Discover Badolato: Historic Borgo Between Hills and Sea

Badolato between Borgo and Sea

The medieval village of Badolato lies in the hills at around 240 metres above sea level and offers views of the Ionian Sea and the surrounding coast. Narrow, cobbled streets define the village and give your walk a distinctly historic character. Badolato is therefore suitable for travellers who, when choosing their hotel, want to consider not only time by the sea but also churches, art and established local structures.

Churches, Art and Religious Traditions

An important point of interest is the Chiesa Matrice del SS.mo Salvatore. Its current structure dates from 1612. Inside, the church preserves a wooden bust of Sant’Andrea Avellino, the patron saint of Badolato, which is attributed to the Neapolitan school of the first half of the 17th century. The religious events of the Confraternita dell’Immacolata Concezione are also part of the village’s cultural calendar: every year, there is a performance on Holy Saturday with several hundred figures, as well as processions for Maria Santissima Assunta on 15 August and for the Immacolata Concezione on 8 December.

Further sacred buildings complete this picture. The Santuario Basiliano della Madonna della Sanità dates from the 11th century. The Chiesa e Convento Francescano di Santa Maria degli Angeli is dated to 1603/1605. The 17th-century Chiesa dell’Immacolata, together with the Convento degli Angeli, is considered one of the most important sacred buildings in the area. In the Chiesa e Convento Madonna degli Angeli, a wooden group of figures depicting the Madonna degli Angeli by Fra Diego da Careri preserves another object of notable art-historical importance.

Historic Buildings and Local History Through Stories

The Palazzo Gallelli is a three-storey historic residential building dating from 1598. This palazzo houses the C.A.T., the Centro di Accoglienza Turistico-Culturale of Badolato Borgo, at Via Gallelli 13. Sacred art also includes a 16th-century fresco and an altarpiece depicting the mystical marriage of Saint Catherine to the Christ Child in the Chiesa di Santa Caterina V.M. d’Alessandria. The Chiesa di San Domenico, formerly Santa Maria del Soccorso and also known as “Do Monasteri”, preserves vault frescoes attributed to the Flemish painter Guglielmo Borremans and dated to around 1730. The Chiesa di San Domenico “U Monasteri” also contains old frescoes by the Calabrian painter Francesco Colelli. The Torre Campanaria di avvistamento, dating from 1539, is one of Badolato’s attractions.

If you would like to experience history not only through buildings but also through local stories, the Sentiero della Memoria Popolare follows a route of “pietre parlanti”. The stones convey local stories, characters and popular anecdotes.

Sea, Paths and Everyday Calabrian Culture

At Spiaggia di Badolato Marina, you can enjoy water sports, book boat trips and spend days swimming by the sea. Badolato also has a marina called Le Bocche di Gallipari. For walks and longer tours, old roads and nature trails lead towards the Parco Naturale Regionale delle Serre Calabresi.

Badolato also showcases its regional culture through communal grape harvests with guided tours of the traditional Catoj. Traditional olive harvesting includes guided tours of local olive mills with tastings of extra virgin olive oil. Cooking classes are also offered, taught in Italian and in the Badolato dialect. This allows a stay between the sea, landscape, sacred art and culinary traditions to be shaped in different ways.

Travel and Orientation between Borgo and Marina

Travel by train is via Lamezia Terme Centrale, with connecting services to Soverato, Badolato and Monasterace. Locally, a bus shuttle connects Badolato Marina with Badolato Borgo. This connection is relevant to your planning if you want to combine the historic hillside location of the borgo with the facilities at the marina during one stay.

Further destinations for your trip to Italy: Tiriolo, San Floro, Sorbo San Basile, Curinga, Maida, Caraffa Di Catanzaro, Falerna, Cortale.

To the higher-level travel overview: Catanzaro.