canyon exploring with Michele Angileri

Torrente Licciardo

Behind the little town of Paola the Catena Costiera range rises steeply reaching 1200 m only 5 km from the sea. The moist air coming from the west causes frequent rains, and with the impermeable nature of granite and gneiss makes the range rich in water all year. This is obviously good for the streams, which have a good water flow even in summer, but also for the vegetation that grows forming the lush "Calabrian jungles."

In the valley of Licciardo creek the jungle is dense and tenacious more than elsewhere. So the jungle adds to the usual canyoning difficulties (waterfalls, downclimbings, slippery rock) making more hostile and, for this reason, more fascinating the descent.

I remember ...

The Licciardo canyon was discovered in 2013 by Piero Greco, an expert scuba-diver from Paola. Licciardo was his first exploration of a canyon. He did it alone, with genuine curiosity and no prejudices about what is "worthy" of being called "canyon". The creek was there, and ropes and bolts were evidently needed, so Piero had to learn how to do a rappel and place a bolt before trying to follow the stream. And when he found impassable jungles in the creekbed, instead of wondering (as would have done an "expert" canyoneer) if that was really worth it, Piero armed himself with a sickle and opened his way through the jungle, finding more narrows and waterfalls.
Because this is the nature of the places and this is how we must deal with it and enjoy it.

It was worth: Licciardo canyon proved to be a nice and interesting canyoning trail, the first ever explored in the granites of Catena Costiera range.
And although almost all the waterfalls are now equipped with bolts, the Licciardo and its Calabrian jungles remain a route for true enthusiasts only!

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