The next day back in Reggio, we visited the world famous archaeological museum of Magna Grecia in the city centre, which hosted the one of a kind finding of the Warriors of Riace (a village on the coast of the Ionian Sea). Back in 1972, a shipwreck was found by local fishermen in Riace, revealing to archaeologists such treasures as the two bronze statues of the Warriors and the Head of the Philosopher (remains of a bronze statue as well). The restoration of the statues to their original condition was a very detailed procedure and all of the findings are exhibited in a special hall at the Museum. I couldn’t help but saying to my friend David that for a person like me who has been taught about Greek culture ever since I was a young child and came to love my birthplace’s heritage and longstanding history, observing the treasures of my ancestors in this corner of the world was an unexpected revelation to me! I felt admiration and awe for the cultural remains shown at the Museum, since I didn’t take what I was seeing for granted, as I would probably have done back in my country where antiquity is even more present than in Italy. Afterwards walking down to the main merchant road, via Garibaldi (named after Italy’s national hero), we came by the Cathedral where much to my surprise I read a Greek inscription in the facade, saying that “While I wandered, I settled in Reggio”. Amazing indeed!

The day after, we drove all the way up to the province of Cantazarro in order to locate the village of Palermiti, so that we could visit David’s distant relatives there. Driving again for more than three hours in long winding mountain roads, passing through minor cities in the middle of inland Calabria, we finally found Palermiti, a village well kept and tucked into the mountains. The climate was so much different from the humid beach towns. A crisp cool air filled our lungs and even made us feel cold for summer, but that’s how the microclimate of the mountains usually is. We stopped by the piazza asking where we could find David’s cousins and thankfully there was one of them to greet him like a family member and show us around the village center.

Palermiti was founded in the 1300’s and as many places in southern Italy in the 20th century was affected by the massive immigration to northern Italy or America - immigration being a way to escape poverty. Nowadays most of the families have relatives abroad and immigrants come and go to their ancestor's village. David visited the city hall and found out with the aid of his cousin, the records of his great granddads all the way up to the 18th century. It was such a touching moment for everybody, since Americans usually have origins elsewhere that little or none know about, or even have the chance to be acquainted with.

For the following day we chose to go not so far away from the area of Reggio. I can well recall that the Straits of Messina in mythology were called the Straits of Scylla and Charibdis, named after the mythical monsters that guarded the Straits and were blamed by sailors for the destruction of ships in these troubled waters. Not only that, if you have read Homer’s Odyssey you might remember that Ulysses traveled to this area and was kept in captivity for a year by a very beautiful woman who possessed magic powers named Kirki. So we went to the village of Scylla north of Reggio about 20 kms away. Here we overlooked Sicily from afar, we strolled down the traditional neighborhood by the sea and then climbed to the medieval castle that stood tall on the top of the hill, hosting a lighthouse on the very top thus guiding the ships crossing the Straits. On the following afternoon we left the seaside to drive to Aspromonte National Park located deep in the mountains of the peninsula. Driving again down a winding road outside Reggio, we went to the Park which hosted places of recreation and of environmental interest, along with ski facilities for winter sports’ fans. We chose to go to the animal retreat where a large variety of birds and animals are kept from many places of the world and people have a chance to sit in beautiful surroundings. The village center was filled with visitors but resembled none of the serenity the mountain itself showed to the attentive nature lovers.

Last but not least, we planned a big trip to the eastern part of Sicily where we wanted to visit some significant places of interest such as Syracuse, Catania and Taormina. Crossing the Straits of Messina again, we drove all the way down to the traditional village of Noto (an UNESCO protected monument again), that is characterized by the unique construction of its buildings which are made of a yellowish local stone. Noto is a very picturesque place with many imposing buildings to visit. The restored Duomo, has a set of marble Roman lions guarding the church on the inside. 

Then not so far away and driving north, there was the ancient city of Syracuse, founded by Greek settlers from the island of Evoia; Syracuse was known as the capital of Sicily until it was conquered by Romans. Syracuse was a very important city in ancient times and the past can be found everywhere. Before going back in time, we first stopped by the imposing church of Madonna delle Lacrime (Madonna of the Tears) which was built in 2001 and its architecture has been a matter of controversy ever since. The frame is made of concrete, with an unconventional design that looks like it touches the sky, sits 11,000 people and was built on top of old Christian catacombs. It is believed that the Madonna is miraculous, not only within Italy, but worldwide and in the museum located underneath the main church, numerous testimonials of believers are exhibited for people to see the miracles of faith. Left in awe for what man creates in the name of the Lord, we crossed a bridge that led us to the suburb of Ortegia, the old city of Syracuse. There, the first thing that the visitor sees is La Fontana di Archimede (the fountain of Archimedes, the ancient Greek mathematician and inventor who once walked around Syracuse lost in his thoughts, and shouted “Eureka” aka “I discovered”). This phrase still remains in history as a sign of discovery and innovation. Ortegia is a place lost in time. The visitor will have no difficulty in walking the area easily and visit the Duomo which was built in the 1500’s in baroque style, incorporating remains of the ancient temple dedicated to goddess Athena (Minerva in Latin). Then a short distance form the sea lies the Castello Maniace, a fortress surrounding the city and protecting it from attacks by sea. It was named after the Byzantine General Nicola Maniace who is said to have built the fortress for military purposes and currently is under reconstruction. 

We had to leave beautiful Ortegia to drive to Catania, another major city in Sicily. Cantania was also a Greek colony and an important commercial center in Sicily. We walked for a while down by the city centre only to go to the Piazza del Duomo (don’t be surprised by the common names of some of the places in Italy; via Vittorio Emmanuelle, via Garibaldi and Piazza del Duomo, can be found in every city, as far as I could see). In the centre of the Piazza there was an Egyptian obelisk that stood on the back of an elephant made of lava stone. Let us not forget that the world famous volcano of Etna is located in the area. Saying goodbye to Catania, we went to our last stop for the day, the mesmerizing resort of Taormina, known to the Western world from the 1920’s when Ernest Hemingway, Rodolfo Valentino, Winston Churchill, Agatha Christie and other celebrities used to spend part of their holidays in Italy. Taormina is split into two parts. The seaside one and the mountain side where the city centre runs along with the unique antico teatro (ancient theatre standing tall from the ancient Greek past and remaining in operation to this very day)! A lift connects the two parts of the city like Cefalu in the north; it is a very popular resort to visit! Unfortunately, a concert given by Cure that evening and the diminishing daylight prevented us from visiting the theatre but its beauty and grandeur is to be remembered through the centuries. 

Finally the day for me to leave Italy had come. David and I drove back to Brintisi in seven hours; we had lunch in Taranto. Taranto used to be as I have mentioned earlier the capital of Magna Grecia (The Great Greece in translation, this name was given because of the number and size of Greek colonies in the region), for it was built in a strategic spot along the Ionian Sea - from here mainland Greece was easily accessible - the sailing distance is not long. Nowadays, as in many places in southern Italy, it barely resembles its glorious past. Big oil refineries and other heavy industries have been built on the outskirts of the city, polluting the environment, but offering work to the locals. The contradiction of elaborate public buildings and poor neighborhoods by the harbor was again obvious, reminding me of Palermo once more. The City Hall, remains of the Temple of Poseidon and Castello Aragonese are among the impressive sights in Taranto. Many signs about the University of Magna Grecia Studies made me believe that people in the province of Puglia were keeping their tradition alive to this day. Anthropologists have written that the area around the city of Lecce, not so far away from Taranto, is one of the few places where the Grecanic (ancient Greek culture mixed with Latin elements) is still preserved and kept alive. This is where the village Kalimera (good morning in Greek) is located and the where the original Greek inhabitants still speak a rare dialect on special occasions and feasts. The road signs to Brintisi and then to the port pointed me back to Greece. Rushing for the ferry I started communicating in Greek with those around me, all I could say to Italy after boarding the ferry was “arriverderci”,  until the next time I visit some of the wonderful places that one can visit in Italy.

The following are Marialena's previous articles for the magazine:

• The Island Of Crete - Dreaming Of Crete
• Traveling To Constantinople ~ A Greek Tourist’s Impressions Visiting Istanbul
• Traveling To North Western Greece ~ Discovering The Land Of Macedonia