8 Places To Visit In Reggio Calabria, Italy

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Reggio Calabria is a seaside town in southern Italy. It is separated from Sicily by the Strait of Messina. It is the most important city in the region of Calabria and has an extraordinary historical and architectural heritage to discover.

During your next visits to Reggio Calabria, you will not miss the opportunity to visit the National Museum, one of the most important archaeological museums in Italy, and the site where all the archaeological remains of Reggio are kept.

Whether you want to visit historical sites and monuments, architectural buildings or amusement parks, the city of Reggio Calabria is the ideal place.

Here are 8 historic and beautiful places you should visit in Reggio Calabria.

Visit the two great sculptures of Riace, called “Warriors of Riace” or “Bronze of Riace”.

The Riace Warriors, commonly known as the Riace Bronzes, are two exceptionally well-preserved bronze sculptures of Greek origin, dated to the Vᵉ century BC, which were discovered in 1972 in the Ionian Sea on the Riace coast. They are both kept in the National Museum of Reggio Calabria and represent the most valuable work of the latter.

They are both about 2 m high and weigh 250 kg each. It is believed that these masterpieces were carved in Greece, probably in the fifth century.

You will be amazed and speechless at the sight of these extraordinary sculptures.

Visit the largest national archaeological museum in Reggio Calabria

Also known as the Museum of Magna Graecia, is an Italian archaeological museum founded in 1882. It contains an important collection of artworks from Magna Graecia around the 8th century BC, Roman and prehistoric times.

You will find a collection of objects found in different sites of Magna Graecia.

Among others, the two bronze statues known as the Riace bronzes, world-famous sculptural masterpieces, are the most important attraction of the museum. Their uniqueness is due to the fact that they are among the very few large Greek bronzes still preserved in their entirety today.

Visit the Cathedral of the Assumption

Dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption, the Cathedral of Reggio Calabria is one of the largest and most impressive Catholic churches in the Calabria region. It

is located in Piazza Duomo, in the historic center of Reggio Calabria.

It was built by the Normans in the eleventh century, after conquest of the city against the Byzantines.

The Cathedral of the Assumption has a neo-Romanesque facade and in the central part there is a window of three “lightened” topped by a rosette.

In the center of the staircase that leads to the large and impressive facade is cut by four turrets topped by domes, where you can admire the statues of St. Paul and St. Stephen of Nicaea, by Francesco Jerace (1854-1937), a sculptor from Naples.

Explore the magnificent medieval castle

Among the tourist buildings of considerable interest is the medieval castle, with the remains of two massive round towers and part of the walls added in the Aragonese period (15th century).

Over the centuries, the castle has been conquered by Arabs, Normans, Swabians, and Angevins.

After many wars between the Angevins and the Aragonese, restorations were carried out during the 14th and 15th centuries, reign of the Aragonese.

Visit the church of Ottimati

Other churches of particular interest include the Church of the Ottimati [so named because it is where the elders of the city meet], with three naves and a mosaic floor. The temple was rebuilt in the mid-twentieth century in an Arab-Norman style and has a Latin cross with three naves.

Although of medieval origin, the church of Ottimati was rebuilt in the eighteenth century with elements of the mosaics of the Byzantine church of St. Gregory the Great, dating from the twelfth century. The church is located not far from the castle.

Visit of Aspromonte National Park

Le parc national d’Aspromonte est une zone naturelle protégée située dans la province de Reggio de Calabre. Il tire son nom du Massif homonyme, qui fait partie du complexe des Alpes du Sud.

Le complexe géologique est principalement composé de granit et de roches métamorphiques et a une origine plus ancienne que les Apennins. Ici, vous pouvez observer différents types de flore et de faune.

Visit one of the city’s most beautiful theaters, Teatro Cilea

The Teatro Francesco Cilea is the largest theater in all of Calabria, named after the musician from Palmi Francesco Cilea. It is characterized by a large room of nineteenth-century style in the shape of a horseshoe. The external lines are inspired by classical architecture.

The exterior lines are inspired by classical architecture at the request of mayor Giuseppe Valentino, in fact, he wanted that among the many buildings in Reggio, there was one that would resume the architectural forms of the ancient city Magna Graecia.

Discover the landscape and cuisine of Reggio Calabria

For nature lovers, Reggio Calabria offers easy access to charming seascapes, while for those who wish to take a spa treatment, we recommend a visit to the spring called St. Elias, with its clear water that seems to have excellent results on the regulation of the metabolism.

The traditional flavors of Calabrian cuisine, enhanced by the strong taste of chili, are historically influenced by those of ancient Greece.

This region is distinguished by the art of preserving various products, such as olives, anchovies, and tomatoes, but also by its unique microclimate that allows the cultivation of bergamot and jasmine, used for the production of perfumes.

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