory is situated the famous Devil’s Bridge, which crosses the canyon of the river Raganello in one of the best and most evocative the whole valley. It is a stone bridge, suspended in mid-air, and folklore says that Lucifer himself built it.
Surrounded by a unique and varied naturalistic environment, Civita is one of the most ancient Albanian (arbëreshë) communities in Italy. Civita (Çifti in arbëreshë), founded in 1471 by Albanian families escaping from the Turks, was built on a pre-existing ruined town (Castrum Sancti Salvatoris) that had been destroyed by a violent earthquake in 1456.
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