The Road of the Calabrian Greenhouses - Soverato
Overlooking the Gulf of Squillace with a long beach, it is the starting point of the road leading into the heart of the Calabrian Serre
Where is
This municipality is located along the Serre Calabre Road.
One of the wonders of Ionian Calabria
Soverato is one of the reference centers of the Ionian coast of Calabria. The most immediate image concerns the lively seaside and fishing town that represents its newest reality. In fact, the historic center, a couple of kilometers inland, bears the name Soverato Superiore and is the result of the reconstruction of the original center, even further upstream, razed by the 1873 earthquake and now visited as an archaeological site.
From inland village to seaside resort
The name of a locality often reveals its distinctive character. In this case, it is believed to refer to a botanical peculiarity, the cork tree , a typical oak of the Mediterranean scrub, cultivated since time immemorial, which likely represented an important resource of the place, hence the toponym Suberatum that appears on medieval maps. In the second half of the 19th century came the turning point that would lead the maritime district to surpass the historic center in population and income. The last act of this development, in 1974, the official recognition of the rank of city.
Ideal starting point for climbing the Serre
To define Soverato in tourist terms, it would suffice to say of the four kilometers of beach, the eloquent appellation of Pearl of the Ionian as well as the most recent EU awards of bathing excellence. For those, on the other hand, who look curiously inland, Soverato is the inescapable transit point at the turn of Chiaravalle Centrale along State Road 182, stretching then to Serra San Bruno, considered the gateway to the Calabrian Serre Park.
The reposed beauties of Soverato Superiore.
The Matrice church, dedicated to Maria Santissima Addolorata, is located in the heart of Soverato Superiore. Built in the aftermath of the 1783 earthquake, it has neoclassical physiognomy. It contains inside a splendid white Carrara marble Pietà , dated 1521, the work of Antonello Gagini, one of the most celebrated Sicilian artists of the Renaissance, who undertook by contract to provide "the most beautiful and excellent" of his sculptures. The interest of the work, severely damaged by the same earthquake, also lies in the accuracy of the restoration completed in recent years by the Opificio delle pietre dure in Florence.
A reserve for seahorses
The stretch of sea in front of Soverato that closes the Gulf of Squillace is affectionately called the Bay of the Seahorse, and it is not an appellation made up in the air. In fact, the seabed in front of the long beach is characterized by an underwater prairie particularly favorable to the presence of what is popularly called seahorse. A species so endangered today that it has convinced the authorities to establish a special marine park.
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