Located within 100Km - dintornis - PAGE 5

Located within 100Km - Stilo

Details: Category: dintornis; Last Updated on Saturday, 24 February 2024 12:52; Published on Friday, 24 May 2013 14:57; Hits: 601

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Stilo

Stilo, on the slopes of Mount Consolino, was the birthplace of Tommaso Campanella. One of the most representative centres of history and culture in the whole of Calabria. Villages, churches, monuments and the cathedral known as Cattolica, a unique example of Byzantine art. Events include the Palio di Ribusa, a historical re-enactment. This spectacular medieval village is also famous for the celebrated Cattolica di Stilo, a true jewel of Byzantine art and architecture, a UNESCO heritage site, set in the living rock in one of the most beautiful and panoramic points of the town, from which one can admire the Stilaro valley and the sunny village, which, as in a Guttuso painting, presents itself with houses with their roofs covered by the characteristic 'ceramides' between the green of the prickly pears and the blue of the sea. The historical centre also offers us fine works such as the Cathedral (13th century), with a beautiful Gothic portal with small smooth and twisted columns and elegant Romanesque bas-reliefs, the 'Fountain of the Dolphins' of clear oriental matrix, the majestic Convent of San Domenico, the medieval Porta Stefanina, the church of San Francesco one of the most beautiful churches of the Calabrian 18th century, the church of San Giovanni Therestis stupendous Baroque achievement and many beautiful views.

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Monasterace Marina Archaeological Park and Caulonia Museum

The Majestic Doric Temple of Monasterace

The discovery of the ancient Achaean colony of Kaulon is due to the work of the great archaeologist Paolo Orsi. He was the first, in the early 20^th century, to identify the site in today’s Punta Stilo, just north of modern Monasterace Marina. During the construction of the Punta Stilo lighthouse, architectural terracotta was found at the base of the hill where the lighthouse was to be built.

Today, the site is home to the Monasterace Marina Archaeological Park. This site features a remarkable amount of finds visible on the surface, including a majestic Doric temple, dating back to the 5^th century B.C., with a perfectly preserved sandstone basement. The building – 41 metres long by 18.20 metres wide – featured a cella with a pronaos, a front entrance portico, and stairs going up to the roof made of marble tiles from Paros.

Monasterace’s Unique Mosaics

This Archaeological Park also has a museum exhibition reconstructing the history of the ancient colony. Of particular note are two uniquely beautiful mosaics, both depicting a dragon. One of them, with its 25 square metres surface, is thought to be one of the largest mosaics ever found in Europe. Other artefacts of considerable interest are the ‘Tabula Cauloniensis’ – a tablet dedicated to Zeus dating back to the 5^th century B.C. and written in the Achaean alphabet –, as well as numerous silver coins. As a matter of fact, the polis of Kaulon was the first in the world to mint coins with this precious metal, which at the time was mined in the hinterland Stilaro valley.

Submerged Ancient Kaulon

Archeological artefacts that have emerged due to coastal erosion have spurred underwater excavation campaigns, that have exposed the site of the submerged ancient Kaulon. Numerous architectural elements were found, including finely decorated column shafts from Doric-style temples and buildings.