Day 1 – PALMI
Arrival in Palmi. Accommodation in Hotel/B&B. Meet with the guide and visit to “Leonida Repaci” House of Culture, a modern functional complex that houses several museum sections, including one of the main ethnographic museums of southern Italy, other than preserving artefacts from the Bronze Age and Roman times. Return to the Hotel/B&B. Dinner and overnight stay.
Day 2 – METAUROS MUSEUM AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL PARK OF THE TAUREANS
Breakfast at the Hotel. Meet with the guide and departure for Gioia Tauro. Visit to Metauros Archaeological Museum, housed in eighteenth-century Baldari Palace, which preserves the remains of the ancient Greek town centre, through the changes of the Roman era, until the medieval phase. Lunch in a local restaurant. Transfer to Taureani Archaeological Park, which occupies a strategic position overlooking Costa Viola, where the ancient Brettonian city of Taurania once stood, and preserves the remains of settlements dating back to the second millennium BC. A short walk from the Park, visit to the Church and Crypt of San Fantino, a monumental complex consisting of a 19th century church and the remains of previous early Christian and medieval churches, now considered the oldest place of worship in Calabria. Return to the Hotel/B&B. Dinner and overnight stay.
Day 3 – SEMINARA
Breakfast in Hotel/B&B. Meet with the guide and departure for Seminara. Surrounded by olive trees, we will visit to the Monastery of S.S. Elia il Nuovo and Filareto l’Ortolano, which houses precious traditional frescoes of Orthodox origin and is guided by Mother Stefania. Lunch in a local restaurant. In the afternoon, walk through the streets of Seminara, known for its artistic ceramics whose origin is linked to the culture of theatrical masks coming from ancient Greece. Visit to the Museum of Ceramics and to a craft workshop. Return to the Hotel/B&B. Dinner and overnight stay.
Day 4 – BAGNARA CALABRA AND THE UMBERTINE FORT OF ARGHILLA’
Breakfast in Hotel/B&B. Meet with the guide and departure for Bagnara Calabra. Stop at the Ruggiero Aragonese Tower, located at the entrance to the small port, which offers a spectacular view of the sea. Passage over Caravilla Bridge, the only stone bridge in the world that can be crossed three times (on top of it and under two of its arches), to admire the façade of Ruffo Ducal Palace and Villa De Leo. Lunch in a local restaurant. In the afternoon, visit to nineteenth century Umbertino Fort of Arghillà, called Batteria Gullì, which stands on the hill of Arghillà, a hamlet of Reggio Calabria in a privileged panoramic position. It is one of the 22 batteries forming part of the Defence System of the Strait of Messina, built by the Army General Staff at the end of the nineteenth century, but soon became unusable, because it was visible from above, with the invention of the air force. The fortified complex represents what nowadays we would call an example of eco-sustainable construction. Return to the hotel. Dinner and overnight stay.
Day 5 – ROSARNO
Breakfast at the Hotel. Departure for Rosarno and visit to the Museum and Archaeological Park of the ancient Magna Graecia city of Medma, which preserves many artifacts found in the necropolis including local ones such as statuettes, busts and large masks. Lunch in a restaurant. Return to headquarters.