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.