What to see in Gioia Tauro, a renowned seaside resort on the Rosarno plain in the province of Reggio Calabria and washed by the Tyrrhenian Sea, an itinerary of ancient Metauros including cathedral and archaeological museum.
Tourist information
Gioia Tauro is located in the area where Metauros was located, an ancient Greek city founded in the seventh century by the Chalcidesi.
Later it first became a Roman possession, assuming the name of Metaurum, then, in later periods, it passed as a fief under the dominion of various lords.
Various interesting remains have been found of ancient Metauros, following archaeological excavations, including the ruins of a Roman house dating back to the second century, the remains of a Greek temple, numerous coins and amphorae.
But even more relevant was the discovery of the necropolis containing almost two thousand tombs.
What see
Ancient monuments include the medieval village where the Town Hall, the Baldari Palace and the Cathedral of Sant'Antonio stand out.
In the town square there is a beautiful eighteenth-century fountain while, in Piazza Duomo, the neoclassical architecture of the Cathedral stands out, inside which there are nineteenth-century works of art and contemporary polychrome stained-glass windows.
In Petra, there is an ancient necropolis of Hellenic origin, dating back to the seventh century before Christ, whose finds, relating to the rich content of the funeral monuments, are exhibited at the National Archaeological Museum of Reggio Calabria.
