Gerace

Orange Flag of the Italian Touring Club

In Gerace, perched on a cliff in a dominant position, you can admire the coast on one side and the mountains on the other. According to legend, it was by following a sparrowhawk (hièrax in Greek, hence the name of the village) that the refugees from Locri arrived on this cliff and founded the town there.

Today, the town is divided into several parts (the historical centre, Piana, Borghetto and Borgo Maggiore), to be discovered by strolling in peace and quiet and getting lost in the narrow, characteristic alleys. Special features of the village are the many beautiful churches (under the Normans it was known as the "city of 100 churches" as many were built), including the cathedral, one of the most important in the South and the largest in Calabria, consecrated in 1045 and complemented by the Diocesan Museum, the Gothic-style convent church of San Francesco d'Assisi, the Greek Orthodox church of San Giovannello considered the oldest Orthodox church in Italy and the church of Santa Maria del Mastro, which is also very old (1084).

Also worth seeing is the Bombarde viewpoint, the baroquePorta del Sole, through which you can reach the true heart of Gerace, the Piazza del Tocco, where seven streets converge and on which the Palazzo Grimaldi-Serra, seat of the town hall, overlooks. On the edge of a cliff there are the remains of the ancient 11th-century Norman castle.

At the table, the advice is to try thepasta with "mbuttunate" aubergines seasoned with the olive oil of the large olive, and Greco, a sweet, fortified wine to be drunk with honey and figs as a gesture of hospitality. In July the town comes alive by hostingIl Borgo Enchantato, an international street art festival.