Technical data

Municipality: Cardeto

Difficulty: T

Time required: 1.30 hours

Drinking water: Fountain near Croce Rome

Altitude: Sella Entrata (1,408 metres above sea level) – Motticella (1,219 metres above sea level)

Elevation difference: 189 metres

Times of the year: all seasons

Signposting: none

Ordinance Survey Map: Scale 1:25.000 n.e. F° 602 I Gambarie; II ST Lorenzo; III Motta ST Giovanni; IV ST Stefano.

This is an easy route along a dirt track which, for the most part, winds through a deciduous wood of chestnut trees (some of them truly noteworthy specimens) before opening up to reveal a view of the Sant’Agata River with Mount Etna as a backdrop. At the end of the valley overlooked by this track, flows the Catacino Torrent which, with the Torrente del Forno, is one of the Sant’Agata River foremost tributaries. At the foot of the Motticella peak, the Catacino meets hard rock and creates a series of waterfalls, the bedrock is so deep, however, that these are practically invisible.

Arriving by car

It is possible to reach Sella Entrata from a number of different roads: down the SS 106 to branch off into the SS 183 towards Bagaladi for about 24 kilometres; along the Reggio Calabria – Mosorrofa – Campi di Sant’Agata route or from Gambarie taking the SS 183 for about 7 kilometres.

The hike

Sella Entrata is easy to find as it stands near the ruins of two buildings at the crossroads where the SS 183 and the road for Cardeto meet. Then follow the SS 183, that takes you to a dirt track onto which you access through a barrier. This is the pathway to follow. There is only one right-hand turning that needs to be taken. Just before the Motticella peak, the trail ends but a path leads down to a sub peak which provides an even wider view.

Source: Guida Naturalistica della Calabria Greca– Alfonso Picone – Rubbettino Editore – Collana Parco Culturale della Calabria Greca