What to do in Reggio Calabria when it rains

Have you planned a winter trip to Reggio Calabria, the beautiful ‘’City of the Straits of Messina‘’? Here are some suggestions on what to do in Reggio Calabria with the rain, in case you want to stay indoors.

Spoilt for choice, with exhibitions, museums, art galleries, historic buildings, theatres, shopping and elegant cafés along Corso Garibaldi, there are plenty of things to do in Reggio Calabria when it rains.

Let's find out how to have fun on a winter day in Reggio Calabria in 5 steps! 

Finding ourselves in the so-called ‘’City of the Riace Bronzes‘’, one of the first things to do in Reggio Calabria when it is raining is undoubtedly a visit to the ‘’temple‘’ that houses the two most famous bronze warriors in the world, the true symbol of Calabria. We are talking about the astonishing National Archaeological Museum of Reggio Calabria, located in Palazzo De Nava, on Corso Garibaldi, where the Riace Bronzes are displayed in a special hyperbaric room, which is accessed after being cleansed of any external contaminants (smog, particles, etc.). In their presence, one feels as if in front of two Greek divinities: classified as ‘’A‘’ and ‘’B‘’, i.e. the ‘’Old Man‘’ and the ‘’Young Man‘’, the Riace Bronzes represent two naked warriors measuring 1.98 and 1.97 metres in height and weighing 160 kg. The mighty musculature is rendered with plastic vigour. Among the details to be noted are the veins on the hands and feet, the mother-of-pearl on the eyes and the nipples, which are worked separately and applied by hammering.

In addition to the Bronzes, the Reggio Calabria museum houses the greatest masterpieces of Magna Graecia from excavations in archaeological parks throughout the region, starting with the Greek Rhegion itself and the later Roman Regium Iulii. Among the most valuable pieces, admired from all over the world and arranged on five floors: the marble Kouros of Reggio Calabria; the famous Head of the Philosopher (or Head of Basel); the grave goods from the Greek, Breton and Lucanian necropolises; the remains of the Calabrian colonies of Magna Graecia; the prehistoric section and the Hellenistic necropolis, with its underground lapidary.

The second thing to do in Reggio Calabria when it rains is to admire the modern and contemporary works of art in the Civic Art Gallery, located in a wing of the wonderful ‘’Francesco Cilea‘’ Theatre, continuing along Corso Garibaldi. Outside, the life-size reproduction of the famous sculpture Forme uniche della continuità nello spazio (1913, the original can be seen at the National Gallery of Palazzo Arnone, Cosenza) pays homage to the great artist Umberto Boccioni, one of the signatories of the Italian Futurist Manifesto.

The Civic Art Gallery of Reggio Calabria exhibits paintings by Antonello da Messina (San Girolamo in penitenza and I tre angeli apparsi ad Abramo), the work Il Ritorno del figliol prodigo, by Mattia Preti, known as the ‘’Calabrian Knight‘’, Giuseppe Benassai and Renato Guttuso. There are also paintings by Calabrian painters of the 19th century and the Neapolitan School, including a work attributed to Luca Giordano depicting Christ and the Adulteress. A sculpture section is dedicated to marble busts and classical sculptures, including a copy of Bernini's Laocoon, found in the city's ancient Archiepiscopal Seminary.

What to do in Reggio Calabria with the rain? Admire the view of the town and the Strait of Messina from the other side of the Aragonese Castle and its rooms set up as a museum. The building we see today in the square of the same name is what remains after the terrible earthquakes that damaged it (in particular that of 1908). Although known as the ‘’Aragonese Castle‘’, it has much more ancient origins: the hill on which it stands was a strategic lookout point from ancient times (8th century B.C.) and maintained its role as a military fortress even in the Hellenistic and Roman periods. The documented existence of an actual castle dates back to the year 536, and then passed under the Byzantines, Normans, Angevins and finally, the Aragonese.

The square building has four corner towers. Restorations in modern times were aimed at adapting the structure to the evolution of siege machines and gunpowder artillery, especially against the Turkish invasions. The structure remained virtually unchanged until the Risorgimento, when it was decided to convert it into a barracks and political prison. Deliberately mutilated of the oldest part, the Castle of Reggio Calabria preserves the two Aragonese towers in the centre of the current square and is home to permanent and temporary exhibitions.

Another thing to do in Reggio Calabria with the rain is to visit the Duomo, or Cathedral of Maria SS. Assunta, the largest sacred building in Calabria. An identifying symbol of the people of Reggio, the Cathedral is a sumptuous and imposing church, characterised by an Eclectic-Liberty style façade (the style chosen to rebuild the city post-earthquake), in which medieval Romanesque and Gothic art merge; tripartite and with four octagonal towers surmounted by crosses, with a triforium and rose window in the central part. It is accessed by a monumental staircase, flanked by statues of St Paul (the saint who, according to tradition, converted the people of Reggio to Christianity) and St Stephen of Nicaea, the city's first bishop. The bell tower, almost thirty metres high, was completed in 1931.

The interior, accessed through three bronze portals, is a treasure trove of works of art: bundled columns, naves covered by wooden trusses decorated with 200 swastikas (symbolising the light of Christ's Advent), three polygonal apses housing eight chapels embellished with valuable works of art. At the end of the right aisle is the truncated column that, according to tradition, belongs to the Prodigy of St Paul; in the central apse stands the high altar decorated with a bronze bas-relief by Antonio Berti. 

Finally, if you are wondering what to do in Reggio Calabria when it is raining, there is nothing better than spending the afternoon at the ‘’Pythagoras‘’ Metropolitan Planetarium, the ideal place to contemplate the celestial vault even on bad weather days. A visit to the Reggio Calabria planetarium is an immersive experience, allowing you to get to know one of the landmarks of Calabrian astronomy for decades. Spending an afternoon at the planetarium means discovering the fascination of astronomy while comfortably seated in an armchair, under the firmament of the great dome, among lectures, events, exhibitions and educational activities for adults and children.