Il village of Pentedattilo is among the "ghost townsa” most beautiful to visit, despite the fact that a certain legend dismal linked to the "Alberti Massacre" of 1686.
A village haunted by ghosts, extraordinary nature, and the stories of its few resilient inhabitants, artists and shepherds, who have found a new style in the village.
Pentedattilo is located in the Greek and Aspromonte Calabria with an ethnolinguistic minority of the “Greeks of Calabria” and the Mediterranean nature of the Aspromonte National Park.
How to get to Pentedattilo?
His The municipality of reference is Melito di Porto Salvor, in the province of Reggio Calabria, and the town is located along the SS 106 Jonica, in the stretch of sea known as Jasmine RivieraThe same beach where on August 19, 1860, in the Rumbolo area, the "Landing of the Thousand" took place In Calabria.
To reach Pentedattilo you have to move from the centre of Melito and continue for a few kilometres towards the hinterland,in the direction of the 5-finger shaped cliff (from which the village takes its name of Greek origin) which overlooks the town and incorporates it into the rock the houses and the bell tower of the ancient church, giving the impression of being a carved nativity scene.
Pentedattilo, a “ghost cities”
Pentedattilo is part of those countries called “ghost-cities”, small abandoned villages that constitute a fascinating attraction for those in search of Gothic stories and legends.
In the village of Pentedattilo hovers the story of a family massacre, the “Massacre of the Alberti”, a noble family that ruled the territory in the sixteenth century.
It was a brutal and passionate crime that bloodied the village of Pentedattilo, destined, according to the curse, to close its five rocky fingers over the town (hence called the “Devil's Hand”).
Some claim to still hear the screams of Marquis Lorenzo Alberti on winter evenings.
In the centre of the town you can admire the ancient Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul built first Part 1300 from which a beautiful one stands out bell tower.
In 1789 the village of Pentedattilo was severely damaged by the earthquake after which it became depopulated.
In the 80s this small village was promoted by local associations who turned it into a “scattered hotel”, converting some private homes into Museums of Peasant Civilization and shops where it is possible to purchase products of the precious Aspromonte craftsmanship.
When to visit the village of Pentedattilo?
Pentedattilo can be visited in every season of the year, but in summerand many artistic and cultural events are organized, such as the Paleariza Festival, of Greek culture, and the film review international short film festival “Pentedattilo Film Festival”.
Excursions to Pentedattilo
If you want to admire the different shades of colors and scents that surround the village you can do so with a series of excursions and trekking on foot, by bike and on horseback.
The village of Pentedattilo is one of the gateways to the Aspromont National Parkand, in particular, to a trail much appreciated by literature lovers: the “Englishman’s Trail”, in the footsteps of the writer Edward Lear.
The same route as Pentedattilo, Calabria between history, art and nature, also inspired the Dutch engraver Maurits Cornelis Escher, who was so fascinated by the village of Pentedattilo that he made it one of the icons of his lithographic art.
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