Corigliano Calabro Italy
Frequently Asked Questions
At the port of Marina di Schiavonea, in the Gulf of Corigliano on Calabria's Ionian shore. The village of Schiavonea lies a short distance from the quays and is reached on foot.
The village of Schiavonea and its long sandy beach. Its parallel lanes all run down to the beach or to the seafront squares. The walk takes about an hour and conveys the atmosphere better than any guided tour.
A Norman castle inland, dominating the old centre clinging to its hill. It ranks among the best preserved of that period in southern Italy. The visit crosses a hall of mirrors with exuberant decoration, a library devoted to Magna Graecia and a small museum of the image.
A Greek colony on the neighbouring plain, so prosperous that its name gave us the word sybarite. Destroyed and then buried under alluvium, it has yielded streets, baths and foundations across several layers of occupation. The adjoining museum gathers ceramics, bronzes and everyday objects.
Three options, one per call. On foot: Schiavonea and its beach. Short excursion: the Castello Ducale and the old centre. Half day: the Sybaris archaeological park, or Rossano and Amarelli liquorice.
This Byzantine town holds in its diocesan museum the Codex Purpureus, a sixth-century gospel book with purple-dyed pages, listed by UNESCO in the Memory of the World register. A few kilometres away, the Amarelli house has produced liquorice since 1731 and its collection can be visited.
Yes. The long sandy beach edging the gulf begins a short distance from the quays and invites barefoot walking. In summer, Calabrian families settle in under their parasols, between coolers and ball games.
It requires imagination: these are foundations, not standing temples. But the story it tells is of a city whose wealth was the stuff of dreams across the ancient Mediterranean, and the adjoining museum gives you the keys to read it.
The euro and Italian, with a Calabrian dialect serving as background music. English is little spoken: this coast has never staged itself for travellers. Bring cash, as cards are not accepted everywhere.
No, and that is what moves people. Few expected it on the itinerary, and many come away feeling they touched an Italy that classic routes ignore. Expect neither souvenir shops nor developed visitor infrastructure.
