Pentedattilo Village
Perched on the cliff of Mount Calvario, with a splendid view of the sea, stands Pentadattilo, a very small fraction of the municipality of Melito Porto Salvo, in the Province of Reggio Calabria.
360 ° video of Pentedattilo. Point your mouse inside the movie, whether it’s playing or paused, and drag to look in all directions.
Italian version 🇮🇹 Here
“His past is written in the streets, in each segment in turn striped by scratches, serrations, carvings.” With these words Italo Calvino embodies all the cultural and historical content of Pentedattilo.
Pentedattilo is one of the many ghost villages that can be found in Calabria, the halo of mystery that surrounds it makes it one of the most picturesque villages in this area. The shape of the mountain on which the village is perched, is very reminiscent of the hand of a giant. Precisely this resemblance to the human limb, in ancient times gave rise to the name “Penta daktylos” Five fingers and currently Pentedattilo.
Village of artistic inspiration
Calabria has always been a land of inspiration for many artists. In the 19th century many itinerant artists wishing to know the places of Magna Grecia and the landscape beauties of the area stayed in Calabria. The village of Pentadattilo was one of the places that with its charm captured the English writer and painter Edward Lear. His skills in combining storytelling with painting provided a detailed testimony of the area. But the fingers stretched towards the sky also enchanted the Dutch lithographer Maurits Cornelis Escher who in 1930 moved to the innermost areas of Calabria. In his signature numerous sketches and four splendid lithographs by Pentedattilo.
A bit of history
Like many towns in Calabria, Pentedattilo also experienced periods of continuous cultural dominance. Founded in 640 BC as Greek colonists, it passed through Roman rule, until the advent of the Byzantines and finally of the Normans. Its strategic position for the connections between the coast and the hinterland made it an important center of reference both economically and politically. Fief of the Alberti family at the end of the 16th century, it preserves the remains of the ancient castle. The legend is also linked to the castle that on Easter night in 1686, the Alberti marquises of Pentedattilo and the Abenavoli, barons of Montebello Ionico, starred in a bloody revenge. Legend has it that in the nights of strong winds, between the throats of the hand you can still hear the screams of pain of the Marquis Alberti. Another old story tells that every year on the night of April 16th, strange shadows of female figures holding children by the hand run around the country chased by people who try to kill them. Legends of ghosts aside, the 1783 earthquake was the first reason for its inhabitants to abandon the country, who began to move to more accessible places near the sea. In 1960, due to the instability of the terrain and the constant floods, abandonment was definitive.
The rebirth of the village
Thanks to numerous solidarity initiatives, the village has recently come back to life. Walking inside, you can breathe that veil of mystery that kidnaps the visitor from the moment when leaving the state road, you go towards the great “hand of the Devil”. Many of the small houses have been made safe and have given rise to a welcoming hospitality system. But the traditions and culture of the area have not been forgotten: the museum of popular traditions, educational workshops and craft shops are present in the streets of the village. The parish church of Saints Peter and Paul which preserves the tombs of the Alberti family is also recovered. But it is summer as always to be the master: A photographic prize, the international film festival, the numerous events related to music, demonstrate the desire for rebirth of one of the most suggestive corners of the wonderful land of Calabria.
Photographer: Marcello Pitardi
All photos are owned by © Marcello Pitardi
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