Scilla could not be missing from the list “The most beautiful villages in Italy”.
Together with Palmi, Bagnara Calabra, Seminara e Villa San Giovanni, Scilla rises on that stretch of Calabrian coast called Violet Coast and characterized by high and jagged coasts.
Scilla derives its name from the Greek Skylla or Skyllaion and the Latin Scylla, both with the meaning rock. Its name already appears in the Odyssey, but Homer does not write about the town, but refers to the myth of Scylla and Charybdis, and the current Strait of Messina was formerly called Strait of Scylla. A real town takes shape in Roman times. The Ruffo Castle, symbol of the city, was built on its rock, for military purpose, an observation and defence point, which plays a very important role under the Normans, worried about the presence of Arabs in Sicily. The castle has undergone changes either cause of the various families who inhabited it or cause of the earthquakes that have shaken the territory of Calabria. Since 1913 it houses a lighthouse of the Navy, a reference point for ships crossing the Strait.
Scilla is a town with a double face. The rock where the Ruffo castle is located acts as a partition between a part that shows a more cheerful side with the Marina Grande beach and its waterfront and the other part offers its more romantic soul with the houses of Chianalea district. These houses seem to float on water and thanks to this illusion Scilla has been recognized as Little Southern Venice. Walking on the road that cuts through Chianalea you can stop to take some pictures in its picturesque alleys, and understand how intense and vital the relationship between the sea and the inhabitants of Scilla is.
At the sunset we recommend climbing the Belvedere of Scilla, from where you can enjoy a wonderful view of nearby Sicily, where stands the Pylon of Punta Faro, twin of the one that rises on the Calabria coast and glimpses the Aeolian Islands.
If it’s time to dinner, then go down to Chianalea again. In summertime the restaurants of the Little Southern Venice build platforms leaning on the sea, don’t miss the chance to eat accompanied by the sound of clear water that breaks right under your feet.
Highly recommended!!! Arrive to the end of the road of Chianalea, just in front of San Giuseppe church, turn around… you will have the best shot of the Little Southern Venice, with the Ruffo castle and the Church of Mary Immaculate.
To discover the beauty of this town and its surroundings, we recommend the tour Castles on the Violet Coast or The Violet Coast. If you found this article interesting read also The King of the Violet Coast and The Monster Scylla.
