Near the Cecita Lake, in the province of Cosenza between the municipalities of Spezzano della Sila, Longobucco and Celico, there is a pine forest with an outstanding, 25-meter-tall tree that is simply majestic.
There is also an old chestnut tree that was scorched by lightning, with a 10-meter-wide trunk, dedicated to Saint Francis of Paola, patron of Calabria. Some say it is 500 years old, which is actually possible because before the artificial lake was created – in 1951, when a hydroelectric dam was built – the heart of Greater Sila was completely covered in woods.
