Scilla

Scilla sits on the Strait of Messina where currents and whirlpools made the passage dangerous for ancient shipping, and Homer placed the monster Scylla on this rock and Charybdis on the Sicilian side, so ships had to choose between them. The Ruffo castle occupies the headland. Below it, Chianalea is a fishing quarter of houses built directly at the waterline, with the sea reaching their walls and alleys running between them to small landings. Swordfish are still taken in the strait from passerelle, boats with a tall lookout mast and a long bow walkway, a technique specific to these waters.

History

Tradition says Tyrrhenian pirates first settled here in 493 BC, though others place a settlement as early as the Trojan War, and the town takes its name from Scylla, the nymph who refused the love of Glaucus and whose rival, the sorceress Circe, poisoned the pool where she bathed. In 1806, during the British expedition to Sicily against the French, the castle was twice besieged (Wikipedia, Scilla, Calabria).

The main sights

• Chianalea - houses standing at the waterline with alleys between them.
• The Ruffo castle - a fortress on the headland above the village.
• The swordfish boats - passerelle with tall masts and long bow walkways.
• The strait - Sicily across the water with Etna often visible.

When to go

May to September; swordfish season runs roughly from spring into summer. August is crowded. The train line runs directly along the coast.

What to expect

Chianalea alleys flood in storms and are very narrow. The beach is separate from the fishing quarter. Parking in the village is very difficult.

Nearby

Reggio Calabria lies south; the Aspromonte rises inland.

Key facts