A stepped old town and the Talao tower on the Riviera dei Cedri
On the Riviera dei Cedri, in northern Calabria, Scalea is one of the most popular seaside resorts on the Tyrrhenian coast, with long beaches of sand and pebbles and a lively modern town. But above the new town rises the old town, one of the most charming in the area, built on the slope of a hill in a succession of houses, lanes and steps, from which, according to tradition, its name derives ("scalea", stairway). Climbing through its alleys, you discover noble palaces, such as the Palazzo dei Principi, the church of San Nicola in Plateis, with the Gothic tomb of the admiral Ademaro Romano, and the church of Santa Maria d'Episcopio, and at the top the ruins of the Norman castle, with a beautiful view of the coast. A small Byzantine chapel, the Spedale, preserves fragments of medieval frescoes.
On the beach, near the town, stands the Torre Talao, a watchtower built in the sixteenth century against Saracen raids, on a rock that was once an island and is now connected to the mainland. The surrounding area is famous for the cedro, the citron, a large fragrant citrus fruit grown along this coast for centuries: every summer, rabbis from all over the world come to Santa Maria del Cedro and the nearby towns to personally choose the most perfect citrons, used in the Jewish festival of Sukkot, a tradition that dates back centuries. From Scalea, it is easy to reach the Isola di Dino, the Arcomagno and the Pollino.
Tip: climb the steps of the old town in the late afternoon; taste the candied citron and the cedro liqueur.
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