Stilo

A small 10th century pearl, with its characteristic small domes and Greek cross plan, the Cattolica of Stilo is the landmark building of eastern architecture in Calabria. The interior, divided by four reused columns, is embellished by the remains of ancient frescoes. Another architectural symbol of the village is the Castle of Stilo, builded in 1093, on the slopes of Mount Consolino, in a panoramic position, on one of the most impressive rock faces for climbing in Calabria. Today, only the circular entrance towers can be admired, but it once had triangular towers and incorporated a chapel-church.

The village of Stilo is entirely carved out of granite by local stonemasons and craftsmen, who contributed to the original Fountain of the Dolphins (or Gebbia), in arabesque style, the 14th-century Mother Church (Cathedral of Stilo) and the Church of San Giovanni Therestys with the adjacent Convent of the Liguorini (now the Town Hall). In the centre of the main square, the statue of the philosopher Tommaso Campanella, a native of this territory, also invites us to visit the Convent of San Domenico, where it is possible to see his personal cell and retrace the human and historical traces of one of the most important thinkers of the West.