Bike experience in the Pollino National Park, Basilicata
A few weeks ago, at the invitation of my ‘brother’ and colleague Enrico Caracciolo, I joined a group of journalists and expert cycle tourists on a bike ride to explore part of the Pollino National Park in Basilicata. For the time being, the Calabrian section will remain unexplored, at least by me. Let me start by saying that, of the whole group, I was the one with the least cycling experience. In this respect, I was in good company with Andrea, the videographer from Viatoribus, who was also more or less in the same cycling condition as me, i.e. close to zero. To clarify, the tour was indeed by bike, but with electric assistance given the gradients of the Lucanian massif. The organisers provided the bikes, although some people brought their own, including the indomitable Fabrizia, a long-standing colleague with whom both Enrico and I have often crossed paths, even if this was our first time cycling together. Indeed, the only one who didn’t want to use an e-bike was Fabrizia herself, who preferred instead to come with her trusty companion, a conventional bike.
For three days, we immersed ourselves in the mineral silence of Pollino National Park, moving to the slow rhythm set by our pedals and choosing Rotonda as our base to explore one of the largest and wildest landscapes in the southern Apennines. Within the village itself, we experienced the true spirit of community, welcomed by Borgo Ospitale, an “albergo diffuso” whose fully equipped rooms embody the idea of living the village like a local, in the homes of its residents. Here in Rotonda, the journey is not measured in kilometres, but in the ability to let the mountains wash over you: its ancient roads, its boundless woods, the light that changes suddenly around a bend.
The journey begins at a leisurely pace, the bike gliding along dirt tracks, surrounded by endless meadows, gently flowing rivers and free-roaming horses. Rotonda, with its ancient charm, reveals itself amidst stone-paved alleyways and the scent of flowers, whilst Vigianello welcomes us with its bustling square, where the locals weave tales. Every pedal stroke is a breath, every step an encounter with the wild soul of Pollino. In the mystical heart of Pollino, time stretches out like a dream. The rides are spells, the landscape unfolds like a book of legends: Loricato pines stand as guardians of time whilst wild horses graze beside us in the shadow of the massif, still snow-capped at this time of year.
But it is upon entering the beech forests that the journey truly takes on a new dimension. The forests of Pollino are immense, deep, traversed by a continuous shadow that alters time and sound. In some stretches, the foliage is so dense as to completely obscure the sky: you cycle through a cathedral of trees where the sun’s rays barely manage to filter through. The wheels roll along cool, damp roads, whilst the scent of leaves and moss accompanies every climb. The silence is almost absolute, broken only by the rustling of the wind.
In the evenings, even for someone like me who didn’t cycle much, the reward was always a simple meal featuring traditional flavours – flavours we’ve almost forgotten – with the star ingredient of Lucanian cuisine taking centre stage: the ‘peperone crusco’!
This short tour ends with the discovery of a strip of land which, hidden from the masses, retains its ancient charm intact, as well as with the discovery of new friends, colleagues and travelling companions whom I hope to meet again very soon.
