

Montepaone - Monte la Rosa (m 700)
In the early hinterland of the Gulf of Squillace is a vantage point that guides the eye from the Ionian horizon to the Serre ridge
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From the Gulf to the Serre an exciting tour of the horizon
In the first hinterland of the Gulf of Squillace, two heights are noteworthy, Mt. Paladino (m 683), to which one ascends from Montauro and Gasperina, and Mt. la Rosa (m 709), which forms the backdrop to Montepaone, united by their exceptional panoramic views from the sea to the actual mountains, Serre Calabresi in primis.
Ascending the mountain along ancient trails
The ascent to the mountain traverses the various environments that gradually characterize the Ionian slope, from the Mediterranean scrub of the first belt to the chestnut groves of the summit. The trail ascends the valley of the Grizzo stream reserving in the beginning evocative glimpses of activities of times gone by: milling first of all, practiced in the three mills that depended on the village, and then forestry activities, imagining the mountaineers in transit over the picturesque Ciuccio bridge.
Summer temptations when the water puts on a show
The path up from Montepaone reaches the locality of Gurnale, where the Grizzo stream, which bypasses the mountain, forms a picturesque natural pool, fed by a waterfall and framed by forest. A characteristic feature of this stream is that it often finds itself bypassing large boulders, forming water jumps and pools of varying width. It goes without saying that in the warmer months the cool running waters tempt many hikers.
Notice to long-distance hikers
Mt. la Rosa is lapped on the southeastern slope by the Kalabria Coast to Coast trail, a hiking route of about 50 kilometers that connects Ionian and Tyrrhenian seas, Soverato and Pizzo respectively, crossing the watershed of the Calabrian Serre at Passo di Napoli (m 1011).