canyon exploring with Michele Angileri

Vallone Baronello

A great part of Sila Mounts is made of granite. But when you go through the Sila Plateau, amidst dense forests and farmgrounds, you might not realize it. You don't see rock around you, except for some rounded boulders. This happens because the granite of Sila is degraded to sand. There is no compact rock on the surface of Sila Plateau. To see compact granite you should dig a hole deep down ...

... or go where someone is digging, hour by hour, day by day: in the bottom of valleys, where water has reached the compact granite and it's carving it! In Vallone Baronello, where you find the strong compact granite and a canyon with beautiful pools and cascades.
In summer going through Baronello gives no trouble, in wet seasons the large flow-rate may force you to keep yourself outside the waterfalls ... but it will be impossible for you to forget being in Sila.

I remember ...

We planned that day would be exploring. I had located a good stream some months before, with cascades and pools in granite rock. But in the evening before going Antonio telephones me: Miché, I have in hands a newspaper article describing a canyon by Savelli. It has nice photos of cascades and rappelling canyoneers. It's called "Vallone Baronello". It has been discovered by the cavers of Verzino ... I hope it's not the canyon we planned to go exploring tomorrow
Damn ... yes, it's it. We might change our program ...
Why? I would like to go there even if it has been explored yet: looks beautiful!

Yes it was: beautiful! We went through one kilometer of canyon before meeting the cascades described in newspaper article. It had pools and a couple of rappels, and I don't know if Verzino cavers had gone through this part too, because there is a good path leading directly to the cascades described in article. But it doesn't matter: the first descent of Baronello is their one.

Bravi!

Video by Michele Angileri and Andrea Pucci

Copyright © 2002- Michele Angileri. All rights reserved.