What to see in Mammola, a Calabrian town located on the coast bathed by the Ionian Sea and nestled between mountain and sea, where art and gastronomy merge, itinerary including the medieval historic center, the Cathedral of San Nicola di Bari, the Sanctuary of San Nicodemo and the Park Santa Barbara museum.
Tourist information
The origins of Mammola date back to the period of Magna Grecia, the inhabited center arose in the fifth century before Christ above the remains of Malea, which was a colony of the locride mentioned by Thucydides, a historian originally from Athens considered among the most reliable.
In the tenth century the Byzantine friars settled there, later, thanks to the work carried out by the religious, it became a center where numerous activities developed, including the processing of silk, the cultivation of orange and olive groves, crafts, the construction of the first mills driven by the driving force of water, the study of letters and science, the copying of classical texts, the institution of the first popular schools.
Traces of the past presence of the Byzantine monks are the abbey of San Biagio and the Grancia di Santa Barbara, where there is the Museum of Modern Art founded by Nik Spatari, a famous painter.
Visiting the Santa Barbara Park Museum you can admire many sculptures by famous artists, including "The dream of Jacob", the famous work by Spatari.
The historic center of Mammola has retained its typical medieval charm, with its narrow streets and picturesque squares with a reduced surface, characterized by small houses leaning against each other and by elegant Baroque and Moorish style buildings, built starting from 1500.
What see
Casa Tarantino, dating back to 1300, deserves to be visited, the various churches, all characterized by a beautiful architectural and pictorial style, including the 1100 Cathedral with three naves inside and the Church of the Santissima Annunziata, as well as that of the Madonna del Carmine and San Filippo Neri.
The Sanctuary of San Nicodemo is located three kilometers from the Passo della Limina, inserted in the Aspromonte National Park.
It is a very important place from a historical, religious and spiritual point of view as, as well as being the patron of Mammola, San Nicodemo is considered one of the most important saints in Calabria, and this fact makes the sanctuary a popular destination of pilgrimages.
The birth of San Nicodemo is celebrated on the first Sunday after 12 May, the death on 12 March and the translation of the relics from the Sanctuary to the Cathedral Chapel on the first Sunday of September.
The municipal area of Mammola, which falls within the Aspromonte National Park and the Serre Calabre chain, is crossed by numerous paths, ideal for making naturalistic excursions on foot, on horseback and by bicycle.
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Among the paths it is worth mentioning the Path of the Greeks, used in ancient times by the locride inhabitants, originating in Magna Grecia, to reach the Tyrrhenian sea, the colonies of Medma, corresponding to the current Rosarno, and Ipponion, today's Vibo Valentia.
In addition to this, another recommended path is that of the Salino waterfall, characterized by the presence of huge granite boulders with the possibility of going up the Salino stream to the waterfall, walking on the edge or with your feet immersed in the water.
As far as gastronomy is concerned, Mammola has a traditional culinary culture, of mountain and peasant type.
Typical dishes include the Stocco alla mammolese, a stockfish-based recipe, among the typical products we must mention the fresh and smoked ricotta from Mammola, both made with goat's milk, the goat's cheese from the limina, the extra virgin olive oil from the Locride, the salami with spicy chilli and wild fennel, the pizza, bread made with corn flour, and the bread with wheat flour cooked in a wood oven.
