Scilla ( scn, label= Calabrian, U Scigghiu; ) is a town and ''

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 ...

'' in

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

, Italy, administratively part of the

Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria ( it, Città metropolitana di Reggio Calabria) is an area of local government at the level of metropolitan city in the Calabria region of the Republic of Italy. It comprises the territory of the city of Reggi ...

. It is the traditional site of the sea monster

Scylla In Greek mythology, Scylla), is obsolete. ( ; grc-gre, Σκύλλα, Skúlla, ) is a legendary monster who lives on one side of a narrow channel of water, opposite her counterpart Charybdis. The two sides of the strait are within an arrow's r ...

Greek mythology A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the Cosmogony, origin and Cosmology#Metaphysical co ...

Description

The town, from the city of Reggio, lies in front of the

strait of Messina The Strait of Messina ( it, Stretto di Messina, Sicilian: Strittu di Missina) 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 S ...

, 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 Marina Grande is an area of the town of Scilla, province of Reggio Calabria, Italy. It's the site of the station of Scilla of the Ferrovie dello Stato. The area is also famous as ''Scilla Marina'', ''Marina di Scilla'', ''Lido di Scilla'', ''S ...

'', 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 draughts. Scilla's coastal district of Chianalea is included in the ''

I Borghi più belli d'Italia I Borghi più belli d'Italia is an association of small Italian towns of historical interest, that was founded in March 2001 on the initiative of the Tourism Council of the , with the aim of preserving and maintaining villages of quality herit ...

'' association of small Italian towns of historical interest list. The Ruffo Castle, a fortress built by the

Dukes of Calabria Duke of Calabria was the traditional title of the heir apparent of the Kingdom of Naples after the accession of Robert of Naples. It was also adopted by the heads of certain Houses that had once claimed the Kingdom of Naples in lieu of the royal ...

, 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 ( it, Stretto di Messina, Sicilian: Strittu di Missina) 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 S ...

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 Wars 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 Ulysses with Scylla and

Charybdis Charybdis (; grc, Χάρυβδις, Khárybdis, ; la, Charybdis, ) is a sea monster in Greek mythology. She, with the sea monster Scylla, appears as a challenge to epic characters such as Odysseus, Jason, and Aeneas. Scholarship locates her in t ...

, of

Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a 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. Homer is considered one of the ...

and Dante Alighieri. The town's name derives from the mythological figure of

, a young nymph who refused Glauco's love. He thus went to the sorceress Circe, 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 Subdivision may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Subdivision (metre), in music * ''Subdivision'' (film), 2009 * "Subdivision", an episode of ''Prison Break'' (season 2) * ''Subdivisions'' (EP), by Sinch, 2005 * "Subdivisions" (song), by Rush ...

Favazzina, Melia, and Solano Superiore. Scilla borders the municipalities of

Bagnara Calabra Bagnara Calabra (or simply Bagnara) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Reggio Calabria in Calabria, southern Italy. It is located in the hills facing the Tyrrhenian Sea on the southern tip of the region, about southwest of Catanz ...

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 termin ...

. Scilla lays across the

, with

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

observable from the town. When visibility is clear, the island of Stromboli can also be seen.

Twin towns

Scilla has been twinned with the following: *

Ħamrun Hamrun (; ) is a town in the Southern Region of Malta, with a population of 9,244 as of March 2014. The people The townspeople are traditionally known as ''Tas-Sikkina'' (literally meaning 'of the knife' or 'those who carry a knife') or as '' ...

, 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 a general name for an ethnic enclave populated primarily by Italians or people of Italian ancestry, usually in an urban neighborhood. The concept of "Little Italy" holds many different aspects of the Italian culture. There are ...

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 ja, 津波, lit=harbour wave, ) 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 other underwater explo ...

Transport

The town is served by a station on the Salerno-

Reggio Calabria Reggio di Calabria ( scn, label= Southern Calabrian, Riggiu; el, label= Calabrian Greek, Ρήγι, Rìji), usually referred to as Reggio Calabria, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, is the largest city in Calabria. It has an estimated popul ...

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

Strada statale 18 Tirrena Inferiore The strada statale 18 "Tirrena Inferiore" (SS 18) is an Italian state road, connecting Campania (man), it, Campana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = ...

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, Stromboli visible from Scilla at dusk

References

External links

* {{Authority control Scilla, Calabria Castles in Italy