Itinerary through the villages of Aspromonte

Nature, spirituality and culture intersect in this village, one of the most beautiful in Italy. Stilo is located along the Costa dei Gelsomini, between the slopes of Mount Consolino and the Stilaro River valley. The Cattolica, a masterpiece of Byzantine art with red bricks and oriental-style domes, is the small but precious church that symbolises this village, birthplace of philosopher Tommaso Campanella, author of The City of the Sun. But the aura of mysticism and sacredness pervades the cobbled streets of the village, among the ruins of the Norman Castle overlooking the valley and the sea, to the Monastery of San Giovanni Therestis, in nearby Bivongi, inhabited by Greek Orthodox monks who offer hospitality to tourists who want to experience contemplation and prayer.

This town will captivate you with its ethereal beauty and medieval charm. The Castle, the Cathedral, the pottery shops, the portals: Gerace is worth visiting and admiring, and one of its unique features is its exceptional number of churches. There were once 128, but today only 26 remain. The majestic Cathedral of the Assumption is the largest Romanesque church in southern Italy, with its three naves supported by twenty granite and marble columns. Don't miss the Porta del Sole, the monumental gateway attached to the cathedral, a masterpiece of Gothic architecture embellished with friezes and sculptures that recount the myths of the past.

This place will surely remain in your heart. Mammola, surrounded by the woods of Serre and Aspromonte, is the town of stockfish, which you can enjoy in various traditional recipes. Every year, a festival is held here in which dried fish is the undisputed star. The archaeological area where the ancient Monastery of Santa Barbara once stood is now home to MuSaBa, a museum of contemporary art dedicated to the late artist Nik Spatari and his wife Hiske. It is a space for creativity and artistic experimentation where monumental works, installations and mosaic decorations are exhibited. Don't miss Nik Spatari's painting, known as "the Calabrian Sistine Chapel", a 14-metre-long three-dimensional work covering the entire space of the vault and apse of the ancient abbey of Santa Barbara and representing Jacob's Dream.

As you stroll through the narrow streets of this splendid village in Greek Calabria, you may come across artisans practising ancient crafts such as wood inlaying and weaving. You may also hear elderly people speaking an almost unknown language. Perched on a cliff, Bova will welcome you with the charm of its stone houses that seem to emerge from the rock and its picturesque views, with its timeless atmosphere. Because here, the imperative is to slow down, to protect traditions, rituals and the rich cultural heritage inherited from ancestors. Want to know more? There is the Museum of the Greek-Calabrian Language named after the scholar Gerhard Rohlfs. Also worth visiting are the Cathedral of San Leo, patron saint of Bova, and the ruins of the Castle overlooking the valley and the sea.

Would you like to visit a ghost town? Arriving in Roghudi will be a unique experience, because it is a place full of charm, surrounded by nature and the surreal silence of empty houses and streets. Roghudi Vecchio (as opposed to the new urban centre) stands on a rocky spur overlooking the Amendolea river and is a completely uninhabited village, evacuated in the 1970s due to violent floods. Tourists and curious visitors climb up here to enjoy an incredible view overlooking strangely shaped rocks (Rocca del Drago and Caldaie del Latte), but also to see up close and photograph a village where time has stood still and everything in the houses has remained unchanged since the days when the inhabitants had to abandon their belongings and leave.

You are in the most Greek village in Italy, and you will soon discover why. Here, the inhabitants speak Griko, a language derived from Byzantine Greek. This alone is enough to make you feel as if you are in a place outside of time, immersed in an atmosphere that feels ancient and magical. Gallicianò is located in the municipality of Condofuri, and its Greek soul is reflected in its crafts, music and gastronomy, jealously guarded by the locals, who resist fads and change.

It is called Pentedattilo (from the Greek for five fingers) because of the hand-shaped cliff that overlooks the village. It looks like a nativity scene carved into the rock and is one of the gateways to the Aspromonte National Park. Pentedattilo is a hamlet of Melito di Porto Salvo and the extraordinary nature that surrounds it makes it a destination for tourists and trekking and hiking enthusiasts. If you look around and notice that there is no one around, it is because you are in a ghost town, uninhabited, but which has not lost its great charm. You will lose yourself walking through the cobbled streets and looking at the horizon overlooking the valley. The ruins of the castle and the church of Saints Peter and Paul are worth a visit.

Have you ever imagined skiing while looking out at the sea in the distance? In Gambarie d'Aspromonte, you can. It is located in the heart of Aspromonte at an altitude of 1,300 metres, yet it is only a few kilometres from the Ionian Sea (just 28 km from Bagnara Calabra), and this is one of the unique features of Gambarie d'Aspromonte, a hamlet in the municipality of Santo Stefano in Aspromonte. This delightful mountain tourist village has ski and bobsleigh slopes, hotels and other amenities. From here, you can go on excursions and guided tours in the Aspromonte National Park.