Scilla (; ) is a town and ''

comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...

'' in

Calabria Calabria is a Regions of Italy, region in Southern Italy. It is a peninsula bordered by the region Basilicata to the north, the Ionian Sea to the east, the Strait of Messina to the southwest, which separates it from Sicily, and the Tyrrhenian S ...

, Italy, administratively part of the

Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria () is an area of local government at the level of metropolitan city in the Calabria region of Italy. It comprises the territory of the city of Reggio Calabria and 97 other ''comuni'' (: ''comune'') in the hin ...

. It is the traditional site of the sea monster

Scylla In Greek mythology, Scylla ( ; , ) is a legendary, man-eating monster that lives on one side of a narrow channel of water, opposite her counterpart, the sea-swallowing monster Charybdis. The two sides of the strait are within an arrow's range o ...

Greek mythology Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories conc ...

Description

The town, from the city of Reggio, lies at the northern end of the

strait of Messina The Strait of Messina (; ) is a narrow strait between the eastern tip of Sicily (Punta del Faro) and the western tip of Calabria (Punta Pezzo) in Southern Italy. It connects the Tyrrhenian Sea to the north with the Ionian Sea to the south, with ...

, and is composed of two parts: the downtown, where the town offices and the residence of the patron saint are situated, and '' Marina di Scilla'', the beach-front, populated by tourists and thus heavily characterized by hotels and restaurants. Its beach is the first place north of Reggio Calabria where the waters are not cooled by the strait currents. Scilla's coastal district of Chianalea is included in the ''

I Borghi più belli d'Italia () is a non-profit private association of small Italian towns of strong historical and artistic interest, that was founded in March 2001 on the initiative of the Tourism Council of the National Association of Italian Municipalities, with the a ...

'' association of small Italian towns of historical interest list. The Ruffo Castle, a fortress built by the Dukes of Calabria, overlooks the beach. On a seaward-facing terrace is Scilla Lighthouse, an important aid to ships entering the

Strait of Messina The Strait of Messina (; ) is a narrow strait between the eastern tip of Sicily (Punta del Faro) and the western tip of Calabria (Punta Pezzo) in Southern Italy. It connects the Tyrrhenian Sea to the north with the Ionian Sea to the south, with ...

from the north.

History

It is said that Tyrrhenian pirates were the first to settle this coastal area in 493 BC, but others claim it was already settled during the time of the

Trojan War The Trojan War was a legendary conflict in Greek mythology that took place around the twelfth or thirteenth century BC. The war was waged by the Achaeans (Homer), Achaeans (Ancient Greece, Greeks) against the city of Troy after Paris (mytho ...

in the 12th century BC. The town of Scilla has ancient origins that relate mainly to the period of the destruction of Troy and invokes the myths and legends of

Odysseus In Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology, Odysseus ( ; , ), also known by the Latin variant Ulysses ( , ; ), is a legendary Greeks, Greek king of Homeric Ithaca, Ithaca and the hero of Homer's Epic poetry, epic poem, the ''Odyssey''. Od ...

with Scylla and Charybdis, of

Homer Homer (; , ; possibly born ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Despite doubts about his autho ...

and

Dante Alighieri Dante Alighieri (; most likely baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri; – September 14, 1321), widely known mononymously as Dante, was an Italian Italian poetry, poet, writer, and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called ...

. Its name derives from the mythological figure of

, a young nymph who refused

Glaucus In Greek mythology, Glaucus (; ) was a Greek prophetic sea-god, born mortal and turned immortal upon eating a magical herb. It was believed that he came to the rescue of sailors and fishermen in storms, having earlier earned a living from the ...

' love. He thus went to the sorceress

Circe In Greek mythology, Circe (; ) is an enchantress, sometimes considered a goddess or a nymph. In most accounts, Circe is described as the daughter of the sun god Helios and the Oceanid Perse (mythology), Perse. Circe was renowned for her vast kn ...

, who was in love with him, and asked her to help him win Scylla's heart. The offended sorceress poisoned the sea-pool where the nymph used to bathe, turning her into a horrific six dog-headed monster who destroyed every ship crossing the

. Scylla is said to live in the rock of Scilla, which the Castello di Ruffo sits on. In 1806, during the British expedition to Sicily to oppose the French invasion of Naples, the Castle of Scilla was twice besieged.

Geography

The municipality of Scilla includes the subdivisions Favazzina, Melia, and Solano Superiore. Scilla borders the municipalities of Bagnara Calabra and

Villa San Giovanni Villa San Giovanni () is a port city and a municipality in the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria of Calabria, Italy. In 2010 its population was 13,747 with a decrease of 2.5% until 2016 and in 2020 an increase of 3.7%. It is an important term ...

. Scilla lies across the

from

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

, which is observable from the town. When visibility is clear, the island of

Stromboli Stromboli ( , ; ) is an island in the Tyrrhenian Sea, off the north coast of Sicily, containing Mount Stromboli, one of the four active volcanoes in Italy. It is one of the seven Aeolian Islands, a volcanic arc north of Sicily, and the mytho ...

can also be seen.

Twin towns

Scilla has been twinned with the following: * Hamrun, Malta

In popular culture

Scilla is one of two primary settings in '' Elizabeth Street'', a 2009 historical novel by Laurie Fabiano that tells of the experiences of a family who emigrates from Scilla to New York City's

Little Italy Little Italy is the catch-all name for an ethnic enclave populated primarily by Italians or people of Italian ancestry, usually in an Urban area, urban neighborhood. The concept of "Little Italy" holds many different aspects of the Italian cul ...

neighborhood in the early 20th century. Based on the author's family history, it includes a detailed description of the 1908 earthquake and

tsunami A tsunami ( ; from , ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and underwater explosions (including detonations, ...

Transport

The town is served by a station on the

Salerno Salerno (, ; ; ) is an ancient city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Campania, southwestern Italy, and is the capital of the namesake province, being the second largest city in the region by number of inhabitants, after Naples. It is located ...

Reggio Calabria Reggio di Calabria (; ), commonly and officially referred to as Reggio Calabria, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, is the List of cities in Italy, largest city in Calabria as well as the seat of the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria. As ...

railway. Main roads include the A2 Salerno-Reggio motorway and the

Strada statale 18 Tirrena Inferiore The strada statale 18 "Tirrena Inferiore" (SS 18) an State highway (Italy), Italian state highway long in Italy located in the Regions of Italy, regions of Campania, Basilicata and Calabria. It is among the longest and most important state high ...

Gallery

Marina Grande Scilla.JPG, The Marina Grande Scilla(RC).jpg, Marina Grande beach Scilla (RC) - la chjanalèa e il castello.jpg, Chianalea and the Castle Scilla139.jpg, Scilla and the Ruffo Castle Scilla Houses.jpg, Houses on the water in Scilla Stromboli visible from Scilla Calabria .jpg,

visible from Scilla at dusk

References

External links

* {{Authority control Castles in Italy