Town of Scilla in Calabria, Italy, overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea and Strait of Messina. According to Greek and Roman legend, the sea monster Scylla haunted the rocks here, opposite the whirlpool Charybdis.
Scilla, Calabria, Italy: tightly-packed properties. The town of Scilla is part of the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria and lies at the northern end of the Strait of Messina. In Greek and Roman mythology, Scylla was a sea monster who haunted the rocks of this narrow strait, opposite the whirlpool of Charybdis, leading to the modern phrase ‘between a rock and a hard place’. Ruffo Castle has ancient roots. A defensive building was on the site in the Etruscan, Magna Graecia and Roman periods. Modern excavations have revealed walls from the monastery of San Pancrazio, dated from the 800s CE. In 1060, the property became a military fortress; in 1533, it was purchased by a Calabrian, Paolo Ruffo, and became a family residence; and in 1808, it became state-owned. It is now a venue for meetings and exhibitions and houses on its seaward side one of the Italian Navy’s lighthouses, the lighthouse of Scilla. The Church of the Immaculate Conception is on an ancient site, but has been rebuilt several times after earthquakes and completely demolished before the latest reconstruction beginning in 1958. The ‘new’ church was re-opened for worship in 1964 and consecrated in 1970.
Size: 4128px × 2747px
Location: Scilla, Calabria, Italy
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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