Scilla
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Scilla

Scilla

Calabrian fishing village at the Strait of Messina, linked to Scylla's myth and the Chianalea waterfront.

Perhaps Calabria's most picturesque fishing village. If you've read The Odyssey, you'll remember what a terrible time Ulysses had getting past Scylla and Charybdis, which flank what is now known as the Straits of Messina. When the atmospheric conditions are right, you can stand in Marina Grande, gaze out towards Sicily and see the Fata Morgana, an eerie mirage that seems to be the city of Messina reflected (right-side up) in the sea waters.

What definitely is not a mirage is the delightful neighbourhood of Chianalea, where a narrow row of pastel-hued houses are squeezed between the highway and the beach. Scilla also has an elegant 17th-century downtown and an imposing Castello Ruffo, whose ramparts offer a great vantage point for La Chianalea — Homer placed the monster Scylla on this very rock. Beyond the castle, the Scilla lighthouse marks the northern flank of the Strait of Messina.

Guide

Eating Out

The food in Scilla is uncomplicated and excellent: swordfish (pesce spada) caught in the Strait of Messina is the local signature, served grilled, in pasta sauce, or rolled into the involtini that Calabrian cooks have refined for generations. Most of the worthwhile restaurants are in Chianalea, with terraces over the water.

Guide

Getting There

Scilla sits on the Tyrrhenian coast about 25 km north of Reggio Calabria and 9 km south of Villa San Giovanni, the main ferry port for Messina in Sicily. The A2 (Autostrada del Mediterraneo) runs along the cliffs above town with its own exit; from the exit it is a steep, switchbacked descent.

Trains on the Reggio Calabria – Naples line stop at the small Scilla station several times a day. It is the easiest way to arrive without a car — the station is a five-minute walk above the centre.

Ferries from Messina dock at Villa San Giovanni; from there it is fifteen minutes by car or train to Scilla. Reggio Calabria Airport (REG) has limited domestic and a few European flights; Catania (Sicily, about 2.5 hours including ferry) and Lamezia Terme (about 1.5 hours by car) are bigger alternatives.

Guide

Things to Do

Scilla is small enough to be walked end-to-end in an hour, and most of its pleasures are visual: the castle on its spit of rock, the painted houses of Chianalea piled against the shore, and the long arc of Marina Grande beach.

Guide

When to Go

Late spring (May to mid-June) is the loveliest moment: warm enough to swim in the afternoon, the bougainvillea in Chianalea is in full flower, and the summer crowds have not yet arrived. Hotel prices are reasonable.

Peak summer (mid-July to August) is hot and busy. Marina Grande beach fills up and the alleys of Chianalea can be slow walking after dinner. Book accommodation months ahead.

Autumn (September to October) brings warm seas, lighter crowds, and the swordfish season at its end — a fine time for a quieter trip.

Winter is mild but quiet. Many Chianalea restaurants close from November to Easter, and the swimming is over. The compensation is the dramatic light on the Strait and the chance to have the village more or less to yourself.