A trip to Cutro, the City of Chess and Bread

Did you know that there is a place in Calabria where a living chess game takes place every year? It is Cutro, “City of Chess” in the province of Crotone.

Not by chance recognised nationally among the “Chess Cities”, Cutro is equally famous for its homemade bread, the Cutro Bread, and the enchanting moonscape of the gullies, which enchanted Pier Paolo Pasolini in the 1950s.

Ready to checkmate the king on a trip to Cutro, “City of Chess”?

If you are wondering what links Cutro, a town in the Crotone province a few kilometres from the Ionian coast, to the chess tradition, you should know that it was here, in the 16th century, that one of Italy's greatest chess players was born. Holder of the first world title, achieved in Madrid, back in 1575: we are talking about the “Puttino”, from the nickname that made him famous, born Gio Leonardo di Bona, to whom the association of the same name is dedicated and which commemorates him every year with unmissable initiatives. Thanks to the local administration and the chess association, Cutro is the “City of Chess”.

After all, the large chessboard in the centre of the town's main square, named after Leonardo di Bona, does not go unnoticed! On its surface, a much-awaited Living Chess Match (12 August) is held every year, with the participation of dozens of costumed figures and flag-wavers, and an International Chess Tournament, which usually takes place between 25 April and 3 May and is officially recognised by the FSI (Italian Chess Federation).

Cutro, “City of Chess”, is also home to an important Chess School that mainly involves the youngest children, with the organisation of youth tournaments and the consecration of the “baby chess champion”.

Not only chess in Cutro! A visit to this town rich in tradition can only pass by tasting the renowned Cutro Bread, with the De.Co. (Municipal Denomination of Origin) mark. A delicacy of Calabrian bread-making, Cutro Bread has always been a local excellence: made with durum wheat semolina, soft wheat flour, natural yeast, water and salt, it has the shape of a round or elongated loaf, weighing about 500 grams. It is naturally leavened and baked in a wood-fired oven.

The characteristics that make it so tasty? The crust, thick and crispy; the porous crumb; the freshness; the long life and the typical golden yellow colour. The best way to enjoy it during a trip to Cutro is with the typical products of the Crotone and Marchesato areas: Pecorino Crotonese PDO and Sardella Crotonese PAT (Traditional Agri-food Product), a spicy spreadable sauce made from whitebait.

After a sampling of typical products, all that remains is to complete the visit to Cutro's historic centre, admiring the splendid Mother Church of the SS. Annunziata, the Convent of the Friars Minor and the other small churches scattered along the alleys. Palazzo Grisi and Palazzo Santa Chiara are two examples of local aristocratic architecture, while the Chirizzi Tower and Fort evoke the time when the Saracen Coast was stormed by Turkish pirates.

Trekking enthusiasts will find “'bread for their teeth”' in the discovery of the famous Calanchi di Cutro and Marchesato Crotonese: a naturalistic environment of great value that in the 1950s enchanted writer and director Pier Paolo Pasolini, who after a trip to Calabria chose these yellow dunes to set the film The Gospel according to Matthew (1964).