SI U07

This is a medium-distance stage with elevation gain, continuing along the ridge between the Ionian and Tyrrhenian sides of the province of Reggio Calabria. From the Passo del Mercante, the route alternates between stretches of asphalt road, dirt roads, and trails up to the Casello Barca, progressing through a landscape characterized by pine, beech, and fir forests, featuring moderate ups and downs until the final stretch of about three kilometers of asphalt road leading to the Passo della Limina. This is one of the most important historic passes in Calabria, an ancient crossroads of trade and cultural exchanges among pilgrims, charcoal burners, lumberjacks, and shepherds coming from the Ionian and Tyrrhenian coasts, also marking the eastern boundary of the Aspromonte National Park with the Serre Calabresi mountain chain. The presence of a agriturismo serves as a stopping point.