Stilo

Stilo sits on the eastern slope of the ridge, in the Stilaro valley, inland from the Ionian coast of southern Calabria. Survivors of the destruction of ancient Kaulon refounded the settlement here, and in the tenth century, while Calabria was Byzantine territory, it became one of the most important towns in the region. The church on the slope above the centro storico dates from that period, its brickwork and domes the equal of San Marco in Rossano.

The fortress on the summit above came a century later, built by Roger I and later destroyed in the wars against Charles V, so that the town's two landmarks read as opposite ends of its history: Byzantine below, medieval above, one still standing and one in ruins. Campanella, born nearby, drew on this geometry of slope and summit for his utopia. What the town amounts to is a settlement built in layers up a single incline, each era leaving its structure at a different altitude rather than replacing what came before.

From Lamezia / Reggio (SUF), about 2 hours by car.

Naples / Salerno (NAP) is about 6 hours away.

By car from Salerno 5h 17m, Bari 6 hours or Naples 6 hours.