The Road of the Calabrian Greenhouses - Argusto
Merchants and pilgrims, the unique story of a community that grew up around a bridge
Where is
This municipality is located along the Serre Calabre Road.
A village that will be among the discoveries of the trip
Argusto is a pretty hillside village on the Ionian side of the Calabrian Serre, 530 meters above sea level, 450 residents, a little more than 7 square kilometers in area, thus one of the smallest in Calabria. Going up the northern slope of the Ancinale valley from Soverato, it is the second transit municipality, after Gagliato, at the turn of Chiaravalle Centrale.
A transit point for those who went up to the Serre
The town, probably of ancient foundation, is of some importance in the Middle Ages because of a transit station at the so-called Sofia Bridge, which is believed to have been built in the 12th century. The place name is mentioned for the first time in the 16th century, in relation to the church of Sant'Ilario, in an official document kept in the secret archives of the Vatican. At that time it appears among the hamlets dependent on the principality of Squillace, later passing under the barony of Soverato, although in the orbit of more immediate influence of neighboring Chiaravalle.
In the historic center, windows open to the past
Argusto is a small village where time seems to stand still. A fateful passage in its history was the catastrophic earthquake of 1783, which led to a substantial reconstruction of the town, which has remained substantially unchanged since then. The physiognomy of the historic center is dictated by the streets that radially descend the hillock: an expanse of low dwelling houses interspersed with more prominent residences with carved stone portals.
The Matrice church watches over the village houses from above.
In the highest part of the village, at the convergence of the steps that characterize the hamlet, one reaches the Mother Church named after the patron saint St. Hilary. The wooden statue of the blessing bishop of Poitiers is enshrined in theneoclassical shrine above the polychrome marble high altar. When the parish mobilizes to honor him, the sacred sculpture is first approached by the faithful under a sumptuous canopy and then carried in procession, through the streets of the village and through the districts, preceded by themonstrance of his relic.
Ancinale Falls for thrill-seekers
Downstream from Argusto, the Ancinale River has carved its riverbed into a rocky step and proceeds sinuously through spontaneous vegetation, forming small waterfalls and natural pools. An ideal setting for canyoneers, with the vivid recommendation to contact qualified local hiking guides.
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