Stalettì

Copanello is one of the most renowned sea resorts in Calabria, known as the “Gem of the Costa degli Aranci (Orange Coast)” The high cliff where the town stands pushes out into the clear sea with abundant fish and plankton, and it breaks the large and wide beach for a while. Around the cliff, small rocks sketch an amazing sea bottom. Modern hotels and beach facilities can meet the needs of the most demanding tourists. 

Copanello territory keeps a large number of Late Roman remains, like the ruined three-apse chapel of S. Martino, the only Paleochristian evidence in Calabria, that was long considered the tomb of Cassiodorus, the Roman stateman who was born in the nearby Squillace. Other archaeological evidences are the Church of Santa Maria Vetere, remains of the Byzantine castrum brutium, ancient Roman road that joins the Grande Street in Stalettì, Cassiodorus Fountain near the Casino Pepe that was an ancient nymphaeum, christianized at the time of Pope Gregory the Great. The Cassiodorus Fountain is not to be confused with the Arethusa spring, cited by Cassiodorus himself. The more recent Casino Pepe, that was probably built on the site where the Vivarium stood, and II World War bunkers also deserve to be mentioned.