What is Riace known for?

Two Greek bronze warriors found on the seabed off Riace Marina in 1972, among the finest classical bronzes ever recovered. Refugee resettlement under mayor Domenico Lucano: 450 refugees from 20 countries among 1,800 residents, reopening the village school. September pilgrimage to the patron healers, the village's central religious event for centuries.

When is the best time to visit Riace?

Apr–Oct. April through October works at 300 meters in the Locride. Spring is green and the hills smell of broom; September brings the Santi Cosma e Damiano pilgrimage and milder afternoons; October closes the season with olive harvest. July and August are hot, with temperatures pushing into the mid-thirties, and the upper borgo empties between two and six in the afternoon. November through March is quiet. The frazione of Riace Marina has a longer beach season but limited services in winter. Most visitors come for a day, drive up from the coast, walk the murals and the centro storico, then continue to Locri or to the museum in Reggio that holds the bronzes.

Riace is a comune in the province of Reggio di Calabria, Calabria region of Italy, about 124 kilometers from Reggio Calabria.

How do I get to Riace?

From Reggio Calabria, Riace is roughly 124 km by road.

Calabria · Reggio di Calabria

Riace

A 300-meter borgo on the Locride hills, famous for the 1972 bronzes pulled from its sea and the refugee resettlement project that doubled its population.

Known for

BRONZI DI RIACE
Two Greek bronze warriors found on the seabed off Riace Marina in 1972, among the finest classical bronzes ever recovered.
RIACE MODEL
Refugee resettlement under mayor Domenico Lucano: 450 refugees from 20 countries among 1,800 residents, reopening the village school.
SS. COSMA E DAMIANO
September pilgrimage to the patron healers, the village's central religious event for centuries.

When to visit

Best · Apr–Oct

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

Why come

Riace sits on the Serre foothills above the Ionian, in the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria, with the small frazione of Riace Marina at sea level two kilometers below. Two stories collide here. In August 1972, a snorkeller off Riace Marina found two life-size Greek warriors lying on the seabed at eight meters depth: the Bronzi di Riace, two of the finest surviving Greek bronzes, now in the Museo Nazionale della Magna Grecia in Reggio Calabria.

Three decades later, under mayor Domenico Lucano, Riace became the centre of one of Europe's most-studied refugee resettlement experiments: by 2011 around 450 refugees from twenty countries were living among 1,800 residents, the village school reopened, and abandoned houses were converted to host families. The project was prosecuted, then partially vindicated; Lucano was re-elected mayor and elected to the European Parliament in 2024.

The Sunday letter

We haven’t written Riace’s letter yet.

One town every Sunday, with the photo, the food, the festa. Be there when this one comes up. Free, by Peter & Sophia from Pietrasanta.

What to see

Borgo Superiore
Hilltop historic centre at 300 meters, the older settlement among the Serre hills, with stone houses and the Lucano-era refugee project still visible in the alleys.
Riace Marina
Coastal frazione two kilometers downhill at sea level, near the spot where the Bronzi were found in 1972.
Santuario dei Santi Cosma e Damiano
Sanctuary dedicated to the patron healers, focus of the September pilgrimage that has run for centuries in the Locride.
Chiesa di San Nicola di Bari
Parish church in the centro storico, the main religious anchor of the upper village.
Murales del paese accogliente
Wall paintings celebrating the multi-ethnic resettlement project, painted on houses around the centro storico.

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Living here

Population 1,694
In-betweeni
Pharmacy in town
High school within a 30-minute drive
Train station in the comune
Nearest airport Lamezia / Reggio, 1 h 42 min drive
Regional capital Catanzaro, 1 h 20 min drive

Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources

Recognised as

Comuni Virtuosi

The numbers

Elevation: 300 m
Population: 1,694
Surface area: 16.24 km²

On the map

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These figures were compiled from public directories — ISTAT, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata — and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.

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