Archaeological Park of Tauriani “Antonio De Salvo”

The Tauriani "Antonio De Salvo" Park is located in Palmi, a beautiful location along the Costa Viola in the province of Reggio Calabria.

The site lies in the area where the ancient Brucian city of Tauriana was located and is named after Antonio De Salvo (Palmi, 1851-1924), a surgeon doctor who made the first archaeological discoveries in the 19th century.

The Tauriani Park, covering three hectares out of an estimated ten hectares of the Roman city, occupies the central part of a plateau overlooking the Tyrrhenian coast, a few kilometres from the urban centre. Excavations by the Superintendency began in 1995 and brought to light remains of Bronze Age huts dating back 4,000 years, as well as the urban installations of the Bretton and Roman city (4th century B.C. - 4th century A.D.): public, sacred and private architecture.

What to see and do in the park

The archaeological remains of the Tauriani Park are set in a setting of extraordinary beauty. The route, marked by explanatory panels, accompanies the visitor into the heart of the settlement.

Excavations have made it possible to delimit the area of cultural influence of the Taurians both spatially and chronologically: of the large urban road passing through ancient Tauriana, the paving in local stone paving stones is preserved. Its continuation, outside the city, led to the Via Popilia, an important road axis connecting Reggio Calabria and Capua-Rome. 

Among the things not to be missed when visiting the Tauriani Park are the Mosaic House, the Urban Shrine and the latest important discovery: the Spectacle Building, originally an amphitheatre for gladiator fights, with a capacity of 3,000 spectators.

Also part of the Tauriani Park are the medieval structures of the ancient Church of San Fantino and the Saracen Tower.

Today, the park houses 6 contemporary art sculptures made of white marble blocks, works by the artists Maurizio Carnevali, Patrick Crombé, Raymond Lohr, Marit Lyckander, Luca Marovino and Maria Rucker.