Briatico: Coast, History and Bays on the Costa degli Dei

Castles, Towers and Traces of the Past

The ruins of the medieval castle of Briatico Vecchio date back to a castle built by Ferdinando Bisbal. The castle, watchtowers and caves are scattered across Briatico Vecchio, the coast and the Murria Valley. La Rocchetta is a pentagonal coastal watchtower with Greek origins, Roman reconstruction and medieval modifications. The tower was part of a plan to defend the coast against Turkish-Barbary raids. Torre Sant'Irene was also built by the Spanish viceroyal government as a watchtower against raids by the Barbary corsairs. The Murria Valley is home to medieval hermit caves, some of which are called Grotte delle Fate.

The Historic Centre of Briatico

The former settlement of Briatico Vecchio once comprised 12 churches and 3 monasteries. Only a few remains survive of the Norman church of Santa Maria del Franco, dating from the 11th century and destroyed in the 1783 earthquake. The Chiesa Matrice houses a wooden statue of the Madonna Immacolata from the mid-17th century, originating from Briatico Vecchia, as well as a painting dated 1624 by the painter Tommaso De Florio, who came from Vibo. The Chiesa Matrice brings together an artwork from Briatico Vecchia and a painting by Tommaso De Florio, who came from Vibo. The new town of Briatico was designed by the engineers Antonio Fortini and Giuseppe Vinci; its historic centre has an orthogonal layout.

Coast, Bay and Protected Marine Landscape

Snorkelling and diving are possible in the Bay of Sant'Irene. From the beach, swimmers can reach the rock Scoglio della Galea, also known as Praca, about 120 metres away. The seabed slopes gently there and forms a natural pool extending over several metres. The rocks and pools are located in the Bay of Sant'Irene. At Sant'Irene Beach, part of the shore is occupied by a lido, while the remaining section is freely accessible beach.

Baia della Rocchetta is home to a small traditional fishing village with a harbour next to a coastal watchtower. The Fondali di Capo Cozzo–S. Irene protected area encompasses the seabed from Località Scrugli in the municipality of Briatico to the station of Zambrone.

Festivals with a Local Character

The feast of San Nicola di Bari is usually celebrated in Briatico on 6 December with religious and civic events involving the entire population. 6 December provides the festival with a fixed date. At the Potenzoni Flower Festival, the small town centre is divided into four districts: Agave, Glicine, Torre and Chiesa. They compete with flowers and floral carpets; local masters of floral decoration are awarded prizes according to the preferences expressed by visitors.

Other Destinations

For further travel planning, you may also consider Rombiolo, Sant'onofrio, Monterosso Calabro, Joppolo, Spilinga, Ciaramiti, Zaccanopoli and Filandari for your further travel plans.

To the higher-level travel overview: Vibo Valentia.