Santa Maria Di Ricadi between Bay, Beach and History
Accommodation in Santa Maria Di Ricadi
Santa Maria Di Ricadi between the Bay and Capo Vaticano
The Bay of Santa Maria is a small urban settlement with a church entrusted to the chapter of Tropea Cathedral. Spiaggia di Santa Maria di Ricadi is located in a bay south of the Capo Vaticano promontory; its clear water is suitable for snorkelling.
The nearest railway station to Spiaggia di Santa Maria di Ricadi is Ricadi station; there are equipped parking areas near its access point. From May to October, a boat excursion service runs daily from Santa Maria di Ricadi (Capo Vaticano) to Tropea and back. The embarkation point is at the Giudice car park at Mondo Blu Diving; this is also the meeting point for diving courses.
Archaeology and Churches in the Bay
The Chiesa di Santa Maria, also known as Maria SS. di Loreto, was built in the 17th century as a rural church for the farmers and fishermen of the adjacent village. In the 18th century, it was expanded and continued in honour of Maria SS. di Loreto. A Greek settlement was located on the northern promontory of the bay and was used from the 5th century to the first decades of the 3rd century BC. A large Roman amphora depot dating from the 2nd and 1st centuries BC was discovered in the bay in the 1980s.
At the Museo archeologico e paleontologico in Santa Domenica, the archaeological tour covers the Greek settlement of Torre Santa Maria. The nearby Museo archeologico e paleontologico displays amphorae of various types and kadoi originating from the archaeological depot in the Bay of Santa Maria.
Views, Coast and Maritime History
From the nearby Belvedere del Capo, you can see the Aeolian Islands, the Strait of Messina, the Sicilian coast and Mount Etna. In the nearby Formicoli area, the seabed consists predominantly of granite rocks and is rich in fauna. The nearby Museo del Mare in Capo Vaticano is housed in a former naval observation post; it served as a daytime lighthouse until the mid-20th century.
The nearby Belvedere dei Cannoni was a military site during the First and Second World Wars. The structure of the base of a gun emplacement has been preserved. The nearby Torre Ruffa is the only surviving one of four coastal towers in the Capo Vaticano area.
Sanctuary and Local Memorial Sites
The Santuario di Santa Maria Lauretana in Santa Maria di Ricadi belongs to Ricadi and is designated as a diocesan Marian sanctuary. The feast days are Easter Monday and 15 August. The Porta del mare of the sanctuary is a bronze gate designed by Vincenzo Varone of the Accademia dell’Aquila, which was blessed in 2008.
A harbour is believed to have existed in the Bay of Santa Maria, which could be identified with the Portus Herculis mentioned by Strabo. The statue commemorating Judge Bruno Pelaia stands in the Fortino district of Santa Maria. Pelaia died on 26 July 1970 during a dive in the waters off the coastal settlement of Ricadi.
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