Some places have such particular and absurd stories that they seem invented or impossible. These places, unlike others, never cease to amaze, impress or make people talk about themselves. In Italy there is one place in particular that seems to have come out of a tale, one of those places where mystery is intertwined with fate to give rise to stories of ghosts, of tormented lives, but also of catastrophes, rebirths and happy stories end. We are in Calabria, on the slopes ofAspromonte and the place we will talk about is the ghost village of Pentedattilo.
The origins of the ghost town of Pentedattilo
The village owes its unique name to the hand-shaped rock that is located at the top of the mountain that overlooks it. This boulder once resembled a hand and the five fingers were clearly visible and distinguishable.
Unfortunately, erosion, earthquakes and various atmospheric agents have strongly affected its appearance. We are in the province of Reggio Calabria, in the most extreme part of the Reggio area, where the heel of the boot gets wet in the southern Ionian, so to the south that you can see the volcano well Etna in Sicily, in the hamlet of the municipality of Melito di Porto Salvo.
Pentedattilo and its geographical position
The story that accompanies Pentedattilo is as suggestive as it is particular. This place was once a place of great commercial importance. Considered a strategic point for many centuries, both for the physical position it covers, literally set on Mount Calvario, and for the natural development of trade, the village has experienced moments of great glory and wealth, so much so that it has hosted noble families and barons.
Unfortunately what determined its wealth in the past turned into a weak point for the village. Due to the difficult position for the transport of goods and due to the erosion of the ground, the village was slowly abandoned to prefer moorings and simpler and more immediate accommodations. This determined its end from a commercial point of view and gradually its almost total and definitive abandonment by the population.
The history, the myth, the legend of the ghost town of Pentedattilo
Although the village has very ancient origins, about seven hundred years before the birth of Christ, the story we are about to tell you took place over two thousand years later, on Easter night of the year 1686. It was on that night that the legend began and in a certain sense also ended. It was the time when the rivalry in love and the honor of the suitors could create real wars. Baron Bernardino Abenavoli falls in love with Antonietta Alberti, so he decides to marry her. Antonietta, however, was betrothed to the Viceroy's son Napoli.
Bernardino in a rage, on Easter night enters the castle where Antonietta and her betrothed are staying, killing the whole family of the Viceroy's son and taking the two future spouses hostage. Bernardino forcibly married Antonietta and held the viceroy's son prisoner. The latter managed to escape and attempted the extreme act of killing the baron but without success. Abenavoli and Antonietta fled to Vienna where he joined the army and she became a cloistered nun.
The rebirth
Today Pentedattilo is living a second youth. As the phoenix is reborn from its ashes, this country too is reborn from its rubble. Declared accessible and not in danger of landslides and landslides, in recent decades it has been transformed into a place of tourist attraction, and not only for the legend that determines its fame. Commercial activities, eateries, accommodation and museums have given new life to a village that still has an almost unique beauty.
Thanks to the work of volunteers and locals, this village transforms itself from a place "haunted by ghosts" into a living and vital place. Suitable for nature lovers who can walk along beautiful nature trails, but also for lovers of history and culture who can visit popular museums such as that of popular tradition.
The film festival
Internationally famous for the Pentedattilo Film Festival dedicated to short films, this ancient village is absolutely worth visiting.
Walking along the narrow streets that cross it and that will allow you to admire the splendid view of the valley, if you are lucky, you can also spot some soul wandering full of torments among the streets and buildings of the ghost town.
(Photo Facebook Pentedattilo / Pentedattilo Film Festival)
