Unexpected Calabria in 100 unique landmarks
Calabria is a destination for the spirit that also satisfies the body. It is, as the Arbëreshë writer Carmine Abate would say, “a sum of opposing and violent impressions and perceptions, moving and irresistible.”
The modern traveller is faced with limitless choices. But are they really choices, or more of the same? We have options that we can count as more or less appealing, but, in the end, they are rendered banal because we are choosing from the same menu, reproduced everywhere. We hope that visitors to Calabria will strip away the clichés and discover something profound in this distinctive part of Italy. With this goal in mind, the region of Calabria has designated 100 Unique Identity Landmarks (MIDs)— monuments, archaeological artefacts and points of interest that are found only in Calabria.
Visitors might be surprised to discover how many heroes of the Ancient Greek world were from Calabria. In Crotone, Pythagoras teased out the theorem that bears his name and founded an academy. Here, too, lived and trained great athletes of the classical era. Among them were the undefeated Olympic wrestler Milo, and Phayllos, the warrior-athlete who helped defend Athens during the Battle of Salamis. This was where Alcmaeon, renowned as the father of anatomy and physiology, lived and worked; where Nossis, the sole attested female poet of Magna Grecia, and artistic rival to the more widely known Sappho, plucked at her lyre and made her mark on history; and it was home to Zaleucus the Lawgiver, one of the greatest innovators in legal history. The legacy of Magna Graecia can also be felt in Cirò in the hinterland of the province of Crotone where the grapes that produced Krimisa, the legendary wine that fueled the athletes at the ancient Olympics, are still grown today.
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Then there is Sibari, the birthplace of Lysis, another of the ancient world’s greatest jurists. Sibari was a city so rich, luxurious and sensuous in its day that the original meaning of “Sybarite” as denoting a hedonistic lifestyle remains in modern usage.
On a stretch of coastline known as the Coast of the Gods, one can explore Tropea, the symbolic heart of the area. Not only is it known for its iconic red onions but also as the birthplace of the Bojano brothers (Vianeo), considered the pioneers of ancient angioplasty and the most famous rhinoplasty surgeons of the 16th century, in whose Calabrian studio were reconstructed the noses of several notable European grandees of the age. Venturing further north into the Greek Sila region, one can discover the distinctiveness of locales such as Longobucco, situated in the province of Cosenza. This town holds historical significance as the birthplace of one of the greatest surgeons of the Middle Ages, Bruno da Longobucco, a pioneer whose contributions laid the foundation for modern surgical practices. Other notable scientific figures hailing from Calabria include Luigi Lilio, credited with inventing the Gregorian Calendar in the 16th century—a calendar universally adopted today—and Giano Lacinio, a Franciscan theologian who revolutionized the field of alchemy.
In Corigliano-Rossano, also in the province of Cosenza, the newly arrived Grand Tourist can view the Codex Purpureus Rossanensis. This artifact is the oldest surviving uncial Greek manuscript, dating back to the 5th–7th century, chronicling the life of Christ. It is the only manuscript of its kind to be exhibited in a museum. Within its pages are to be found (1) the earliest depiction of The Last Supper, offering a more authentic portrayal than Leonardo da Vinci’s renowned rendition; (2) the oldest known nocturnal scene in Christian art history; (3) the earliest cycle of miniatures depicting the life of Christ within a Greek manuscript; and (4) the most ancient depictions of a courtroom and the Four Evangelists. Another remarkable site is the tomb of Herodotus in Thurii, a city which the father of history had a part in founding along with other colonists at Pericles’ behest.
The region boasts the Abbey of Santa Maria del Patire, the wealthiest scriptorium of the Norman era. It was also home to Giovanni Battista Palatino, the illustrious calligrapher of the Renaissance, renowned as the author of the most widely printed writing manual in history. Notable too as the birthplace of Pope Urban VII, who holds the record for the shortest reign in papal history. Lastly, the area is celebrated for Amarelli, the only licorice company in the world with a museum dedicated to licorice. Its pioneering industrial extraction techniques, known as Conci, originated in Calabria, and its licorice stands as a pinnacle of quality in the global market.
In the heart of the Cosenza province, the mountainous regions of Fagnano Castello and San Benedetto Ullano host small lakes harboring a remarkable inhabitant—a newt recognized as a living fossil, exclusive to this area. This relic of prehistoric times, officially identified in 1983, encapsulates the unexpected wonders of Calabria within its scientific name: Triturus Alpestris Inexpectatus!
Calabria is the premier destination for the new Grand Tour, epitomizing a landscape rich in identity and distinction. It is a place open to all who yearn for moments of profound meaning and authenticity, and wish to rediscover themselves anew.
Cover image: Sibarita, Banchetto Greco
Images provided by Lenin Montesanto
