Roman ruins and a Norman basilica among the olive trees
A short distance from the Ionian coast, in the locality of Roccelletta di Borgia, south of Catanzaro, in a vast and splendid olive grove of centuries-old trees, lie the remains of Scolacium, an ancient city founded by the Greeks with the name of Skylletion and refounded by the Romans as a colony in 123 BC, with the name of Minervia Scolacium. The city flourished for centuries thanks to its port and its fertile land, and in late antiquity it was the homeland of Cassiodorus, the minister of the Ostrogothic king Theodoric, who founded the monastery of Vivarium nearby. The archaeological park preserves the forum, with paved streets and public buildings, the theatre, which could hold about 3,500 spectators, the remains of an amphitheatre and of baths, and statues and inscriptions now displayed in the small museum.
The most spectacular monument of the park, however, is the imposing ruin of the Basilica of Santa Maria della Roccella, a huge Norman church of the eleventh or twelfth century, built of brick, one of the largest in southern Italy, whose high walls and apses rise, roofless, among the olive trees, with a striking effect. In recent years, the park has also hosted important exhibitions of contemporary art, with large sculptures by international artists placed among the ruins and the olive trees, creating a fascinating dialogue between ancient and modern. Nearby, the beaches of the Gulf of Squillace offer a refreshing break.
Tip: walk among the olive trees at sunset, when the basilica turns red; check if there are contemporary art exhibitions underway.
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