Sibari
©
Sibari

Sibari

Ionian coastal town beside ancient Sybaris, once the byword for Magna Graecia luxury.

Sibari (historically Sybaris) was the wealthiest and most powerful city of Magna Graecia, so famously luxurious that "sybarite" became a byword for decadence. The ancient city was destroyed in 510 BC and later buried under river silt — preserved, not lost.

Today the Archaeological Park of Sybaris preserves excavations from several periods of settlement — the destroyed Greek Sybaris, its successor Thurii, and the Roman Copia on top. The Museo Nazionale della Sibaritide houses the portable finds from the site in a modern building nearby. Sibari Marina, on the Ionian coast, has a long sandy beach and is a popular summer destination for Italian families from the interior of Calabria — considerably less crowded than the Tyrrhenian side.

Guide

Beaches

The beach at Sibari Marina extends for several kilometres along the Ionian coast, a broad strip of fine sand backed by low pine forest. The sea here is calm, warm, and shallow for a long way out — ideal for families with children. In July and August the beach fills with Italian families from inland Calabria and Basilicata, but it remains considerably less crowded than the Tyrrhenian coast beaches.

Several stabilimenti (private beach clubs with sun loungers and umbrellas for hire) alternate with free public stretches. The free sections toward the southern end are perfectly accessible. The water is clean and the sunsets, with the long flat coastline and mountains behind, can be spectacular.

Guide

Getting There

Sibari lies on the Ionian coast of Calabria, accessible by the SS106 coastal road that runs the length of the Ionian shore. The nearest train station is Sibari on the Reggio Calabria–Taranto line, served by regional trains. By car, Sibari is roughly 80 kilometres from Cosenza (the main inland city) via the A2 motorway and SS534. The nearest airports are Lamezia Terme (130km, the main Calabria airport) and Bari (220km), both served by low-cost carriers from several European cities.

Guide

Things to Do

Sibari's main draw is archaeological: the ruins of one of the ancient world's wealthiest cities lie preserved in a remarkable open-air park. For visitors who want something less cerebral, the long sandy beach at Sibari Marina stretches south for kilometres and offers the kind of uncrowded Ionian coast summer that has largely disappeared from the more fashionable parts of Italy.