Reggio Calabria: the Riace Bronzes, the Falcomatà seafront and the Strait
Overlooking the Strait, with Sicily and the silhouette of Mount Etna in the background, Reggio Calabria is the southern gateway to the Costa Viola and one of the oldest cities in the Mediterranean. Founded by the Greeks, it was among the most important centres of Magna Graecia, and today its National Archaeological Museum holds the Riace Bronzes, two masterpieces of Greek sculpture from the 5th century BC.
The heart of the city is the Falcomatà seafront, a kilometre of palm trees, Art Nouveau villas and benches facing the sea, where at sunset the light settles over the Sicilian coast. Between the scent of bergamot, the Aragonese Castle and the optical phenomenon of the Fata Morgana, Reggio is a stop that brings together art, history and landscape.
The Riace Bronzes and the Archaeological Museum
The Riace Bronzes are why Reggio is famous worldwide: two life-size bronze statues of warriors, made in Greece in the 5th century BC and discovered in 1972 on the seabed off Riace Marina. Today they are displayed at the National Archaeological Museum (MArRC), one of the most important in southern Italy, in a climate-controlled room that protects their conservation. Alongside the Bronzes, the museum tells the story of Magna Graecia through finds from Locri, Croton and the other Greek colonies of Calabria, with pottery, coins and sculptures. The visit deserves some time: it is the best way to understand the Hellenic roots of this land.
The Falcomatà seafront, the Castle and the centre
The Falcomatà seafront is Reggio’s living room: Gabriele D’Annunzio called it “the most beautiful kilometre in Italy” and it remains an unforgettable walk among palms, century-old ficus trees, Art Nouveau villas and gardens facing the Strait. Along the way you come across the remains of the Greek walls and the Roman baths, traces of the ancient city. A little further back, the Aragonese Castle with its cylindrical towers dominates the old town: rebuilt several times over the centuries, it is one of the few monuments to survive the 1908 earthquake that flattened much of the city. Don’t miss the Cathedral, the largest in Calabria, and a stop to taste bergamot, the citrus fruit that grows almost only on this coast.
The Strait, the Fata Morgana and how to get there
The Strait of Messina is the true star of Reggio’s landscape: just three kilometres of water separate Calabria from Sicily, with Messina, the Peloritani mountains and Etna always in view. On rare calm days, with particular temperature conditions, you can witness the Fata Morgana from the Strait, a rare optical phenomenon that makes the Sicilian coast appear suspended and magnified over the water, giving the legend its name. To reach Reggio: by car, follow the A2 “del Mediterraneo” motorway (Salerno–Reggio Calabria) to its end; by train, the city is connected to the main lines via Reggio Calabria Centrale station; the Strait airport lies a few kilometres from the centre, while ferries from Villa San Giovanni reach Messina in about twenty minutes.