The “Masterpieces of Aspromonte” project, promoted by the Antonino Scopelliti Foundation, stops in Oppido Mamertina, among mountains and rugged paths. On Sunday, May 21st, Mosè Diretto will lead the tour, following a 10-kilometer walking route between Oppido Mamertina and Oppido Vecchia. The route will take in the remains of Italic settlements, the ruins of a Byzantine village, churches, gateways, and palaces of a newly founded city.
Oppidum Mamertina
The vestiges of the past preserved in the Oppido area are full of archaeological remains, architectural treasures, and works of art of extraordinary beauty. It will be a journey through time, leading to an understanding of the ancient eparchy that the Byzantines called Hagia Agathé, A city destroyed by the 1783 earthquake and later rebuilt further down the valley under the name Oppido Mamertina. A chance to immerse yourself in pristine nature, among the ruins of a medieval village nestled among centuries-old olive trees and the silence.
Unpublished stories of a stronghold of the Greek Aspromonte, which became in Renaissance A focal point of Aragonese power in southern Calabria, as evidenced by the remains of its imposing castle. Oppido was a rich and flourishing center, further evidenced by the large number of sculptures that can be admired today in the cathedral, including the famous Madonna del Soccorso by Rinaldo Bonanno, a leading exponent of Southern Mannerism. Oppido also houses, in the city's diocesan museum, works of art of extraordinary value, such as the Saint Sebastian by Benedetto da Maiano, a Florentine sculptor whose exploits animated the entire Renaissance period in southern Italy.
Renaissance of Aspromonte
The guided tour on May 21st will also be an opportunity to participate in the photography contest published on the Facebook page of the Antonino Scopelliti Foundation. To participate, simply photograph the sculptural works featured in the meetings, which will aim to tell untold stories, discovering ancient iconographies. The winning images will then be published in a tourist guide on Masterpieces of Aspromonte. The project “Masterpieces of Aspromonte. Marble sculptures from the Renaissance to the Baroque” is carried out in collaboration with theAcademy of Fine Arts of Reggio Calabriaa, the Aurelio Sorrentino Diocesan Museum of Reggio Calabria.
And, again, the Museum “Gerhard Rohlfs” of Bova and the associations Territorium Italia and Il Giardino di Morgana – Archeotrekking ed escursioni. It aims to introduce the general public to the hidden treasures of Aspromonte. Throughout 2023, dedicated excursions, both large and small, are planned to various towns in the metropolitan city of Reggio Calabria. Here, visitors can admire the most interesting marble sculptures created between the 15th and 17th centuries: works of art by the greatest artists of the Southern Renaissance, as well as by little-known sculptors from the Mannerist and Baroque periods.
