The Englishman's Path: in the footsteps of Edward Lear

The ‘’Englishman's Path‘’ starts from the uninhabited village of Pentedattilo, in the municipality of Melito Porto Salvo (RC), located on the Ionian slopes of the Aspromonte massif. Among the Calabrian ‘’ghost towns‘’, the village of Pentedattilo is a veritable open-air film set, which draws on a grim family massacre: the ‘’Alberti massacre‘’, named after the noble family that ruled the territory in the 16th century. It was a passionate and heinous crime, destined, according to the curse, to close the ‘’five fingers‘’ rock on the village (hence the name ‘’Devil's Hand‘’). The village was severely damaged by the 1789 earthquake, after which it was depopulated. Since the 1980s, it has been rediscovered and enhanced by local associations, which have turned it into an ‘’widespread hotel‘’, turning some private houses into a Museum of Rural Civilisation, with craft workshops. Pentedattilo is one of the gateways to the Aspromonte National Park through the ‘’Englishman's Path‘’, part of the official network of Paths in Calabria.

The second stop on the ‘’Englishman's Path‘’ on the map is Bagaladi, another important gateway to the Aspromonte National Park, but also a small municipality of oriental origins (Greek-Byzantine and Arab) and still today the result of the mixture of many cultures. Famous for the production of an excellent olive oil, Bagaladi is located at the foot of Mount San'Angelo, where the historic Iacopino Oil Mill represents one of the first mills in Calabria to use water as a motive power, and today houses the Oil Museum.

Third stop on the ‘’Englishman's Path‘’ is Amendolea, an ancient village of Greek origin located on the river of the same name. The ruins of the village include those of the ancient Ruffo Castle, among the Norman castles in Calabria. Located in the north-western sector of a long and impervious rocky ridge, between the Amendolea and Condofuri torrents, it is one with the monumental ruins of the village, including those of a small Byzantine church where the ancient Greek Orthodox rite is practised.

The fourth stop along the ‘’Englishman's Path‘’ takes us straight to the ‘’ghost village‘’ of Gallicianò, defined as the Acropolis of Magna Graecia in Calabria, since it is the only village still entirely Hellenic, that is, speaking the ancient Greek of Calabria. Thanks to its isolation, it has kept its cultural, craft, musical and choreographic traditions intact. Many elements make the atmosphere full of charm, such as the Fountain of Love (Cannalo tis Agapi) and the Church of Our Lady of Greece (Panaghìa tis Ellada), where the Greek Orthodox rite is practised.

The stop in Bova, among Italy's Most Beautiful Villages along the ‘’Englishman's Path‘’, preserves the ancient Greekness of Calabria through rituals, language, and religious and gastronomic traditions. The historic centre clings to a striking natural cliff, at the foot of the Aspromonte National Park, to which it provides immediate access. Access to the village was through two turreted gates and climbing up the alleyways, one reached the acropolis, on which the main buildings still stand today: the Cathedral, the Bishop's Palace and the other noble palaces, all the way to the ruins of the Norman Castle, which stands atop a rocky spur. Other jewels to admire in Bova are the Church of San Leo, with its Chapel of Relics; the Churches of the Carmine and the Immaculate Conception and the details sculpted on the façades of the numerous noble palaces, the work of local stonemasons (Mesiani-Mazzacuva Palace, Nesci Sant'Agata Palace and Tuscano Palace, to name the most monumental). Two other gems not to be missed are the Path of Rural Civilisation, an open-air museum winding its way through the alleyways, and the ‘’Gherard Rohlfs‘’ Museum of the Greek-Calabra Language, named after the German philologist who first took an interest in the recovery of this original local idiom.

Palizzi is the sixth stop on the ‘’Englishman's Path‘’ on the map. The marina stretches along the Costa dei Gelsomini, and is famous for its White Gullies and the renowned Palizzi IGT wine. In addition to its pristine beaches, a refuge for Caretta Caretta turtles, Palizzi boasts the ancient historic centre of Palizzi Superiore, where the ‘’Englishman's Path‘’ walking route passes. The historical centre rises around the fortress of the ancient Palizzi Castle (13th century), an imposing building fortified into the living rock, of which today remain the remains of the surrounding walls with mighty bastions and gun ports, as well as the two towers (cylindrical and angular). Just outside the town is the small hamlet of Pietrapennata, with the ancient Monastery of Alica and the remains of the Monastery of Sant'Ippolito.

The ‘’Englishman's Path‘’ ends in Staiti, with the village clinging to the sinuous forms of the Giambatore Rock, in a panoramic position. Here, the loop trail climbs to the edge of the Aspromonte National Park and includes a visit to the Church of Santa Maria dei Tridetti, an important example of Byzantine architecture in Calabria.