Spilinga is a ''

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...

'' (municipality) in the

Province of Vibo Valentia The province of Vibo Valentia ( it, provincia di Vibo Valentia; Vibonese: ) is a province in the Calabria region of southern Italy, set up by a national law of 6 March 1992 which came into effect on 1 January 1996, and formerly part of the Provin ...

in the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

region

Calabria , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

, located about southwest of

Catanzaro Catanzaro (, or ; scn, label= Catanzarese, Catanzaru ; , or , ''Katastaríoi Lokrói''; ; la, Catacium), also known as the "City of the two Seas", is an Italian city of 86,183 inhabitants (2020), the capital of the Calabria region and of its p ...

and about west of

Vibo Valentia Vibo Valentia (; Monteleone before 1861; Monteleone di Calabria from 1861 to 1928; scn, label= Calabrian, Vibbu Valenzia or ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in the Calabria region of southern Italy, near the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the ca ...

. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 1,665 and an area of .All demographics and other statistics: Italian statistical institute

Istat The Italian National Institute of Statistics ( it, Istituto nazionale di statistica; Istat) is the main producer of official statistics in Italy. Its activities include the census of population, economic censuses and a number of social, economic ...

. The municipality of Spilinga contains the ''

frazioni A ''frazione'' (plural: ) is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' (municipality) in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist Italy (1922–1943), Fascist era (1922–1943) as ...

'' (subdivisions, mainly villages and hamlets) Panaìa and Monte Poro. Spilinga borders the following municipalities:

Drapia Drapia (Ancient Greek, grc-x-byzant, Τραπειανή, translit=Trapiané, ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Vibo Valentia in the Italian region Calabria, located about southwest of Catanzaro and about west of Vibo Valentia. ...

Joppolo Joppolo ( grc-x-byzant, Ιάμπολος, translit=Iámbolos) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Vibo Valentia in the Italian region of Calabria, located about southwest of Catanzaro and about southwest of Vibo Valentia. Notab ...

Limbadi Limbadi () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Vibo Valentia in the Italian region Calabria, located about southwest of Catanzaro and about southwest of Vibo Valentia. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 3,688 and an area ...

Nicotera Nicotera ( Calabrian: ; grc, Νικόπτερα, translit=Nikóptera) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Vibo Valentia, Calabria, southern Italy. History The origins of Nicòtera lie with the ancient Greek city of Medma, which ...

Ricadi Ricadi ( grc, Ρηγάδιον, translit=Rigádion) is a small rural town, as well as a municipality, located along the Tyrrhenian coast, in the province of Vibo Valentia, in the Italian region of Calabria. Geography Boundaries The municipalit ...

Rombiolo Rombiolo ( Calabrian: ) is a town and ''comune'' of the province of Vibo Valentia in the Calabria region of southern Italy. Geography Rombiolo borders the following municipalities: Filandari, Limbadi, San Calogero, Spilinga, Zungri Zungri ( ...

Zungri Zungri ( Calabrian: ) is a ''comune'' and town in Calabria, in southern Italy, in the province of Vibo Valentia Vibo Valentia (; Monteleone before 1861; Monteleone di Calabria from 1861 to 1928; scn, label= Calabrian, Vibbu Valenzia or ) is ...

Points of interest

Madonna delle Fonti

The

Sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This secondary use can be categorized into human sanctuary, a saf ...

of Madonna della Fontana is set in an ancient hermit cave near the town. The cult of Madonna of the Fountain begins in the early 1900s. The little church was built in 1920 in the same place where, as local people say, a woman found a statue of a Virgin Lady by following instructions she received in a dream.

Other points of interest

* Church of San Giovanni Battista: built in 1645 * Church of Carciadi: set in the higher point of the town * Rural aqueduct: about four miles from the town, on the road to

. Its structure recalls an ancient Roman aqueduct * Hermits caves: in medieval times,

hermit A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions. Description In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Ch ...

s chose these natural caves in the neighborhood of Spilinga as a place to take shelter and pray. * Ruffa Valley: crossed by the torrent Ruffa. Very interesting for its variety of fauna and flora (among other things, a rare species of fern,

Woodwardia radicans ''Woodwardia radicans'', the chain fern, European chain fern or rooting chainfern, is a species of fern in the family Blechnaceae, mainly found in Macaronesia and southwestern Europe, but is also found in southern Italy and Crete. Growing to tal ...

). Along the valley there are many old mills, that were an important economic resource till the 1950s. * Spilinga is the home of

'Nduja 'Nduja () is a spicy, spreadable pork sausage from the region of Calabria in Southern Italy. It is similar to sobrassada from the Balearic Islands in Spain, and is loosely based on the French andouille. It is Calabria's contribution to the many ...

, a spicy pork paté.

Demographic evolution

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References

{{Province of Vibo Valentia Cities and towns in Calabria