Overseeing tour of Pentedattilo (ghost town) and Reggio Calabria (including transfers to the port and boat crossing).
Crossing from the port of Messina to the port of Villa San Giovanni (30 min). Transfer to Pentedattilo (50 min.)
Tour of the town of Pentedattilo, nestled on Mount Calvario at an altitude of 250 metres above sea level. The name of this ancient settlement comes from the Greek words penta + daktylos – five fingers, as it resembles the giant hand of the Cyclops.
Pentadattilo is an ancient, abandoned town. The town itself was partially destroyed by an earthquake and in the years that followed, the inhabitants of the surviving houses gradually left the town. There is a legend that the earthquake is the result of a punishment for the events that took place in the town: the family of Alberti, Marquess of Pentedattilo, was murdered in their sleep by the Barons Abanevoli of Montebello. The town can be reached by car.
This place attracts you with its special mystical atmosphere and the unique landscape of Greek Calabria. Nature itself has created a bizarre million-dollar set, as the famous film director Robert Englund said. From the panoramic site, the village can be reached by climbing up the mountain on foot or by electric car. If desired, the most trained can visit the ruins of the castle of the Marquis Alberti, where in the XVII century there was a tragedy of jealousy between feuding families. Walk through the narrow streets of Pentedattilo: the Church of St Peter and St Paul, the Museum of Folk Traditions, artisans’ shops.
Pentedattilo is being revived with EU funding, with the annual “Pelearizza” festival of Greek culture and the “Pentedattilo Film Festival” international short documentary film festival.
Return to Reggio Calabria (50 min.)
Visit the National Museum of Greater Greece, where the world-famous bronze statues of Greek warriors from the 5th century BC are on display in the underwater archaeology hall.
Walk along “the most beautiful kilometre of Italy”, as the famous Italian poet Gabriele D Annunzio called the Reggio promenade.
Tasting of Italy’s best ice cream.
Return to the port.
Comfortable sports shoes. The excursion is of medium difficulty, not recommended for people with disabilities or chronic illnesses.
