Vibo Valentia and Pizzo Calabro

Passeggiata at Pizzo Marina.

Once our train trips south start to venture past Amantea from our home base of Scalea, making the journey in one day entails catching the first train which leaves at six o’clock in the morning, later trains can be caught but the synchronising with train changes and buses makes the journey longer and slightly more complicated. However if you’re like me this early start isn’t a problem as the second power nap on the train leaves me ready and refreshed for the day’s activities.

The fifty five minute journey from Amantea to Vibo Valentia Pizzo is probably the longest part of the journey with the least stops as the Airport town of Lamezia Terme is the only one. The station is in the industrial area on the plains of Lamezia and getting to the town centre requires a car, but in brief Lamezia Terme is renowned for its large spa complex and its constant battle with mafia influence over its commune, so we’ll write about this area at a later date.
The train station which serves the hill town of Vibo Valentia and the coastal town of Pizzo is about half way between them both with a regular circular bus from the station up to Vibo then down to Pizzo retuning to the station to start the journey all over again. 

Our train pulls into the station a little before eight when the bus is already at the station waiting for us, and in less than thirty minutes we’re in the main piazza of Valentia to take morning coffee in the cafes with the locals people.

The towers of San Leoluca Cathederal.

The bus drops off very close to the doors of the San Leoluca cathedral and after coffee this is our first port of call, the doors of the cathedral are a bronze work of art by the sculptor Giuseppe Niglia.

The Cathederal doors.

Leaving the piazza we take a meander through the centro storico and head towards the town’s Norman castle which is the main reason for our visit, and a not to be missed experience. 

Vibo castle.

Perched high on the hill its views out and over to the Silo national park are breath taking, but the biggest surprise to us on our first visit is that the castle houses an excellent Greek museum, maybe not at the grandeur that the Greek museums of Paestum and Reggio Calabria have to offer, but for a town hardly spoken about still very impressive.

The town has had a chequered history, first established by the Greeks in the 7^th century BC and named Hipponion its early history saw occupation by rival Greeks from Sicily, the Carthaginians, the Bruttii (an early local tribe of Calabria) and finally becoming the Roman colony of Vibo Valentia in 194 BC. Structures, ruins and artefacts of all these occupations can be and have been found in and around the town and it is now established that a Greek Acropolis once stood where the castle now sits.

With all this in mind you can easily understand why the museum has such a wealth of exhibits.

Looking out from Vibo castle.

Back to the piazza and a short bus ride to the coastal town of Pizzo Calabro.

The main piazza Pizzo.

I have to admit that Pizzo is one of my favourite towns on this coast after once saving me from the disappointment I felt when first visiting the nearby (in our opinion) over-acclaimed, commercialised town of Tropea, which again I’ll explain in my next writing.

The Garibaldi fountain Pizzo. 

Being overshadowed by its popular, touristy neighbour Pizzo has managed to keep that real Italian feel and the bus from Vibo drops you off just behind the main Piazza and into this Italian idyll.

OK the piazza is not without the usual fault of all tourist towns where touts dressed as waiters and waitresses try and entice you into their restaurants but just off the piazza the restaurants let you read their outside menus in peace, if dinner is what you are looking for.

Band at Pizzo strawberry festival.

The piazza is large in comparison to the size of the town’s centro storico and the first time we visited without knowing we had arrived on the days of the town’s strawberry festival when the piazza was alive with folk and jazz bands, people in giant dancing costumes but most important of all free strawberries!

Stalls had been set up throughout the piazza and up the main street giving away punnets of strawberries and every conceivable food one can imagine made from the fruit, from gateaux and ice-cream to crepes and risotto, and of course the Pizzo world famous tartufo, I must find out how often this festival is held.

Pizzo Marina.

At the end of the piazza is a beautiful sea view looking down into the bay while to your left is the castle. A walk down the steep streets to the harbour where an evening passeggiata is highly recommended can be rewarding, but remember that steep return climb.

The town’s Aragonese castle is open for a small admission fee and holds an important place in Italian history for it was here that the once king of Naples Joachim Murat was held captive and executed by firing squad. Murat the brother in law of Napoleon Bonaparte had tried to hold power in Italy after the downfall of Bonaparte. But after losing battles in the North of the country he sailed to Pizzo to try and enlist support for his cause where the locals who had not fared well under the French regime turned against him and handed him over to the troops of the new king of Naples Ferdinand IV.

The castle is well maintained but I’m not sure about the redundant shop mannequins dressed in costumes or the seemingly EBay acquired replica weapons, armour and art that have been installed to try and help tell the story of Murat, I think the less is more rule applies to this but that’s just one mans opinion.     
From the castle, back through the piazza and an easy walk to the end of centro storico and the Church of San Francesco di Paola, not holding too much interest it is however the first building to be rebuilt by the towns people after the devastating earthquake of 1905 and a stone carved plaque of the event adorns the outside wall.

From this end of the town we take a short walk (about 15 minutes) down to the Piedigrotto church. This is a downward walk on a main road out of Pizzo, not busy but may be daunting to some as the road twists and turns and has no footpath, but again well worth the effort.

Piedigrotto church from the beach.

The church one of the most visited in Calabria is on the beach and carved into the sea facing cliffs, the life-size statues and reliefs that adorn the church have been carved from the existing rock as the cave and church have been hued deeper into the earth. Its origin as a holy place arose from legends of shipwrecked sailors in 1665 taking refuse in its earlier cave and placing a picture of the Virgin Mary there which they had rescued from the ship after it had allegedly promised them salvation. 

The local legend continued and two hundred years later a local artist Angelo Barone inspired by the story started to carve the now unique interior.

External links.

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

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

http://www.southofitaly.com/pizzo-calabro/church-piedigrotta/

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.

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!