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Grecanica, the essence. Sounds, voices and images of Greek Calabria
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Places to visit in Greek Calabria
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Greek Calabria’s cultural heritage
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Greek Calabria’s historic towns , villages and hamlets
Bagaladi
Set amid green olive groves, Bagaladi stands at about 450 metres above sea level, on a hill at the foot of Monte Sant’Angelo and is one of the two Gateways to the Parco Nazionale d’Aspromonte [The Aspromonte National Park. Aspromonte is Calabria’s southernmost Calabrian mountain range. The name literally means harsh mountain]. Local historians hold that the town was founded after the tenth continue
Bova
The Capital of Greek Calabria and one of Italy’s most beautiful historic centres, the origins of Bova go far back in history. The foundation of Bova is attributed to the legendary Greek queen, Oichista, who is said to have left her footprint on the highest point of the fortress that towers over the town. The remote origins of the city of Bova (Vua) have been confirmed by several archaeologica continue
Bova Marina
Situated between Capo Crisafi, Capo San Giovanni d’Avalos and the Amendolea River, Bova Marina was founded in relatively recent times as a satellite of inland Bova. The ancient port of Bova, in Greek Yalo tu Vùa, Bova Marina, became an urban settlement in its own right during the late nineteenth century, on the bay at the San Giovanni D'Avalos Cape, the Ionian Sea’s most elegant headland. T continue
Brancaleone
Costa dei gelsomini [The Jasmine Coast], Costa delle Tartarughe Caretta Caretta [The Loggerhead Sea-Turtle Coast] are two of the names by which Brancaleone, in particular, and the Ionian coastline of the Province of Reggio Calabria, in general, are known. It was precisely here in Brancaleone that jasmine plants first appeared, when they were introduced from Liguria, in around 1928. The cultivatio continue
Cardeto
In the Valle del Sant’Agata [the Saint Agata Valley], amid the woods of the Aspromonte, one arrives at the Graecanic area’s first village: Cardeto. The valley is called by the same name as the river whose right bank skirts it. Both the river and the vale bear the name of an important Sicilian saint who was believed to protect the inhabitants of the district and to whom a local church - no lon continue
Condofuri
Tarantella, the Greek language and bergamot, these are three of the elements that make Condofuri one of the most characteristic towns of Greek Calabria. Condofuri is a complex locality, a compound of several villages and hamlets, each with its own history and traditions: Condofuri Superiore and Condufuri Marina, San Carlo, Amendolea and Gallicianò. The main nucleus of Condofuri ("Condochùri") continue
Melito Porto Salvo
Melito Porto Salvo has experienced a rapid growth in population over the past twenty years due, in particular, to the fact that many people from the hinterland have moved down to the coast. During the Byzantine period, it was far less significant. Back then, it was seen as a satellite settlement of the more important Pentedattilo, its outlet to the sea. Melito (in ancient times “Melìto”) o continue
Montebello Jonico
Montebello Jonico stands at 425 metres above sea level. The historic centre has a Mediaeval layout, characterised by narrow streets, consisting, at times, in flights of steps. The village was reconstructed practically from scratch after the earthquake of 1783, but the ruins of its ancient Mediaeval castles have remained intact. As if to justify its name [literally meaning Mount Beautiful] the tow continue
Motta San Giovanni
Motta San Giovanni stands at 450 metres above sea level. The term motta [motte] once indicated a fortress, inaccessible while providing a panoramic view of the surrounding area, built on the top of an outcrop. Despite this, the origins of Motta San Giovanni are rather obscure, although the settlement seems to have developed around the year 1500, possibly after the destruction of the S. Niceto for continue
Palizzi
The SS 106 highway leads to Palizzi Marina, an ancient port that the late sixteenth-century Calabrian scholar Gerolamo Marafioti said could "easily accommodate seafaring vessels ". Porto Palizze, as the bay was called in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, still has, and not surprisingly so, a promenade that, though small, is the only one that throbs with life in winter. There is no trace le continue
Roccaforte del Greco
Called Vunì, that is, mount or mountain in Greek, Roccaforte del Greco, stands on top of a sheer-sided plateau from which one may obtain a 360° panoramic view of the entire Greek-speaking area. The village developed within the orbit of the monastery of the Santissima Trinità [Most Holy Trinity], the area’s innermost Byzantine outpost, near the summit of Atò, which, in Greek, means eagle peak continue
Roghudi
This place name probably comes from the ancient Greek Rochùdios, precipice. In the distant past, this historic village undoubtedly depended for its livelihood on animal husbandry. Old Roghudi stands at the very centre of the Amendolea River, at about 500 metres above sea level. Following floods in the early 1970’s the entire population of the old hamlet was transferred, by law, to the present continue
San Lorenzo
San Lorenzo makes an immediate impact on visitors thanks to its beautiful square, where the Renaissance-style, the mother Church and a gigantic elm play a leading role. Three hamlets belong to the territory administered by San Lorenzo. They are Chorio, Pantaleone and Marina, the last of which, as time passes, assumes greater importance because people tend to move there from the hinterland. continue
Staiti
Resting on the crest of the Giambatorio outcrop on the southernmost slopes of the Aspromonte National Park, Staiti overlooks the large valley of the Bruzzano River. The actual foundation date of the settlement is uncertain, though it seems to go back to the sixteenth century when it appears to have been a grange belonging to the village of Brancaleone, then governed by Geronimo Ruffo. It takes i continue -
Itineraries to acquaint yourself with Greek Calabria
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Festivals, feasts days and events in Greek Calabria
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Hospitality and accommodation in Greek Calabria
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Greek Calabrian products
