Guardavalle, a village surrounded by greenery

The municipality of Guardavalle, in Calabria, is a valuable tourist destination for anyone willing to visit a place dominated by greenery. Two hamlets of the town, Elce della vecchia and Pietracupa, are involved in important hiking trails such as the Ardica hiking trail and the Assi hiking trail; the frame of these walks is a luxuriant flora of holm oaks, beeches, chestnuts and firs. The Assi river then flows into a waterfall which then creates a small basin of clear water, the so-called Gurna di Guardavalle. The built-up area of Guardavalle is ideal for a stopover between one itinerary and another, and is embellished by numerous noble palaces, such as Palazzo Salerno (from the 16th century), Palazzo Spedalieri (from the 17th century) and Palazzo San Carlo (also called Palazzo Sirleto, from the 16th century). In the lower part of the town you can find the Arc de Triomphe, one of the architectural elements that symbolize Guardavalle. Not far away, we find the church dedicated to the Madonna del Carmine: the seventeenth-century building is memorable as it houses a famous frescoed dome.