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Scilla “The little town quoted by Homer”

One of the most amazing villages in Italy, is located in Calabria. Today we are going to learn more about Scilla.

By Travel to Calabria
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Introduction

Scilla is one of the most amazing villages in Italy! The little town is the background for some poems and gives us impressive landscapes! Our destination today is Scilla! Let´s go? Scilla “The little town quoted by Homer” Stay with us and make the best of boot country! Here at Your Travel to Calabria you make the trip of your dreams!!! Are you staying in Calabria? Looking for a hotel? Click here and discover best accommodation options in Calabria!

Scilla
Source: site of Scilla´s city hall image of Ruffo Castle
Scilla
Image of Piana delle Galee
Scilla
Image of the Caves of Tremusa
Scilla
Seabed in Scilla
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A Little about the Scilla

Scilla is one of the most beautiful and characteristic villages in Italy, a destination for artists on several occasions and of different nationalities (besides being a very popular tourist spot in the summer). Scilla stretches along the entire coast of Calabria between the Tyrrhenian Sea and the slopes of Aspromonte. The fascination of the sea and the beauty of the fishing village enchant thousands of visitors. The origins of this village in the province of Reggio Calabria, which has more than 5 thousand inhabitants, are very old and have to do with mythology, legends and are mentioned in the writings of Homer. Its name probably means ‘scoglio’, which means ‘rock’. What Are The Ten Places You Must See In Calabria?

The rocks surrounding the city have an air of mystery, due to the interweaving of some myths such as that told by Homer, which tells the passage of the ship of Ulysses between the monstrous Scilla and the voracious Charybdis. Scylla (in English) is a monster with seven heads and her belly sprouts furious dogs. It is hidden in the hollows of the rocks, above the strait, peering at the sea fangs. Where to stay in Scilla?

Attractions in the village

Scilla is one of the most visited destinations, where you can enjoy the clean and blue sea, and the warmth and hospitality of the locals.

Castello Ruffo Villages

The traditional Castello Ruffo Villages, located on the cliff, dividing the two main beaches: Marina Grande and Chianalea. The castle, belonging to the Ruffo’s family, faces the sea and is listed among the most beautiful Norman castles in the entire region of Calabria. From inside the castle you can admire the grand halls and a collection of paintings belonging to the family that founded it.

Useful information about the Ruffo Castle of Scilla

The Castle of Ruffo is open every day, from 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., including holidays. Tickets: € 1,50/pax from 10 to 65 years old (free for teachers, children under 9 years and elderly over 65).

Piana delle Galee

Another charming place is the characteristic fishing district of Piana delle Galee, or Chianalea, named after an ancient vessel and an archaic synonym of swordfish. What makes it unique are the dwellings located near the rocks, because of this is called ‘The Little Venice of the South’: after all, the place remembers Venice through its narrow streets and canals.

Scategna Palace

Especially also by the way the houses are distributed: completely rested on the water, in ‘Scaro Alaggio’, which offer docks to the fishermen’s boats; in the same way it contributes to architectural harmony the Scategna Palace.

Church Madre Santissima Immacolata di Scilla

Following through the alleys of Chianalea you can see ancient fountains and churches, among them the church of Our Lady of the Immaculate is worth visiting. Dating from the Paleochristian period, destroyed more than once by earthquakes and rebuilt in the 1970s, the church Madre Santissima Immacolata di Scilla is also known as ‘Mesa’. This is because it is located at the intersection of the roads leading to the three main districts of the city: Marina Grande, Chianalea and San Giorgio; Next to them, the austere Ruffo Castle.

Caves of Tremusa

The territory of Scilla stretches from the sea to the mountains of the Calabrian Apennine, and everything is filled with antiquity and myth. In the territory of Melia di Scilla, along the access road to the marine fortresses with the mountains of Aspromonte, about 10 km from the center of the city, are located the Caves of Tremusa.

Among the chestnut trees, there appears that little piece of Pleistocene sea that remained of 5 thousand years ago, when these mountains still were in the bottom of the sea. The shells of the Pecten, typical in shallow and warm seabed, are witnesses to life before man’s arrival, now cover the walls of the cave. The acid action of the fountains, thanks to the presence of calcium (from the various shells present in the soil), created these cavities rich in stalactites and stalagmites; it is very special! In the summer, there are numerous groups that organize guided diving. For those in love with this practice you cannot miss, because the waters are unique!

The legend says…

Legend has it that Scylla was a beautiful nymph, daughter of and Crataeis, as for her father Apollodorus says that the father was either Trienus (Triton) or Phorcus (a variant of Phorkys); perhaps, while Eustachio’s on Homer, gives the father as Triton.

She spent her days at sea, playing with other nymphs and refusing all the suitors. When Glaucus, the god of the sea, falls in love with her, he goes to the witch Circe to ask for a love portion. However, Circe feels attracted to him. Despised by Glaucus, she became jealous and made her rival, Scylla, into a monster with twelve feet and six heads, and out of their mouths ran three rows of teeth. According to legend, she had hung in her stomach several heads of angry dogs that barked and growled fiercely. Scylla was immortal and the only way to defend her was by asking for help from her mother, the sea nymph from the Crataeis. It was, then, turned into rock and it was in this form that Aeneas found it as it passed through the strait. This is how the name of Scilla (rock) may have originated.

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A Little about the Scilla

Scilla is a charming little town at the Tyrrhenian Sea, the flower of the eyes of the Costa Viola (Purple Coast). It is one of the most enchanting of all of Calabria, due to its strategic geographical position, with the Aspromonte that plunges into the blue immensity, straight from the Strait of Messina. A village of origins so old, lost in the mists of time, a charming place with its ancient charm. Scilla preserves ancient traditions, such as swordfish fishing, still practiced today with the old vessels called ‘Spadare o Luntre’.

How to get to Scilla?

Getting to Scilla is simple. The transport possibilities are several, from trains and buses to plane and taxi!

1) How to get there in Scilla? BY PLANE

It is possible to use the Regio-Calabria (recommended) or in Lamezia Terme airport.

2) How to get there in Scilla? BY TRAIN

For those who are in Reggio or in Villa San Giovanni, there are connections with local trains by the respective train stations to Scilla station. The station of Villa San Giovanni is the most recommended. All long-distance direct trains to Reggio Calabria or Sicily stop at Villa San Giovanni.

3) How to get there in Scilla? BY CAR

Highway A3 (Salerno-Reggio Calabria), exit to Scilla.

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Conclusion

If you decide to take a trip to Calabria, you just cannot miss visiting Scilla! This charming little village of the Calabrian coast offers an extraordinary view and a sensational sea. Undoubtedly, Chinalea is the most interesting neighborhood. It is a fishing village with a tourist vocation, but it still lives off the fishing activity, a very well preserved place. Summer is certainly the best period: the beach is beautiful and the sea is warm and clean. It is possible to stay in the various small houses scattered around the city, or even rent a house facing the sea!

Walking through the exciting alleys of Scilla, in the heart of the colors and tastes of the Mediterranean, it is easy to find fishermen who build fishing nets underneath the houses (or even make small boat repairs). The housing nucleus extends to the sea, to the point that water almost enters the houses, which are always subject to the force of the impact of the waves. The ancient fountains scattered here and there, the Squares, the churches, each of it with its own history, along with the waves that break in the rocks, become a natural landscape of great beauty. Stacked stones in the sea, great fish-based food (especially swordfish) and everything else that accompanies this village, form a special atmosphere.

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