Traces of Cirò Marina's ancient Greek past, when the town was known as Krimisa, can still be seen in the remains of the temple of Apollo Aleo founded, according to legend, by the Thessalian hero Philoktetes on his return from Troia, and in the numerous exhibits in the Archaeological Museum in Piazza Diaz. Built much later but, nevertheless, of great historical interest, are the town's two watch towers, the Torre Vecchia and Torre Nuova, erected to defend the town from attack from the sea. Today, Cirò Marina is, arguably, most famous for its fabulous beaches and crystal clear sea, characteristics which have made the town, brimming with restaurants and open air cafes, one of the most popular holiday resorts in Calabria.
The coast's mild climate has led to the formation of an ideal habitat for seagulls, herons and even buzzards. A brief detour inland takes us to Santa Severina, an enchanting little town perched high up on a spur of tuff from where it dominates the valley of the Neto river. The town's cathedral museum houses an extremely valuable collection of paintings and wood sculptures, among the most important in the region.
Once back on the coast we quickly reach Crotone, provincial capital and city of great artistic and historical interest, as can be testified by the artefacts conserved in the National Archaeological Museum, situated in the historic center and just steps away from the Carlo V Castle.
The Costa dei Saraceni is the name given to the part of the Calabrian coastline which, from Crotone, stretches all the way to Punta Le Castella, one of the wildest and most fascinating in the region, and with spectacular beaches all the way to Capo Colonna promontory. The ancient watch towers of Torre Nao and Torre di Scifo signal our arrival at Capo Colonna. Torre Nao houses an Antiquarium with archaeological findings retrieved from the seabed. Torre di Scifo was built by the Spanish so as to defend the coast from Saracen attack in the 17th century. The entire area is part of the fascinating Capo Colonna Archaeological park.
The Archaeological Park is, itself, part of the much larger Marine Reserve of Capo Rizzuto, a protected area counting some 40 hectares of Mediterranean scrub and a magnificent sea bed home to every genre of sea life. Capo Rizzuto is one of the most popular bathing destinations on Calabria's Ionian coast, together with La Castella, this latter home to a Castle known as the Aragon Fortress and most probably once part of a much larger defence structure, the traces of which have been washed away with the passage of time.
