Savuto valley
The territory around the Savuto river is a place full of destinations to discover, both for what concerns the naturalistic tourism and for what concerns the cultural and food and wine tourism.
But… which are the top things to see in the Savuto valley?
We give you some tips, such as visiting the castle of Cleto and the castle of Savuto (hamlet of Cleto), or the ruins of the medieval castle of Aiello Calabro (visit the splendid small alleys and squares). It’s interesting to visit the archaeological excavations of Serra d’Aiello, or even the so-called Hannibal’s Bridge in the territory of Scigliano . These are just some of the points of interest that you can write down in your diary when you go to explore the Savuto valley.
Savuto, the natural way to reach the Sila mountains from the Tyrrhenian Sea
The valley designed by Savuto river is one of the most luxuriant and natural strategic passages that influenced most of the human affairs of communities settled here. In fact, the river is a natural way which connects the Tyrrhenian coastline – Sant’Eufemia (Lamezia) gulf – to Crati valley, in Cosenza, and from there it promotes contacts with Sibaritide plain or Sila forest. So it allowed goods transfer from west to east and back.
Next to a piece of the river, today, a fundamental stretch of the A2 runs – it’s the modern Mediterranean Motorway. A great road (two carriageways) connecting northern and southern Calabria.
Temesa and Odyssey
“Témesa” was on the north bank of the mouth of the Savuto river. It was, in the middle of the first millennium BC, a rich agglomeration of villages. According to some interpreters of the Greek Myth, Temesa was one of the western landing place of Ulysses and companions returning from Troy.
This is one of the many great stories mixed with legend, history of Magna Graecia and archeology, which make the history of this area glorious and charming.
Temesa is mentioned in the Odyssey.
The goddess Athena talks about Temesa. We are in book I, in Ithaca. Mente, king of the Tafi, carries on a conversation with Telemachus. You should know that he isn’t the real Mente, but a spell of Athena that has taken on the appearance of that king. He reassures the boy that Ulysses is still alive. Mente says that he is gonna reach Temesa, where he will trade iron for bronze.
Aiello Calabro
Aiello Calabro is a nice village with a glorious history, beautiful streets and squares, custodians of ancient popular traditions. Visit the fascinating square in front of Cybo Malaspina palace.
The castle of Cleto and the castle of Savuto
Cleto is one of those incredible villages of Calabria, built clinging to a rock.
Walking through those narrow streets allows you to reflect on human smart engineering and on the history of materials and architecture.
One of the first castle owners was the Pietramala family (and Pietramala was the name of the village).
The castle erected in Savuto is a very beautiful fortress overlooking Savuto valley. It’s here, enjoying the panoramic view – the last part of the valley – you see the tourists traveling by car that meet… the sea! The A2 Motorway is very close to the Tyrrhenian Sea.
The castle was built by order of Charles I of Anjou.
Nocera Terinese
Nocera Terinese is absolutely one example of the richest Calabrian villages in popular traditions. Some of these “folk ways” have even become the object of research by anthropologists and sociologists – think about the bloody rites of Holy Week (impressive!!).
The Hannibal bridge
On the way to the beautiful Rogliano, the intrepid sportsmen and curious people who want to travel across Savuto river will be able to see up close the Roman bridge, commonly known as the Hannibal Bridge, near Scigliano.
Done, demolished and rebuilt by Roman military engineers, it was closely connected to the great Via Popilia, which from Capua (detaching itself from the Appia big road) allowed the transit to Reggio Calabria.