canyon exploring with Michele Angileri

Fosso della Pigolara

The Vurganera creek originates from some valleys fed by the karst sources located at a (relatively) high altitude of an area called Pigolara. The most interesting of these valleys is called Fosso della Pigolara, but it must be said that the toponymy of the area is uncertain to the point that different topographic maps attribute this name to different valleys. Among the valleys of the Pigolara, however, this is the one characterized by the greater water flow as well as by a sequence of pools and nice waterfalls covered with mossy travertine.

Far from the roads and the villages, in the midst of magnificent woods that extend as far as you can see, Fosso della Pigolara has the right ingredients for a beautiful day of canyoning in the mountains of northern Sila.

I remember ...

In 2008 I explored with my friend Andrea Pucci what I thought was the upper part of Vurganera creek, starting at 780 m ASL. The Vurganera, however, begins much higher up, at about 1300 m ASL. Of course I asked myself if the very upper part hosted some interesting gorge, but the morphology of the places did not make me think that there were parts interesting for canyoning. To be sure I had to do a reconnaissance, but I never did it because every time I came back to Calabria I had other more promising creeks to explore.

Years passed. At last it was Saverio Talerico who did the reconnaissance in the upper Vurganera valley. As I had hypothesized, the canyoning interest of the upper part of the Vurganera proved to be low. But I had never taken into consideration the different tributary branches that make up the Vurganera, and the beautiful surprises were right there ...

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