Serre Regional Nature Park

Located on the lido of Catanzaro. The park, established in 1990, includes the mountain ranges of the Calabrian Apen­nines between the Ionian and Tyrrhenian seas. The surface area is still to be defined, as is the exact position of the offices, al­though they are expected to be in the mu­nicipality of Serra San Bruno. The terri­tory encompasses an infinite variety of environments ranging from the moun­tainous areas with steep slopes and high, rocky cliffs to extended woodlands and vast highlands. The Serre have a rich wa­ter system with cascades and waterfalls and splendid vegetation of beech, turkey oak, alder, chestnut, oak, cork and Holm-oak as well as lush scrub typical of the Mediterranean areas. The park is home to wild boars, wild cats, foxes, hares, eagle owls, sparrow hawks, peregrine falcons and goshawks.

The Carriage Museum

This museum is located in the town of Catanzaro on Contrada Monte Musofalo. The collection includes 25 an­cient carriages among which you can admire those used in the film "Gone with the Wind". There are also many objects testifying to local farming and country life.

The Provincial Museum

This museum is located in the town of Catanzaro on Villa Trieste. The museum, situated in a building in the Public gardens, is well known particularly for its numismatic collection of over 8,000 Greek, Roman, Me­dieval, and modern coins. There is a particularly interest­ing collection of prehistoric flints and blades and various objects and utensils. There are also precious objects includ­ing a gold sheet with the "Ado­ration of the Magi" inscribed on it, parchments and a reli­quary crosses from 1535. Amongst the paintings in the picture gallery is the "Virgin of the Broom" by Antonello de Saliba and the "Virgin with Child in Glory" by G.B.Caracciolo. There are many paintings by 15^th century Calabrian artists

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Antiquarium

This museum is located in the town of Scalea in the province of Cosenza at the Torre Cimalonga on Largo Cimalonga, 1. Precious collection from the Greek colony of Laos, with ex­hibits of tinted and plain pot­tery.

Arberesh Ethnic Museum

This museum is located in the town of Civita in the province of Cosenza on Piazza Municipio. The museum contains nu­merous objects from country life in traditional Albanian communities

Archaeological Collection

This museum is located in the town of Girifalco in the province of Cosenza on Contrada Fra Giacinto. This is a collection of materi­al from the valley of the Caria stream. It includes votive stat­ues; vases, coins, weapons, sculptures, bas-reliefs and in­teresting documents show­ing the different phases of evolution in the lives of the people lived in the area.

Archaeological Exhibition: Fragments from the Past

This museum is located in the town of Tortora in the province of Cosenza at the Palazzo Casapesenna.  This museum houses a collection of exhibits from the Neolithic age, funeral ob­jects and pottery found in the burial grounds of San Brancato and amphorae and or­naments from Roman times.

Calabria National Park

The park is located on Viale delta Repubblica, 26 - 87100 Cosenza. The vast high plateau (1,200-1,400 meters) is home to extensive formations of larch trees in the Sila Grande area and to numerous specimens of white fir in the Sila Piccola. The park is the largest wooded area in the south of Italy. Beeches are common trees here, especially in the area northeast of the Sila Piccola, where you can find the Roncino-Buturo and Gariglione forests. In the Sila Grande, inside the woodlands of Fossiata, are the sources of the river Cecita, which creates the lake of the same name, and of the Rivers Lese and Neto. In the woods you can find specimens of wolf and wildcat, roe deer, fox, marten, stone marten, dormouse, eagles and eagle owl. In the territory of the Park between the Ion­ian Presila and the high plains of the Sila Grande, the centuries-old tradition of tak­ing the flocks to pasture is still practiced. The territory of me park includes three na­ture reserves.

Civic Archaeological Museum

This museum is located in the town of Roggiano Gravina in the province of Cosenza on Via Bufaletto The museum houses a col­lection of fossils, weapons, instruments and exhibits from the Bronze and Iron ages; vases and coins from Roman times and remains of a mosaic floor from a vil­la dating back to the 1^st and 2^nd centuries AD

Civic Archaeological Museum

This museum is located in the town of Castrovillari in the province of Cosenza on Corso Garibaldi. In this museum there are over 2,000 exhibits dating from Paleolithic and Medieval times. You can see small vo­tive statues dating back to the 5^th century BC, vases from burial grounds and rare ob­jects from the Longobardian burial grounds of Celimarro

Civic Museum

This museum is located in the town of Rende in the province of Cosenza on Via R. de Bartolo Commenda. About 3,000 exhibits docu­ment agriculture, rural life, weaving, handicrafts, religion and popular music. Interest­ing sections report the life of local ethnic minorities. In the picture gallery are works by Mattia Preti, Francesco Solimena, Giuseppe Pascaletti, Cristoforo Santanna; the mod­ern art section includes stud­ies by De Chirico, Carra, Sironi, Guttuso, and Levi.

Civic Museum

This museum is located in the town of Taverna in the province of Cosenza on Palazzo San Domenico. There is an exhibition of paintings by Mattia Preti, artists from the work­shop of Antonio and Gennaro Sarnelli and by Calabrian painters from the 18^th and 19^th centuries. Among the works of Mattia Preti are the "Cristo fulminante", and the "Preach­ing of St: John the Baptist". One section houses interest­ing examples of art in wood, graphic works and hand­made fabrics.

Demological Museum of the Economy, Work and Social History of Silana

This museum is located in the town of San Giovanni Infiore in the province of Cosenza on Abbazia Forense. The seven sections that make up this museum deal with work tools, the local econo­my, traditional production techniques; acts and docu­ments of social history; land­scape and architectural cul­ture; the culture of religion and magic; oral and music culture; figurative and iconographical culture.

Diocesan Museum

This museum is located in the town of Squillace in the province of Cosenza on Piazza Duomo, 4. Collection of elegant silver­ware, sacred objects, wall hangings and paintings and sculptures of religious themes from the nearby churches of the Diocese.

Diocesan Museum

This museum is located in the town of Lamezia Terme in the province of Cosenza on Piazza F.A. d' lppolito. This museum gathers exhibits from the territories that fell within the jurisdiction of the Dioceses of Nicastro and Martirano. You can admire 18^th and 19^th century liturgical wall hangings, the reliquaries of St. John the Baptist and St. Stephen, an ivory chest from the Arabian-Sicilian school and numerous paintings and sculptures by local artists

Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art

This museum is located in the town of Rossano in the province of Cosenza on Largo Duomo. The most precious exhibit is the "Codex Purpureus Rossanensis", a Greek evangelistary made up of 188 sheets of pur­ple-colored parchment with verses from the Gospel ac­cording to St. Mark and the entire text of the Gospel ac­cording to St. Matthew, as well as 12 miniatures representing the life of Christ. There is also an interesting W-century icon known as the "Nuova Odigitria".

Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art

This museum is located in the town of Cassano allo Ionico in the province of Cosenza on Piazza Sant' Eusebio da Cassano. In this museum you can ad­mire 16^th century paintings, wooden sculptures of San Leonardo and Santa Lucia, copper plates of German manufacture, silverware and sacred wall hangings

Eugenio Celestino Broom Museum

This museum is located in the town of Lungobucco in the province of Cosenza on Via Monad, 14 In this museum you can fol­low the transformation that the broom plant undergoes from the plant to the thread: the soaking, beating, thread­ing, tinting, and weaving. There are also examples of fabric obtained by this process.

Frederick's Castle

This castle is located in the town of Roseto Capo Spulico in the province of Cosenza. To get there by car, take highway SS106 to Roseto Marina and follow signs for the castle; to get there by train, go to Metaponto and take the Potenza - Metaponto line, then the lo­cal line Metaponto-Sibari to Roseto Marina. Visiting times: all year round. The complex was built according to an irregular plan following the shape of the rocks. The central part is a quad­rangular keep overlooking the sea against an irregular structure. A square tower and a crenellated wall towards the sea complete the structure. The main building is from the era of Frederick II but many parts date back to the Angevin period. The building, quite unusual for a Swabian castle, is made with rough-hewn, irregular stones.

Isca Rocks Blue Oasis

Located in the city of Amantea in the province of Cosenza. The surface is 6 hectares. The oasis, situated in the municipality of Amantea, encompasses the two cliffs of Isca, the remains of an ancient promon­tory, and the surrounding seabed, which reaches a depth of 23 meters. This site can be visited by boat or by diving, where you can admire the underwater flora and fauna.

Lametino Archaeological Museum

This museum is located in the town of Lamezia Terme in the province of Cosenza on Via Garibaldi. Divided into three sections, this museum provides docu­mentation on the life of the settlers in the Lamezia area. The first phase of the Pale­olithic era is represented by hand-made objects and casts of human fossils; from the second, classical phase we can see reproductions in sil­ver from the various settle­ments, and tinted pottery. The third section is dedicated to the post-classical period and displays material from the castle of Nicastro.

Middle Valley of Crati Nature Park

Located in the city of Mendicino on Via Candelise in the province of Cosenza. The surface area is 10,000 hectares The Park was created to protect the mid­dle valley of the river Crati, which flows between Pollino and the Sila. The terri­tory, inhabited and altered by man's work, preserves only in part the original vegeta­tion with willows, alders and black poplars.

Municipal Antiquarium

This museum is located in the town of Tiriolo in the province of Cosenza on Viale Pitagora, 4. The museum Holds numerous archaeolog­ical finds excavated in the nearby area dating back to the Neolithic age up to medieval times. An interesting collec­tion of coins from the Greek-Roman period.

Museum of Folklore, Agriculture and Rural life

This museum is located in the town of Morano Calabro in the province of Cosenza on Via Municipio. The museum documents rur­al life in the Pollino Calabro area and displays common-use objects and work utensils

National Archaeological Museum of the Sibaris Area

This museum is located in the town of Cassano allo Ionico in the province of Cosenza on Contrada Casablanca. The museum contains nu­merous remains from the Bronze and Iron Ages. Among the exhibits from the ancient Sybaris, there are Ionic friezes, capitals, sculptures and typical wide-mouthed vases in an up­side-down and conical shape with engraved decorations, gold jewellery and a remarkable chest-piece in silver. There is also an interesting group of statues originally from the spa theatre and fragments of a bronze statue of a horse

Permanent Exhibition of Albanian costumes

This museum is located in the town of Vaccarizzo Albanese in the province of Cosenza on Piazza Drammis, 5. This exhibition, held in the Cumano Palace, gathers an interesting collection of tradi­tional female costumes of the Albanian community living in this area. A series of pho­tographs illustrate the unusual ceremony of dressing the bride for her wedding.

San Giuseppe Museum of Sacred Art

This museum is located in the town of Rogliano in the province of Cosenza on Via Municipio. There is a collection of sacred art ob­jects among which reliquar­ies, crosses, cups and incense burners by artists from south­ern Italy.

Santa Maria della Consigliazione Civic Museum

This museum is located in the town of Altomonte in the province of Cosenza on Piazza T. Campanella, 1. Of special note among the paintings on display are: "St. Ladislav of Hungary" (part of a collection by Simone Mar­tini), two paintings by Bernardo Daddi, and the altar with scenes from the "Passion". There are also wooden sculp­tures, silverware and sacred wall hangings

Santa Maria della Roccella

This church is located in the town of Borgia in the province of Cosenza. To get there by car, it is very close to the Marina of Catanzaro, on the road to Soverato. The building, called the Roccelletta, and today only ruins, rises imposingly from the green of the olive groves. It was built by the Normans between the end of the W and the beginning of the 12^th cen­turies. Inside, five windows on each side illuminated the single nave, covered with a wooden truss. Today you can still see the brick walls and the cen­tral and left apse. The building, in a Ro­manesque style with Byzantine influ­ence, was made with materials imported from the nearby Roman colony of Scolacium.

Scolacium Antiquarium

This museum is located in the town of Borgia in the province of Cosenza on Via Skylletion This museum contains ma­terial from the digs in the near­by colonies. Especially inter­esting are the cookery and eating pottery objects, the containers for transporting goods, marble statues, por­traits and the statue of an Em­press

The Church of San Domenico

This church is located in the city of Cosenza on Piazza Campanella. Founded in the 15^th century, it was restored in the 18^th century. The facade, with a tuff rose and prothyrum and a mullioned win­dow, belongs to the original construction. Of particular interest is the 17^th century wooden door, skillfully carved with floral decorations, figures of saints and coats-of-arms. Inside, dating back to the 18^th centu­ry is a 16^th century marble altar by Giovanni da Nola. The oratory of the Rosario is also worth a mention, an elegant Baroque room with a precious, carved and gilded wooden ceiling, 18^th century canvases and frescoes.

The Civic Museum of Cosenza

This museum is located in the city of Cosenza on Piazza XV Marzo. Here you can admire remains from various areas in the ter­ritory of ancient Cosentia, in­cluding prehistoric material such as black-varnished pot­tery and bronze objects. There are also 105 oil lamps from Roman times discovered in Cerchiaradi Calabria (Cosenza) and material from the burial grounds of Cannuzze

The Convent of San Francesco

This convent is located in the town of Paola in the province of Cosenza on Viale del Santuario. To get there by car, take highway A3 to Cosenza Nord then continue on SS107 to Paola; to get there by train, go to the Paola railway station then local bus or taxi. The convent complex is of great interest both from a panoramic and from an artis­tic point of view. The spiritual centre is the 16^th century chapel with its elegant mannerist-Renaissance shape. Of special interest is the kiosk, which is Gothic in the lower area and Renaissance in the up­per register.

The Digs of Sibari

This archaeological site is located in the town of Cassano allo Ionio in the city of Cosenza. To get there by car, take highway A3 at Spezzano-Sibari, then follow the SS106 lonica; To get there by train, take the train to Cassano allo Ionio station (Taranto-Reggio Calabria line) Sibari was the first colony founded by the Achaeans around 720 BC; it was destroyed by the Crotonians and then rebuilt first by the Athe­nians and then by the Romans. According to the legends about its ancient inhabitants, the city lived in luxury and corruption: the remains of a residential district are still seen today. There is also a Roman theatre with a frons scenae with the classical three niches. Near the theatre there is a building on a podium, possi­bly a temple.

The Pollino National Park

The park is located on Via Mordini, 20 Palazzo Amato - 85048 Rotonda (Potenza). The surface area is 192,565 hectares. Territory of Polli­no and the Mounts of Orsomarso-Verbicaro form this Park. It is located on the border between Basilicata and Calabria. The area is still wild and mostly untouched by human set-dements and is characterized, on the Calabrian side, by a very irregular water sys­tem, which becomes softer and more wooded on the Basilicata side. In the val­ley marked by many peaks, there are wooded areas with predominantly oak, maple, ash and chestnut trees. On the Polli­no you can also find centuries-old Lori­cate pines and specimens of white fir. Wildlife is particularly interesting here, with small packs of wolves, roe deer (in Orsomarso) and otters, mostly near rivers and streams. The territory of the Park in­cludes three nature reserves.

The Praia a Mare Civic Museum

This museum is located in the town of Praia a Mare in the province of Cosenza on Via D. Alighieri The archaeological section exhibits material from the late Paleolithic age to the Ne­olithic age. The Hellenistic pe­riod is represented by pottery and oil-lamps while the Pic­ture Gallery contains 20^th century works by Achille Pace, Romano Notari, Ernesto Treccani, Aldo Turchiaro, Pietro Perrone, Geppo Barbieri and Umberto Raponi

The Stronghold of Rocca Imperiale

This stronghold is located in the town of Rocca Imperiale in the province of Cosenza. To get there by car, take the highway SS106 to Rocca Imperiale Marina then follow directions for Rocca Imperiale; to get there by train, go to Metaponto and take the Potenza-Metaponto line, then take the local line Metaponto-Sibari towards Rocca Imperi­ale Marina, then the local bus to Roc­ca Imperiale. Continue on foot for about 1000 yards. Visiting times: all year round The building, which dominates the vil­lage below from its position on a rocky outcrop, has a regular shape with tow­ers and crenellated surrounding walls. It was built on the orders of Frederick n and restored in the 15^th century by Alfonso of Aragon, who added a round tower and raveling with drawbridge. In the 18^th century, the massive, austere construction was turned into an im­posing palace after extensive interior alterations.

 

Vincenzo Laviola National Museum of Archaeology

This museum is located in the town of Amendolara in the province of Cosenza on Piazza Giovanni XXIII. The central nucleus of this ex­hibition is the Laviola collec­tion, which documents the Hellenistic, Roman and Me­dieval eras. The museum con­tains numerous finds from burial grounds and interest­ing silver coins that were en­graved and made in the mints of Sibari, Metaponto, and Crotone.

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Archeological Museum and Museum of Castles and Fortifications in Calabria

This museum is located in the town of Santa Severina in the province of Crotone on Piazza Vittorio Emanuele III. The Archaeological Museum bears witness to the history of the small and large centers in the middle valley of Neto. Among the exhibits are black-varnished pottery and statues. The Museum of Castles and Fortifications collects prints, plastic layouts and coats-of-arms. There are some inter­esting fragments of Byzantine frescoes.

Carafas' Castle

This castle is located in the town of Santa Severina in the province of Crotone. To get there by car, take highway SS107r (Crotone-Cosenza) as far as the junction for Santa Severina, about 25 kilometers from Crotone; to get there by train, go to Crotone and take the Catanzaro-Taranto line, then by local bus to Santa Severina. Visiting times: all year round. The evocative building, still in good shape, is made up of a fortified 16^th cen­tury complex surrounding a medieval castle with high, cylindrical towers, a baronial palace and a courtyard. The imposing stone walls are made, as with most fortified buildings in the south of Italy, of large stone blocks. In the 18^th century, Greuther turned the castle into a no­ble residence. Inside you can still see a precious 18^th century pic­torial cycle by Francesco Giordano. Today the halls of the castle house the Ar­chaeological Museum.

Diocesan Museum

This museum is located in the town of Santa Severina in the province of Crotone on Piazza Vittorio Emanuele III This Museum exhibits Norman parchments and houses two permanent exhibitions: "Doc­uments, places and liturgical objects and cult objects of the Church of Rome" and "From the Metropolia of Santa Severina to the Archbishopric of Crotone-Santa Severina"

National Archaeological Museum

This museum is located in the city of Crotone on Via Risorgimento, 130.This museum gathers mate­rial on the history of ancient Kroton both public and private collections. The mate­rial (mostly discovered with the digs of the ancient inhab­ited areas) shows and testi­fies to the life in ancient times. Among various objects, you can admire chains, weapons, iron instruments, vases, tips, a statue of a small horse and a sitting, winged sphinx.

The Civic Museum

This museum is located in the town of Ciro in the province of Crotone on Corso Lilio. Here you will find interesting collec­tions of exhibits from prehis­toric times from the Iron Age and Archaic Age taken from the burial grounds of Cozzo Sant' Elia and Cozzo Santerello. There is also a Greek bronze belt and the recon­struction of a tomb with pot­tery. You can also see exhibits taken from Byzantine tombs

The Civic Museum of Crotone

This museum is located in the city of Crotone on Piazza Castello. Here you can see collections of prints, drawings and pho­tographs illustrating the changes that the town has undergone through the cen­turies. There are images, coins, weapons, and pottery from the area of the medieval town

Torre Nao Antiquarium

This museum is located in the town of Crotone on Torre Nao - Capo Colonna. This museum contains the cargo of a Roman ship that sank in the Gulf of Punta Scifo on its way back from Asia Minor. Among the exhibits are hand-made pottery, a bronze oil-lamp and a small statue of Heracles fighting a stag.

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Agricultural-Pastoral Museum of the Greek-speaking Area

This museum is located in the town of Bova Marina in the province of Reggio Calabria on Piazza Municipio. This museum houses and exhibits tradi­tional material from the local community testifying to agri­cultural work, handicrafts, and wool-weaving

Antica Caulonia Antiquarium

This museum is located in the town of Monasterace in the province of Reggio Calabria on Contrada Runci. Here you can see remains found under the sea, many of which from an area corre­sponding to the ancient Greek city. Some of these exhibits are very rare both for their size and for their excellent state of preservation.

Civic Museum of Natural History

This museum is located in the town of Cittanova in the province of Reggio Calabria on Via Regina Elena. This museum is divided into various sections: the stone and mineral section has sam­ples of rock from Aspromonte and other various areas; the zoology section has about 1,000 exhibits of birds and mammals; the shell section has specimens from the Mediterranean and other ex­otic countries, and the fossil section has remains of inver­tebrates and vegetables. There is also a botanical section with algae, shellfish and fungi

Folklore and Crafts Museum

This museum is located in the town of Oppido Mamertina in the province of Reggio Calabria on Scuola Elementare. In this collection, you can see hand-made objects from the rural cultures of this territory; there are also tools for the working of silk, olives and dairy products.

Francesco Cilea and Nicola Antonio Manfroce Museum

This museum is located in the town of Palmi in the province of Reggio Calabria at the Casa Della Cultura on Via F Battaglia. Dedicated to these two con­ductors, this museum shows photographs, portraits, per­sonal objects and manu­scripts. You can also see the autographed copies of the scores of "Adriana".

Michele Guerrisi Plaster Cast Gallery

This museum is located in the town of Palmi in the province of Reggio Calabria at the Casa Della Cultura on Via F Battaglia. A collection of paintings, sculptures and sketches by the Calabrian sculptor Michele Guerrisi

Municipal Antiquarium

This museum is located in the town of Palmi in the province of Reggio Calabria at the Casa Della Cultura on Via F Battaglia. Here you can see exhibits found in the archaeological area of Taureana, the ancient Taurianum, covering the pe­riod between the 7^th century BC and the 9^th century AD. There is interesting clay and epigraphic material

Museum of Textile Crafts, Silk, Calabrian Costumes and Fashion

This museum is located in the city of Reggio Calabria on Via Re Ruggero, 9. This museum is divided into four sections, which exhibit different textile work proce­dures: from raw materials to the finished silk, linen, cotton and hemp fabrics. Tradition­al costumes and high-fash­ion produced in Calabria are also on display.

National Museum

This museum is located in the city of Reggio Calabria on Piazza de Nava, 26. Archaeological collections from the digs carried out in Calabria since the end of the 19^th century with a section of modern and mediaeval art. The lower floor is dedicated to under-water archaeology with anchors, amphorae, pot­tery used on board, and the famous Bronzes of Riace dis­covered in 1972. In the halls dedicated to prehistoric times, there is pottery of various shapes and workmanship. The second floor holds the Byzantine art section with decorative architectural ele­ments. There is also a collection of paintings, some from private collections.

Park, Museum and Laboratory of the Santa Barbara Art Foundation

This museum is located in the town of Mammola in the province of Reggio Calabria on Viale Santa Barbara. This park is the background for numerous monumental sculptures created by various artists, both local and from other areas.

Picture Gallery

This museum is located in the town of Palmi in the province of Reggio Calabria at the Casa Della Cultura on Via F Battaglia. This collection includes paint­ings of remarkable value among which works by Edouard Manet, Camille Corot, Giovanni Fattori, Renato Guttuso and sculptures by Giacomo Manzu.

Raffaele Corso Folklore and Ethnographic Museum

This museum is located in the town of Palmi in the province of Reggio Calabria at the Casa Della Cultura on Via F Battaglia. This exhibition, with its rich and varied collection of every­day objects, utensils and typ­ical costumes, documents the life and customs of the farm­ing communities. There is al­so a unique collection of spin­dles, distaffs, fabrics and looms.

Remains of the Greek City

This site is located in the city of Reggio Calabria. To get there by car, take highway A3, then SS106 or SS18. To get there by train, go to the Reggio Calabria station. The Calcidici founded Reggio at the end of the 8^th century BC. Noteworthy among the monuments remaining from the Greek age is the mighty defending wall on the Viale Mari­na, the right wing of odium in Via Torrione, and some burial grounds. Near the wall there are some ruins of Roman Baths with mosaic floors. Also worthy of mention is the Reggio National Museum of Archaeology, which is the main exhibition centre of the whole region. Here you can see objects from the Neolithic period as well as the famous Riace Bronzes.

Scaglione Collection

This museum is located in the town of Locri in the province of Reggio Calabria on Via D. Candida, 6. Exhibits from the archaeo­logical area of ancient Locri Epizefiri: small statues, votive fruits, pottery, earthenware, headstones and architectural elements.

The Antiquarium

This museum is located in the town of Locri in the province of Reggio Calabria on Contrada Marasa. The Antiquarium houses the collections from the old Civic Museum, plus donations and exhibits from recent excava­tions. From Greek burial grounds you can see ancient pottery, vases and mirrors, whereas from the sanctuary of Persephone there are small, clay female statues and boards painted with scenes from the myth of Pluto and Persephone. There are also exhibits from the Sanctuary of Marasa, from the temple of the home of Marafioti and from the Sanctuary of the Nymphs of Grotta Caruso

The Archaeological Park

This archaeological site is located in the town of Roccelletta di Borgia near Squillace in the province of Reggio Calabria. To get there by ca, take the SS106; to get there by train, go to the Catanzaro Marina station. The archaeological park of ancient Scolacium includes the wall structure of the theatre, the amphitheatre, the forum, basilicas and temples.

The Aspromonte National Park

The park is located on Via Aurora 89050 Gambarie di Santo Stefano in Aspromonte in the city of Reggio Calabria. The surface area is 76,000 hectares. Created to amplify a part of the Calabrian National Park, the new area was planned to protect the Aspromonte Massif and its particular territory. From the top of the main peak (Montalto or Mount Cocuzza 1.955 meters), the mountainous ridges, covered in thick vegetation that seem to fall, in cer­tain points, are interrupted by valleys and steep, craggy ravines. Streams and water­falls, which mark the high part of the ter­ritory, become wide-bedded rivers at low­er levels. Along the southern and western sides, the mountains have formed huge steps on which man has made terraces with fields and orchards. Conifers and broad-leaf trees surround the pastures and plains while, if one climbs higher, only the garigue colonizes the highlands, which are often swept by strong winds. This particularly harsh environment offers a safe refuge for many animal species: wolves, wild boars, wild cats, martens, squirrels, small rodents, hedgehogs, owls, hawks, goshawks, sparrow-hawks, and, in spring, migrating birds of prey such as honey buzzards.

The Cathedral

This cathedral is located in the town of Gerace in the province of Reggio Calabria. This is the largest church in the region. It was built in the 10^th century and it has ob­vious French Romanesque elements. The three-aisled stately interior is plain and unadorned, with the entrance facing west, according to the Byzantine custom. From the left transept, you walk into the Greek cross-shaped crypt with its precious floor in Gerace mosaic. Behind the altar is a 14^th century statue of a "Virgin and Child" by the Pisa school. From the crypt, you can walk into the Gothic chapel of San Giuseppe, which houses the Diocesan Museum.

The Cattolica of Stilo

This church is located in the town of Stilo in the province of Reggio Calabria. This is one of the most famous and best-preserved Byzantine churches in the re­gion. The harmonious building dating back to the 10th century stands on an iso­lated out crop high up on Mount Consolino in the valley of Stilaro. It has a square plan with three semi-circular, mul­lioned apses and five cylindrical domes enriched with single and double paned windows. The external structure is dec­orated with the ingenious layering of dif­ferently hued bricks. Inside, there are three aisles and you can see the remains of precious Byzantine frescoes.

The Digs of Locri Epizefiri

This archaeological site is located in the town of Locri in the province of Reggio Calabria. To get there by car, take the highway A3 to Gioia Tauro, then the SS111 and then SS 106 lonica; to get there by train, get to to Locri or Sant' llario dello lonio railway stations and take the Taranto-Reggio Calabria line. The archaeological area can be found about 3 km from what is now Locri. The ancient town is well defined by the city walls, still visible in many places and outside of which are the an­cient burial grounds, the most famous of which is Lucifero, where about 1,700 tombs have been discovered. Among the monuments that are still visible today is the theatre dating back to the 4^th century BC, the only non-sacred pub­lic building uncovered in Locri.

The Permanent Exhibition

This museum is located in the town of Rosarno in the province of Reggio Calabria on Via Umberto I. There are exhibits material from ancient Medma. There are interesting female busts, masks and stat­ues of people offering votes and statues of divinities.

The Ruffo Castle

This castle is located in the town of Scilla in the province of Reggio Calabria. To get there by car, take highway A3 to Scilla; to get there by train, go to Scilla and take the Lamezia-Terme - Reggio Calabria line. Visiting times: all year round. This complex rises on a high, panoram­ic cliff, particularly suitable for defense. In the 9^th century, a Basilian monastery occupied the site. It then passed to lay feudatories and was strengthened several times, first by the Angevins and then, in the 15^th century, by the De Nava family who were ruling at that time. Its present appearance is the result of the work of Paolo Ruffo in 1542. The castle has an irregular shape since var­ious extensions of the structure were added over a period of time. You enter through a stone portal with a pointed arch above which is a coat-of-arms.

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Calabrian Folklore and Crafts Museum

This museum is located in the town of Monterosso Calabro in the province of Vibo Valentia on Via G.Marconi, 82 / 84.This museum bears witness, with objects and photographs, to the various aspects of folk­lore and craftsmanship. The halls are placed in succession and you can see exhibits doc­umenting farm life, weaving and pottery.

Capialbi Home and Museum

This museum is located in the city of Vibo Valentia on Via Cesare Lombardi. The Capialbi Palace houses Greek bronzes, Roman glass­ware and material from the Middle Ages. Especially inter­esting is the library where you can find parchments, incunab­ula and 16^th century books.

Castello del Ruffo Civic Archaeological Museum

This museum is located in the town of Nicotera in the province of Vibo Valentia on Via Umberto I The museum displays re­mains from the Neolithic age and from the Greek and Ro­man ages. There is an espe­cially interesting collection of pottery from the Neolithic age found in the burial grounds of Santa Faustina and a collection of medals from early Christian and Me­dieval times

Civic Antiquarium

This museum is located in the town of Vazzano in the province of Vibo Valentia on Piazza Cavalier Fusca. There is a collection of exhibits found in the digs of the medieval centre of Vazzano.

Civic Diocesan Museum

This museum is located in the town of Tropea in the province of Vibo Valentia on Via Roma. The area is divided into sec­tions housing prehistoric and protostoric remains and pot­tery from Roman and late me­dieval times. One section holds the Cathedral Treasure, sacred objects and wall hangings from some of the town's churches.

Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art

This museum is located in the town of Nicotera in the province of Vibo Valentia on Piazza Duomo, 10. There are collections of manuscripts, parch­ments, silverware, paintings and sculptures from the Neapolitan and Sicilian schools. Of special interest are a wooden crucifix and a 16th-century pastoral staff.

Eredi Toraldo – Private Collection

This museum is located in the town of Tropea in the province of Vibo Valentia on Largo San Michele. There is a precious collection of Chris­tian tombstones from the 3^rd and 4^th centuries, archaeolog­ical finds and 18^th century paintings. One section exhibits interesting parchments doc­umenting the history of the Toraldo family.

G.B. Scalabrini National Emigration Museum

This museum is located in the city of Vibo Valentia on Corso Mannuccio Francavilla Angitola. This museum documents the phenomenon of Calabrian emigration from the 19^th century to mod­ern times by means of a vast collection of letters, photographs, suitcases, trunks and objects of everyday use.

Museum of Sacred Art

This museum is located in the city of Vibo Valentia on Piazza San Leoluca The Museum preserves sa­cred objects, containers for the Host and treasures from the 16^th to the 19^th centuries from local churches. Note­worthy are the sarcopha­gus by the sculptor Jerace and ten small bronze stat­ues by Cosimo Fanzago.

Museum of the Certosa

This museum is located in the town of Serra San Bruno in the province of Vibo Valentia on Contrada Certosa, 1. The museum displays the re­construction of certain monastic habitats and dis­plays the 16^th century canvas of "San Bruno", medallions of sanctified and blessed mem­bers of the Carthusian Monastery and the mechan­ical clock on the bell-tower

Museum of the Sea

This museum is located in the town of Nicotera in the province of Vibo Valentia on Via Prangi. Over 40,000 shells, 2,000 fos­sils of marine fauna, hundreds of stuffed fish, skeletons of fish and cetaceans, tools used in ship building, equipment made by craftsmen and fish­ermen, and hand-worked shells and coral.

San Domenico Convent Museum

This museum is located in the town of Soriano Calabro in the province of Vibo Valentia on Via San Domenico, 2. Here you can see works that were once kept in the ancient church among which are cap­itals, bas-reliefs, silverware, wall hangings, fragments of statues and a precious ivory cross. There is Baroque sculptures by Cosimo Fonzago and a fragment of the vault by the Greek artist Scopa dat­ing back to the 4^th century BC. Of great interest is the library, which holds precious in­cunabula and 16^th century books.

The Digs of Ancient Hipponion

This site is located in the city of Vibo Valentia. To get there by car, take highway A3 in Sant' Onofrio - Vibo Valentia or take the SS 18; to get there by train, go to the Vibo Valentia - Pizzo railway station The ancient city of Hipponion was founded round about the 7^th century BC on the site of an indigenous settlement. The city walls with de­fense towers are in a good state of preservation. On the hill of Belvedere Grande, you can see the ruins of a Doric temple dating back to the end of the 6^th century BC. There are many ar­chitectural decorative remains in vividly colored baked clay. From the Roman Valen­tia we can still see the Theatre and the remains of dwellings with polychrome mosaic floors and spas.

The National Museum

This museum is located in the town of Mileto in the province of Vibo Valentia on Via Episcopio. Mere you can see the Roman remains found among the ru­ins of ancient Miletus after the earthquake of 1783 and from nearby Valentia. There are al­so many ecclesiastical adorn­ments in silver, sacred wall hangings and sculptures and paintings.

Vito Capiaibi National Archaeological Museum

This museum is located in the city of Vibo Valentia in the Castello Normanno-Svevo. This Museum houses the Albanese and Capiaibi collec­tions, plus material from the digs carried out in the west­ern burial grounds of Vibo Valentia and surrounding ter­ritory. The exhibits are arranged in showcases ex­actly as they were when they were found. You can see the funeral trappings from a Bronze Age tomb, votive ma­terial from the sanctuary in the Scrimbia area, a gold sheet with inscription in Greek linked to the Orphic rites, vas­es, architectural fragments and paintings. In the north tower you can see remains from the Roman burial grounds, from the ancient city and from the villas excavated in this area.