Italy Web Guide & Travel - Holiday Accommodation, Hotel Rooms, Self Catering Apartments and Villas for rent or sale in South Italy, Food Wine and Italy Travel, Tailor made & Relax Holidays
BOOK HOTEL ROOMS & ACCOMMODATIONS HERE NOW! Hotel Rooms & Accommodations with Fast Secure Reservations engine Provided by our Partner Booking.com @no extra costs! South Italy and most of its little villages, is an area so little known to the European tourism yet in a delightful land wealthy of natural beauties, such as the Arch of Arcomagno, a natural arch of rock, entrance to an attractive coved beach, with calm turquoise sea; the Faraglioni of Capri, beautiful sea rocks in the sea of Capri, one of many in the Amalfi Coast; or the Etna Volcano, still active and one of Sicily's biggest tourist attractions. History and architecture are also very important factors of southern Italy's culture and tourist attractions, like the temple ruins of Agrigento - Sicily; Capri offering one of Italy's most beautiful piazzas (town square) in the middle of town, Piazzetta, completely closed up, giving the impression of a courtyard, surrounded by many shops and cafes and the Torre dell'Orologio (Tower of Clock); or the over 40 mt. high statue of the Christ in Maratea situated on a hill over 300 mt. high offering a most breath-taking site over the port of Maratea. Another great piece of southern Italy history, from Calabria to be exact, is the Bronzi di Riace: two magnificent bronze, human-size, male statues, found in the gulf of Riace, now showing in the museum of Reggio Calabria, representing the Greek conception of heroism and beauty for their classical composure and dynamic vitality. Great tourist attractions for both rural and coastal holidays are also the town of Rivello, based on the graceful Basilicata mountains with its typical hystorical houses that can be found in all old parts of most of southern Italy's towns, and the Trulli, typical Apulia houses with cone shaped roofs. Not to mention the delicious cuisine and friendly people, all part of a world waiting to be explored and taken advantage of.













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Sibari- Travel and Holiday to south Italy, accommodation by the sea or rural

SIBARI - CALABRIA - SOUTH ITALY

Sibari is shrouded in mystery as no other city of Magna Graecia. Its history, fate, the interest which it aroused in students of Antiquity during the course of the centuries have only helped to feed its myth. Located between the Rivers Crati and Sibari, this town was Magna Graecia's oldest and most famous colony and became Italy's largest and most populated city of the time. Sibari had itself many colonies and various resources such as the fertility of its countryside, vines and olives, the resources of Sila and Pollino forests, the gifts of earth, it's rich silver mines, that kept this town as one of the richest and well preserved of the time. This uncommon wealth soon engendered dissension and envy in Sibari's main rival Croton that made this town it's first objective for destruction. Croton wanted Sibari to disappear for ever and had the waters of the river Crati diverted flooding the town. Survivors of Sibari founded other two colonies named Thurii and Copiae that however where not as wealthy and famous as their original town. Remains of these two colonies have been excavated in the Parco del Cavallo but nothing has arised of the ancient Sybaris.

Sibari Calabria South Italy Sibari Calabria South Italy Sibari Calabria South Italy Sibari Calabria South Italy Sibari Calabria South Italy Sibari Calabria South Italy


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These excavations have brought to light yielded jewellery, small bronzes, fragments of statues, proof of Copiae's private houses, a theatre, it's square and the baths and can be seen in the Museum of Siritide where archaeological findings from a past that ranges from protohistory to Roman age can be admired. Another very interesting site is the "Punta Alice" where remains of the Temple of Apollo Aleo can be found. Sibari is known as Magna Grecia's oldest, largest, most famous and populated colony of the time.

Located between the rivers Crati and Sibari, it used to have, as it still has, many resources, such as very fertile countryside with vines and olives, the wealth of the Sila and Pollino forests and rich silver mines, which all took part to keep this town one of the richest. Crotone, who was Sybaris biggest rival at the time, diverted the waters of river Crati causing the flooding of the town so to obtain, as the inhabitants would escape, the wealth of the land. The survivors of the flood took shelter in two other colonies, Thurii and Copiae.

This is how the story goes; but its history and fate which interested many students of Antiquity during the course of the century only helped to feed its myth, as in the Parco del Cavallo were excavated many remains from a past that ranges from protohistory to roman age of the two colonies in which Sybaris survivors, at the time, moved; remains that are still kept in the museum of Siritide, but nothing was found relating to the ancient Sybaris. Another very interesting site of the town in the "Punta Alice", where are found remains of the Temple of Apollo Aleo.