Calabria travels, from Paola to Amantea and the little bit between.

Fiumefreddo Bruzio

The regional train travels from Paola to Amantea in a short fifteen minute journey with only one stop at San Lucido Marina, but there are two towns I feel worthy of a mention and a visit which are on this short stretch of coast but again only accessible by car.

Looking south from Fiumefreddo Castle

 First of all the medieval town of Fiumefreddo Bruzio which I have to admit that this small town puts to shame my home town of Scalea. Here it’s ruined castle and the centro storico medieval urban street layout has been well preserved and is a shining example of what a town’s commune can do when having pride in its past. The whole town with its sea facing piazza is surrounded by ancient walls and offers breath-taking views up and down this stretch of the coast.

Admission to the castle is free and with its entrance bridge leading to the fortified gateway, watch tower and battlements it offers the same excellent views as those of the town, while its grounds are so highly maintained you may often find local families picnicking there during the summer weekends.

Fiumefreddo Castle

Walking through this small town one can see that the townsfolk of the past were once very wealthy, large stone carved doorways on large grand buildings are throughout the town while the main door of the church is of great height and beauty and of the renaissance era. Finally you’ll reach the sea facing piazza (Largo Torretta) I earlier mentioned. The restaurant on the piazza serves daytime coffee and evening dinner in the piazza and I’m sure either would be a memorable experience on a Calabria Italian holiday.

The next town down the coast and still only accessible by car or bus from Amantea is Belmonte Calabro this beautiful town like Fiumefreddo Bruzio also benefits from its elevated view close to the Tyrrhenian Sea. The summer evening we were last there was with a sunset I’ll never forget, as from the piazza built upon the cliffs edge we sat on the walls and watched the sun sink behind the Aeolian Islands, the group of eight Sicilian islands that include the smouldering volcanic Stromboli.

The town as its northern neighbour is again very well maintained. Ancient cobbled alleyways lead you through the town west to its sea views or South to the views over the mountains and into the Sila National Park. Each building you pass shows the town’s ancient history from its beginnings in 1270 under the rule of Charles I of Anjou to its resistance to the French in 1807. Yet the one dominant structure you may not know of or even told about is the lighthouse type column structure you’ll pass as you wind up the mountain road to the town, this is the monument to Michele Bianchi.

Belmonte Calabro.

Belmonte Calabro is the birth place of Michele Bianchi one of the founding fathers of the Italian Fascist movement. I feel I must point out at this time that Bianchi died in 1930 long before Germany adopted fascism and turned it into the Nazism that we all abhor. However this monument does bear the images of all the founding fathers including Mussolini and as such it has the feel of a monument to the movement as opposed to one of the person.

On to Amantea. 

Unjustly suffered some years back from reports which I believe where never proven of Mafia activity polluting the land and river. Sadly this was also of the time that the Calabrese Mafia were selling fictitious off plan holiday homes and Amantea was used for one of these scams. It’s obvious to say that Amantea did not need this bad publicity as it is a wonderful vibrant and charming town.

Again like many towns we’ve visited Amantea’s railway station is close to the beach so depending on which exit you take from the station you either arrive on the beach or in the main modern part of town. A very popular holiday resort with long golden sands and so many lido bars to choose from in the summer.

 When approaching the town either by car or train you will see the ruins of its castle and those of the 13/14^th century church of Saint Francis of Assisi high on the hill overlooking the town.

From the station it’s a short walk to the town and for those who love to shop this is probably the first town when coming down this coast that has a good array of shops and boutiques worthy of a relaxing peruse. In many of the previous towns the shops seem scattered but here in the modern grid system streets they are all contained and next to each other.

Amantea park.

At the far end of town you can turn left and find your way to the park with its grotto’s and high menacing boulder-like cliffs, or start the descent up ‘donkey steps’ to the centro storico.

This is certainly a town of history dating back before Roman times, it has seen many bloody battles and conflicts over the years as the people have resisted invader after invader, its townsfolk fierce resistance saw the town devastated by the Saracens. It was fought over in the Aragonese Angevin war and was the centre for the Calabrese uprising against the French in 1806, when its eventual capture by the French was only achieved by months of siege and starvation.

The centro storico is built on a very steep hill and as you walk its streets and alleyways you’ll soon realise this as there seems to be no respite from the climb, however the effort is well worth it as you’ll find yourself walking through history and creativity for the people have taken great advantage of the doors of many of the houses turning them into canvases for their art.

Once at the top if you’re lucky or willing to ask you’ll find the narrow gated path to the ruins of the Saint Francis church and again another short and steep climb brings you to these grounds from where you’ll be treated to those usual spectacular views up of the coast that you achieve from climbing to these high vantage points, good boots and a lot of breath will eventually take you to the castle. 

Ruins of the Saint Francis church

Amantea is the halfway point along the West coast of Calabria, a good time to take a break and head North to Campania and my favourite Italian city for my next writings.

Paola the town of Saint Francis.

The Sanctuary at Paola.

Paola is what the English call a railway junction or terminus town which means that if you are travelling down the west coast of Calabria by regional trains you will more than likely have to change trains here to continue your journey South down the coast or East and inland to the likes of Cosenza and Lamezia Terme.

Centro storico Paola. 

Ask anyone of my age who like I was forced, or even those who went willingly to Sunday school where Saint Francis came from and the answer would be Assisi. This is probably because he is the Patron Saint of animals and families amongst many more. So the poster of the saint on the classroom wall surrounded by rabbits and deer and all the cutest animals imaginable remains permanently in a person’s mind.

But ask anyone from Calabria the same question and the answer would be a resounding Paola because after all he is the Patron saint of this region of Italy. Two different men but the one thing they have in common is that although both are always depicted wearing religious clothing neither was ever ordained as priests.

Paola train station is on the marina and a mere five minute walk to the beach and as in the rest of Calabria during the summer season you would be spoilt for choice of lido’s and beach bars. To reach the town itself takes a little longer and entails climbing what we have named ‘the thousand steps,’ a wide stairway which takes you up the cliff face into centro storico. We’ve never counted these steps and we know there probably aren’t a thousand, but on a hot summer’s day when climbing them it feels as if there are, note the ramps either side of the steps built originally for beasts of burden.

The 1000 steps

Being only a forty nine minute train journey from our home in Scalea our main day for visiting Paola is Sundays, as at the top of these steps is the start of the once weekly market which stretches up the side of the lower town and into the main piazza which is well equipped with bars and cafes to rest at after the arduous task of Italian market shopping. I have to say I am no fan of today’s clothing and household goods markets that are staged weekly in all Italian cities, as the larger percentage of the items are made in the people’s republic of China and can be purchased anywhere throughout Europe. Standing at six feet one and weighing over ninety kilos I am a giant compared to the average Calabrese, and as these markets stock only for the locals finding clothes in my own size becomes a problem, thankfully t-shirts bearing the Union Jack or the Stars and Stripes are not in my realm of fashion.

As the market winds up the streets we turn left at the first opportunity, this now takes you to the part of the market I have come for, ‘the food.’ Attracting marketers and local growers alike this part of the market supplies the very best of the areas fruit, vegetables and local produce. For those of you that prefer to avoid the clothes market and get straight to the fresh produce there is a convenient shady park walkway that follows up the back of the market stalls. Sadly I have to follow Kathryn through the clothes and ‘sparkly’ market but at times can still get a short respite by occasionally sneaking down the side of the stalls to this peaceful refuge.

The start of centro storico.

At the top of the hill you find yourself at the start of centro storico and like all the old towns a sightseeing meander through the streets is worth the effort, noting how Saint Francis plays a big part in the town’s churches, piazzas and artwork. Two slightly disappointing aspects of the town are the castle and ancient aqueduct. The castle like many down this coast stands proudly above the town but is slightly decaying and not accessible to the public, while the aqueduct has been shored up by ugly scaffolding for a number of years and its worth as a site to be photographed is marred by a high-rise apartment block built beside it.

The sanctuary of Saint Francis

A short distance out of the town is the Sanctuary of Saint Francis (1416-1507) which is the main reason many visitors and pilgrims come to Paola. Travelling by car down the main SS18 roadway the sanctuary is visibly signposted, and from the railway station it is a short taxi or bus ride.

The sanctuary which is still a working monastery is situated half way up a hill and is surrounded by beautiful well maintained gardens. A river of many waterfalls flows between and divides the sanctuary into two parts. Accessible by a bridge of two stories on the opposite bank the buildings are rooms and schools of the monks and are not open to the public.

The chapels and church on this side of the gorge tell their own story as you walk around the cloisters and down into the hermit cave and priest cell carved out of solid rock. Many of the miracles acclaimed to Saint Francis were carried out in the vicinity of the sanctuary, like the miracle of the falling rock, the miracle of the oven and that of the water spring brought forth by Saint Francis tapping a rock with his staff, all these sites are found as you walk around the area.

A more modern miracle acclaimed to the monastery was in August of 1943. Allied intelligence had information that Carlo Scorza who was born in Paola and was Mussolini’s second in command was there and the allies had ordered the bombing of the sanctuary. Like many of the monasteries in Italy local people had taken refuge in Paola’s, so when a 176 pound bomb fell amongst the assemblage and failed to detonate a miracle was the only explanation, the bomb is still displayed in the grounds today.

Behind the old buildings of the monastery a modern meeting hall has been built. No expense has been spared on this modern building with its highly polished wooden pews and stained glass ceiling a friend once likened it to walking into a kaleidoscope of coloured light.

The modern meeting hall.

If we can be of help on information on the towns of west Calabria please contact us at
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External links.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_of_Paola

Belvedere Marittimo and the towns before Paola

 

Belvedere Marina from Belvedere centro storico.

Belvedere Marittimo is the next train stop after Diamante, the lungomare in Belvedere Marina area (a short walk from the station) is pleasant and well maintained with some rather novel decorated benches, mosaics and sculptures, and the modern church at the furthest end from the train station is worth a visit just to see that even when building a new church Italians can still

do it with style.

Belvedere Marina.

Belvedere Marittimo.

A steep climb and a good walk from the marina is Belvedere centro storico dating from the 13^th century, larger than some of the previous centro storico I’ve mentioned in previous posts it also feels a little livelier with shops and cafés scattered throughout. 

Meandering through its alleyways and streets you’ll find many works of art in pottery reliefs and pictures of a high quality fixed to the house walls.

The Norman, Angevin castle with its cylindrical tower stands proudly in the town and from the outside seems to be extremely well preserved but sadly it is only open to the public on rare occasions or certain events so I’m yet to find out for myself.

Belvedere castle.

The word belvedere translates as ‘good to see’ or ‘good view’ and often refers to a town’s public balconied park from where you can see for miles around, the views from Belvedere Marittimo are of no exception.

 

Sangineto.

From Belvedere Marittimo to Paola the train makes several ‘marina stops’  which are costal stops at places attributed to hill-towns away from the coast i.e. the first stop can be Sangineto Marina whereas the actually town of Sangineto is a hill town some eight kilometres inland.

These marina towns have grown with the tourist trade and mainly comprise of holiday apartments and the bars and restaurants that cater for this seasonal trade. During this short season of July and August these towns do indeed look like holiday resorts as thousands of people descend to invade the beaches and lidos. However out of season while walking or driving through these holiday towns you may rightly wonder if there has been a nuclear warning, as they are in many places totally deserted. This is when we use the beaches because having a mild autumn to spring climate, we get these deserted beaches to ourselves.

 Some of the larger towns along Calabria’s coast have shuttle buses from the station to the historic town but many do not, my writing of the towns in this area are those that I have visited by car, so anyone with their own transport can visit if they think that the journey is worth it or if you have some personal interest in the towns then hopefully you’ll know what to expect.

The castle Sangineto Marina.

Sangineto: When driving along the mountain road to Sangineto the first sight of the town over the valley is impressive and very typical of the romantic view we imagine of an Old Italian town (14^th century). The town seems to climb steeply up the mountainside and when you get there you’ll realise it does. The walk from the bottom of the town to the top is more suited to the hardened climber than the leisurely tourist. At Sangineto marina close to the coast there is a small castle but as more common than not in this area only open for special events and festas.

Bonifati.

Coming back down the road from Sangineto one can turn off to Bonifati and this is the town I would recommend if only wanting to do one of the two. The town has been built on a mountain ridge making it easier on the foot. Park when first entering the town and take the walk (heading inland) through the main piazza and into the Centro storico. 

Climb up through the old town to the castle ruins for a beautiful view over the town with a back drop of the sea, sadly the castle is just a ruin of foundations and the odd short wall. 

Bonifati from the castle ruins.

I must also give credit to Bonifati Marina and the lookout tower there, unlike many of its counterparts along the coast of Calabria it is very well preserved and houses a hotel and restaurant with its small well-kept gardens open to the public, the marina with its few older buildings also has a certain character than most other marinas lack.

The tower at Bonifati Marina.

Cetraro.

The train often stops at Cetraro Marina and the town high above the marina is a big town compared to many hill towns so far visited along this part of the coast. I have not investigated if there is transport from the marina, but because of its size there should be. The sight of Cetraro as you travel down the coast via train or car is impressive. Here the mountains of Calabria have crept closer to the coast and stopped abruptly, forming high cliffs on which the town is built. The town is the hub of many surrounding citrus fruit farms and is thus self-sufficient with shops, offices supermarkets etc. many of the buildings in the older part of town are of an impressive size. The main town piazza with its Neptune fountain is a perfect place to sit and watch the world go by or take in the coastal views. 

The town is also where the armies of Richard the first of England (The Lion heart) and Philip of France amalgamated to begin the third crusade in the year 1190.

The three coastal hill towns between Cetraro and Paola, Acquappesa, Guardia Piemontese and Fuscaldo all originated as spa towns, with Guardia having three hot and three cold springs it is the one most used today for water healing therapy.  The town was only called Guardia up until 1836 when it was decreed that the town should have the affix of Piemontese to distinguish it from other Italian towns of the same name. Piemontese was chosen to honour many of the families of the town whose ancestors were Valdesi protestant who had fled from persecution in the Northern region of Piedmont, even today the towns dialect, customs and traditions have their roots associated with this far off region.

Fuscaldo from the convent grounds.

Medieval courtyard Fuscaldo.

Fuscaldo is an interesting town still with signs of its medieval and renaissance past but for a little light-heartedness look for the modern day statue of Christ as you enter the town, to me it’s the scariest in Italy!

5 minutes North, 10 minutes South.

North to Praia a Mare.

As the train enters Calabria from the North the first stop is Praia a Mare and if you arrive during the summer months you’ll soon find out that Calabria’s economy is based and dependant on tourism. Travelling from Scalea to Praia a Mare by train takes just a few minutes and by auto bus it is no more than fifteen.

Mausoleum Tortora Marina.

  I believe the name Praia (written Praja at the station, but ‘J’ does not exist in the Italian alphabet) is of Magna Grecia origin but little evidence of its Greek past can be seen today except for the ruins of a mausoleum on the highway SS18 just outside of the town, and without a distinct centro storico the town has a certain modern yet relaxed feel about it.

Today the town is well prepared for the summer influx of Italian tourists with a coastal lungomare (promenade) and a modern wide pedestrian walkway inside the town, as the Italian holiday maker’s needs are sun, sea, sand and somewhere for a passeggiata, that strong Italian tradition of a leisurely walk or stroll, taken in the evening for the purpose of socialising and showing off their latest designer clothing acquisition.

Dino island.

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A short swim or maybe even a deep wade off the beach is the Island of Dino, it’s small, uninhabited but still Calabria’s largest island and famed for its grottos (caves) which can only be entered via the sea. The blue and lion grotto are quite spectacular. During the summer season you can take a boat trip to enter these caves or if you’re feeling energetic hire a pedalo. On the coastal spit next to Dino Island there is a very impressive Byzantine tower built for the purpose of deterring the Saracen pirates, but again as with the Scalea tower it’s potential as a tourist attraction is ignored and it too sits abandoned.

Sanctuary of the Madonna della grotto.

One attraction that should be visited is the Sanctuary of the Madonna della grotto, a church inside a huge natural grotto in the side of Mount Vincolo. It’s an unusual church with a very long history and is easily reached by foot from the station or beach.
Still a working church it is a popular place for wedding ceremonies. 
However the steps up the mountain and into the church could be a challenge to those with walking difficulties. 

In the hills behind the plains of Praia de Mare lie the towns of Tortora and Aieta, both pretty towns that can be visited in a day but as they sit on opposing mountainsides it means traveling up to one and then going down to start the journey back up to the other.

Tortora

If I had the choice to visit just one of these towns my choice would always be Tortora, as having its roots with the arrival of the Greeks it is the much older of the two, translated into Greek the town’s name means tortoise, while Aieta means Eagle.

Museum exhibit.

The ruins of a Greek mausoleum can be seen in Tortora Marina (however the Marina is closer to Praia de Mare than Tortora hill town) and as so many signs of Greek and pre-Greek settlements have been found in the area this town has a small but very impressive Greek museum.

Giuseppe Garibaldi and his troops entered the town during the quest to unify Italy and picture plaques with the story of his march adorn the town.

South to Diamante.

In English the word diamante has become synonymous with a false diamond, in Italian it means diamond and you’ll find there is nothing false about this beautiful town.

Diamante

Diamante North promenade (lungorage).

A ten minute train ride from Scalea for less than two euros Diamante railway station is only minutes from the South promenade. 

 Taking a steady stroll up this beautiful and well maintained promenade with its clear sea and mountain views eventually leads to the centro storico, but don’t forget to take in one of its cafes or ice-cream parlour’s along the way.

The Centro storico built in the 17^th-18^th century and modern compared to most of the other coastal towns in this area holds its own against its older neighbours with the many murals that adorn its houses. I believe work started on most of these murals in the early 1980’s and they have been maintained or replaced ever since giving the town the title of The city of murals, I’ve been to Diamante many times and probably still not seen them all. 

Also not to be missed is the mosaic which stretches the full height of the rear wall of the church, the mosaic tells the history of this part of Calabria in picture from the cavemen of Papasidero to the destruction of Cirella by Napoleons troops in the 19^th century. 

During September The town holds a world famous chilli festival and its Christmas market held the first week in December takes over the whole town.

Diamante centro storico.

Travelling to Diamante by train or road you will pass through Cirella (no railway station) and if you are travelling by car then it may be worth a short visit.

Along the headland at Cirella.

In the modern part of town on the coast (Cirella Marina) you can see unearthed sections of Roman and Greek walls and the external walls of the French fort built in the Napoleonic times. From the fort there is also a very pleasant coastal walk around the headland where the foundations of a Roman villa are still visible, the original Roman town of Cirella was sacked by Hannibal and his troops around 205BC.

 

Looking up onto the hills are the ruins of medieval Cirella which was laid to waste by Napoleonic French troops, I’m yet to discover why.

On the same hill there is a modern amphitheatre said to be built on top of an original Greek one, and a small Franciscan monastery which has recently been restored. 

Cirella Fraciscan monastery.

Around Cirella ruins.

Just off the coast is the uninhabited island of Cirella, I believe it to be privately owned and its only building is a deserted watch tower.

Buonvicino. 

As with many of the coastal town railway stations Diamante stations name is affixed with the name of its hill town neighbour so the station is Diamante-Buonvicino. Buonvicino is again a well maintained and pretty hill town with some wonderful views as you climb up and through its centro storico, worth a short visit if you have time but again no visible history so maybe it would be better to keep your shoe leather for some of the hill towns further down the coast.