itineraries

Villa Hermosa

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ON LINE TOURIST GUIDE

THE GULF OF SQUILLACE
Discover the legend of Ulysses

Stilo is one of the most beautiful and interesting destinations for history and art that Calabria claims, belonging to the so-called Byzantine villages. Stilo is the city of Tommaso Campanella and the Catholic, jewel of Byzantine art, that is a masterpiece of Southern Calabria.
The position on which stands Stilo is in itself a great show.

In fact, the ancient village is situated in the tufa stone, above a hillside with olive trees and vines, certainly far from the original oriental appearance of the 10th century, when the town was the leading center of Byzantine southern Calabria. At that time, Stilo welcomed the Basilian monks and the hermits who lived in the caves and built the Catholic, witness of Oriental art, jewel of Byzantine architecture.

Who reachs the Hermitage of Monte Stella, along the road from Pazzano to Stilo, is significantly affected by the place, an abyss in the bowels of the earth where for two centuries the Hermits lived in contemplation, prayer, and mortification. The Sanctuary is nothing more than a natural cave in the mountainside. It is accessed down a long staircase (62 steps) carved into the stone. In the Sanctuary there are, in addition to the statue of the Madonna, the paintings of the Immaculate Conception, the Holy Trinity, the Adoration of the shepherds.

Marmarico's Waterfalls They are the highest waterfalls of the southern Apennines and Calabria (114 meters). They are located in the upper course of the Stilaro river. The surrounding area has the same name as the waterfalls, below it there is a small lake. The Waterfalls are in the municipality of Bivongi. They have the recognition of "Italian Wonder"

Nardodipace's Megaliths In the Calabrian Serre : The Mystery of the Sea People Near Nardodipace, a mountain village near Serra San Bruno, were found megalithic buildings that stand on top of a plateau, close to the highest peak of the Serre.

It is argued that these megaliths have belonged to the ancient Pelasgian civilization, dating from the Bronze Age and the Iron Age, and that the site represents, given the altitude, a place of worship.

Charterhouse of Serra San Bruno Established between 1090 and 1101 by Bruno of Cologne, the Charterhouse is the first Carthusian monastery in Italy. It was originally built in Gothic style, restored at the end of '500 by Palladio, subject to further changes in sec. XVI and XVIII, and when it was destroyed by an earthquake in 1783, it was rebuilt in the late 800. In a wing accessible through a separate entrance it
was established a Museum

Squillace and its ceramics Squillace is located 344 meters S.L. about 5 km away from the sea, on the coast, a strategic point already ancient times for its central location, overlooking the bay from which it takes its name. During the Middle Ages, Squillace followed the fate of many other coastal Calabrian towns, suffering the Saracen invasions and Longobard, who led the inhabitants to take refuge in the nearby hills. The art of working with clay developed very likely in Skilletion in the Magna Grecia, being passed down to our times. Currently in Squillace you can see skilled craftsmen at work who manage to forge masterpieces of high artistic value and of great cultural significance, as they represent the continuity of a craft and an art collection that make Squillace a point of reference in the field of the potter production.

Archaeological Park of Roccelletta The excavations have so far revealed structures from the Roman era such as the theater and the forum, and a church of Norman origin dating back to 1060 AD. They are not yet emerged wall structures of the Greek city of Skylletion, due to the overlap of the Roman city, but they are founf many ceramics of the sixth, fifth and fourth centuries BC Better-documented are the archaeological evidence of Roman times. A route with explanatory panels guide the visitors on a path leading from the entrance to the imposing ruins of the first Norman basilica of Santa Maria della Roccella (eleventh century AD).

The Castles of Isola Capo Rizzuto Located along the Ionian coast, this castle was built in 204 BC, when Hannibal lived in this area The castle was inhabited by Arabs and Aragonese. The uniqueness of The Castles is the location: it is built on a small island connected with the mainland by a thin strip of land.

Formerly Le Castella was not the only castle in the area, and the name is just to indicate that the fortifications were more than one.

Sersale's Dark Valleys Beautiful and suggestive places are the main features of the entire area of the Dark Valleys. The wilderness of the canyons and the gorges, the charm of the waterfalls and the streams with crystalline waters, the extraordinary richness of flora and fauna, the mystery of the ancient legends related to the past of the towns and villages of the district enchant the visitor.

Stilo and "The Catholic"

Monte Stella's Sanctuary

Marmarico's Waterfalls

Nardodipace's Megaliths

Serra S.Bruno's Charterhouse

Squillace and its ceramics

Roccelletta's Archaeol. Park

Sersale's Dark Valleys

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