Valle Infernale is a name that makes a rider sit up, and Aspromonte, the mountain mass of Calabria's far south, does live up to it in its way. The nearest villages are small: Africo Vecchio, a few kilometres away, and Bovalino Superiore, a hill town above the coastal town of Bovalino.
Africo Vecchio is a ghost town, and its story explains a lot about Calabria. The old village clung to a ridge in the mountains, poor and isolated, and after floods in October 1951 the people were moved down to the coast and the old houses were abandoned. Walking among the roofless buildings is sobering. In this region many mountain villages emptied this way, and the silence they left is part of what makes the landscape feel so strange and so untouched.
The riding is tough and rewarding. Roads here are narrow, steep and often neglected, with landslides, rock fall and gravel in the bends, so keep speed honest and expect no help nearby. Mobile coverage fades, and a breakdown means a long walk. In return you get tall beech and fir woods, the huge boulders of the rocky valleys, eagle country and long views down to the sea, with Sicily and sometimes Etna visible on a clear day. Spring and early autumn are the best seasons, because summer heat is heavy and winter brings snow at altitude.
Fuel is the main practical point. There are no stations in the mountains, so fill up on the coast, at Bovalino or along the SS106, the busy Ionian road, before climbing. Bovalino Superiore has a bar or two and a little life, but do not rely on a hot meal at every turn. Bring water and a spare layer, and tell someone your route. It is the kind of place that makes you grateful for a working engine.