Gerace

Gerace is a small town in the Reggio Calabria province, with a population of approximately 3,000 inhabitants. A town of great beauty, with ancient houses and workshops carved directly in the stone, Gerace lies in the National Park of Aspromonte overlooking the Locride area, the territory situated in the eastern part of the Reggio Calabria province. The old town is very peculiar and is made up of buildings showing various architectural styles: Norman, Byzantine, Gothic and Romanesque styles. In the uppermost part of the town, there is the spiazzo del Baglio, overlooking the Castello di Gerace, a ruined yet very picturesque castle, with a tower and a drawbridge. Gerace is also famous for its countless churches (more than 60 in the 18th century) among which the most renowned is the Church of S. Francesco, whose interiors are decorated in Baroque style, and boasting a splendid altar. Not to be missed are also the Chiesetta di San Giovannello and the Chiesa di Santa Maria del Mastro, with a typical Greek-cross plan. In Gerace there is the largest religious building in the region, the Cathedral, characterized by various architectural styles, due to the many earthquakes that destroyed it several times during the centuries. The Cathedral was consecrated in the year 1045. Each of the three naves has 13 columns coming from the nearby archaeological site of Locri. In the left apse, the shortest one, there is a stairway leading to another church: a crypt housing the Chapel of San Giuseppe and the Chapel of Itria, besides the prison of the five martyrs of Gerace.