canyon exploring with Michele Angileri

Canale Nocilli

The Canyon of Raganello is among the greatest and more interesting natural phenomena featuring the Pollino National Park. The canyon is made of two separate parts. The first is called Gola di Barile, the second Gola del Raganello. Both open their paths amidst giant rocky mountains called Timpe.
A few little streams get into the two canyons of Raganello from their walls. These tributaries have their own little vertical canyons, with uninterrupted waterfalls sequences separated one another by potholes. The two longest and more interesting among these vertical canyons are called Grimavolo and Caccavo.

Canale Nocilli goes down very steeply into Raganello Canyon. The confluence is situated a few hundred meters before Ponte d'Ilice (one of two ancient bridges over the canyon). Confluence consists in a very short vertical canyon, whose erosion forms are much like Grimavolo. After having descended Canale Nocilli it is needed to go through a part of Raganello Canyon too. All told this descent is nice and gratifying though not hard as other Raganello's tributaries. Moreover shuttle is not needed and time required is half a day overall.

The perfect descent for those who want to taste the environment of Raganello canyon and its tributaries without having much to think and plan.

I remember ...

I did the lunch for August 15th feast at home with family, and it was plentiful. Then I thought to use exploration of Canale Nocilli as a digestive! I spent a wonderful afternoon, my stomach felt very good, I did photographs (I never do them while exploring) and placed 2 bolts by hand at the start of each rappel ... :-)

Photographs in this website show ultralight ropes (6 mm ropes made of high tenacity fibers). Read multimedia book Ultralight ropes canyoning technique to learn how to use them.

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