San Luca
Welcome to San Luca: the pearl of Aspromonte
Hello everyone! Today we will be talking about San Luca, a small municipality of the metropolitan city of Reggio Calabria, located on the Ionian Sea side at the foot of the Aspromonte massif. Despite its only 3,443 inhabitants, San Luca has a lot to offer, both from a geographical and historical point of view.
A land rich in natural beauty
The territory of San Luca is very diverse, with an altitude range of up to 1,919 meters. The minimum altitude is only 36 meters above sea level, while the maximum reaches 1,955 meters with the summit of Montalto, inside the Aspromonte National Park. Among the most beautiful and characteristic places of the Aspromonte massif are Lake Costantino and some conglomerate stone formations, including the monumental "Pietra Cappa", one of the largest monoliths in Europe. If you love nature, San Luca is the right place for you!
A dive into history
But the beauty of San Luca does not stop at nature. Its history dates back to the Neolithic period, when the first inhabitants settled in the areas of Palazzo, Calarìa, Pietra Cappa, Cuppo, and Serro Papà. The finds confirming the Neolithic human presence are stone axes, obsidian, nuclei and flint chips, Stentinello-style Neolithic ceramics, and raw ceramics. Later, in the 8th century BC, the Greeks began to occupy the territory. Corinthian-style amphorae and other ceramics have been found near the Butatros river, perhaps today's Buonamico.
But the archaeological treasures of San Luca do not end here. In the Cuppo area and at the San Giorgio forest checkpoint, black ceramics in the Ionic and Corinthian styles, identical to those of Locri, were found. In addition, in front of the San Giorgio forest checkpoint, the remains of large pithoi, meaning "large jars for storing foodstuffs", were discovered. In short, San Luca is a real treasure trove of history and archaeology.
Conclusions
In short, dear friends, if you are looking for a suggestive destination rich in history, immersed in nature but without giving up the comforts of modern life, San Luca is just the place for you. Come and visit this Calabrian municipality and discover with your own eyes all the beauty it has to offer!
