Squillace

Squillace stands a few kilometers far from the coast, overlooking a deep gorge. It was called Skilletion by the Greeks and Minervia Augusta Scolacium by the Romans, though the origins of the town are probably more ancient. It was the homeland of Aurelius Cassiodorus. Squillace is a renowned tourist resort. Skylletion, whose foundation was traditionally ascribed to Ulysses, was a very important Magna Graecia town. The ancient urban settlement is located on the seaside, while the present-day town has Medieval origins. The journey to discover the Gulf of Squillace should start from Borgia, a village located between the sea and mountains, where the splendors of Magna Graecia are still visible. Close to Catanzaro, at the entrance of the Archaeological Park of Scolacium, the ruined Basilica of Santa Maria di Roccella was built by the Normans between the end of the 11th and early 12th centuries. The remains of the buildings show a mixture of Western Romanesque shapes and Byzantine features. The Archaeological Park excavations have brought to light the remains of Roman buildings, including the theater and the amphitheater, the thermal plant, the paved roads and aqueduct. No built structures of the ancient Greek Skylletion have so far been found, because the Roman town was erected on the Greek one; however, several ceramic artefacts of the 4th, 5th and 6th centuries B.C. were discovered. The ceramic handicraft tradition is very ancient and flourishing, and Squillace has been included among the 27 Italian certified manufacturing towns. The very ancient art probably dates to Magna Graecia times. Many artworks from Squillace are kept in important museums: Londra, Parigi, New York, Capodimonte, Palermo. The lost piece marked as Sqllci 1654 was the most important local handicraft product and it was kept in the Provincial Museum of Catanzaro.