| Melito di Porto Salvo | ||
 | ||
| State | Italy | |
|---|---|---|
| Region | Calabria | |
| Territory | Reggino | |
| Altitude | 28 m a.s.l. | |
| Surface | 35.41 km² | |
| Inhabitants | 10.704 (2020) | |
| Name inhabitants | melitesi | |
| Prefix tel | 39 0965 | |
| POSTAL CODE | 89063 | |
| Time zone | UTC 1 | |
| Patron | Immaculate Conception | |
Position
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| Institutional website | ||
Melito di Porto Salvo is a city of Calabria, the southernmost in the region and in mainland Italy.
To know
Geographical notes
The historic center of Melito, located about 28 km from Reggio Calabria, stands on a hill 85 meters above sea level, called Colle Calvario, which slopes gently towards the Ionian Sea.
Melito is part of the metropolitan area of Reggio Calabria.
The municipal territory is crossed by some rivers: the Tuccio torrent, to the east, separates the municipal capital from the hamlet of Pilati; the torrent Tabacco, to the west, is interposed between the capital and the hamlet of Annà. The Marosimone stream, of more modest importance, crosses the town.
In the seventies part of the municipal territory of Melito di Porto Salvo was given to the municipality of Roghudi, in order to build a newly founded town (called Roghudi Nuovo) where the inhabitants and the municipal seat of Roghudi (Vecchio), located on the southern slopes of the Aspromonte and abandoned following two floods which occurred in 1971 and 1973. The town that goes from Musa and Annà to Pilati and which reaches the Pallica district constitutes a real urban agglomeration that collects most of the housing and services of the municipality.
When to go
The best time is summer, also due to the presence of the beaches and the return tourism that generally repopulates the Calabrian cities in this period.
Background
According to local historians (including R. Cotroneo) the locality was certainly inhabited in the late Roman period, even if the confirmation of this assumption is given only by the discovery in the oldest part (near the Calvario hill) of a necropolis of the V- 6th century AD it is also assumed that in this period the place was an exchange and rest station for those traveling from Reggio Calabria to Locri (Decastadium).
According to popular history, in 1600 a painting with the effigy of the Virgin Mary was found on the beach, which came from the sea and was found by sailors of that time, and the Melitesi built a sanctuary on the site of the discovery. The painting was kept near the discovery, in a shrine where today there is a niche, and then it was taken to the Church of Saints Peter and Paul in Pentedattilo during the construction of the Sanctuary. And so in 1680 the Sanctuary was built and by an ancient vote of the Marquis Domenico Alberti it was decided that the painting of the Madonna returns to Pentedattilo every 25 March of each year and then goes down on the last Saturday of April.
With the subversion of feudalism, the lands of Melito and Pentedattilo were purchased by the Ramirez, a family of Spanish origin who intensified agricultural production by introducing citrus groves and vineyards, therefore more valuable crops such as bergamot.
In the second half of the 19th century, the transfer of all civil and religious institutions from Pentedattilo to Melito was completed.
On the Melitese beach of Rumbolo on 19 August 1860 the landing of the Thousand of Giuseppe Garibaldi took place, who after having occupied Sicily aimed to conquer the lands of the Bourbon Kingdom "on this side of the Lighthouse". A second, less fortunate, landing of the Garibaldi soldiers took place on August 25, 1862, when they arrived in Calabria with the intention of moving towards the conquest of Rome still subject to the Pope: a commemorative stele and a mausoleum commemorate this second landing. The steamship Torino, sunk by the Bourbons during the Garibaldi's landing, lies on the seabed at a depth of 12 m
How to orient yourself
Melito di Porto Salvo: full screen map.Melito di Porto Salvo is divided into the following districts and hamlets (the name in Greek-Calabrian in brackets):
- Melito center (Melitos)
- Old country
- Marina
- Bars
- Porto Salvo
- Rumbolo
- Flap (Lemvos)
- San Leonardo
- Annà (Anne)
- Musa (Mussa)
- Placanica (Plakanike)
- Giachindi
- Pentedattilo (Pentadactyl)
- Pilates
- Pallica (Pallike)
- Weapon
- Prunella
- Caredia (Karydia)
- Lacco (Lakkos)
- Musupuniti (Mussuponites)
How to get
By plane
The nearest airport is that of Reggio Calabria, other important airports are those of Lamezia Terme is Catania; in any case, you will have to continue with other means.
By car
The town is served by the state road 106 Jonica Reggio Calabria-Taranto, whose old route crossed the town and still bears the name of via Nazionale; it is also the point of arrival of the state road 183 and of the provincial road 3 Aspromonte - Jonio.
On the train
The Melito di Porto Salvo station is part of the Ionian line Reggio Calabria-Metaponto-Taranto, with double track and electrified up to Melito, while for the remainder it is single track and not equipped with electrification. Melito station is the first station on the Ionic side of the Reggio Calabria suburban railway service. Since the end of 2007 the suburban railway service of Reggio Calabria has been established which guarantees a run every 30 minutes to Reggio Calabria, one run every hour up to Rosarno.
How to get around
What see
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- Sanctuary of Maria SS of Porto Salvo.
- Archpriest Church of the Immaculate Conception.
- Church of San Giuseppe.
- Church of San Giuseppe (Annà fraction).
- Church of San Giovanni Battista (Prunella fraction).
- Church of the Addolorata (Prunella fraction).
- Protopapal Church of Saints Peter and Paul (Pentedattilo fraction).
- Church of Candlemas (Pentedattilo fraction).
- Church of the Madonna del Carmine (Pilati hamlet).
- Church of the Madonna delle Grazie (Caredia fraction).
- Saracen Tower (on the highest part of the Old Town). About 1550.
- Musa Tower. About 1550.
- Garibaldi Museum.
- Casina dei Mille (Ramirez House). Where the Garibaldi soldiers stayed in 1861, and were shelled by the troops of the Bourbon navy.
- Covered market. Built in the fascist period.
- Alberti Palace. Of 1667.
- Garibaldian stele. Built on the seafront in the Rumbolo district to replace an older one, it recalls the place where the Thousand of Giuseppe Garibaldi landed on 19 August 1860.
- Monument to the fallen of all wars, Corso Garibaldi.
- Plaque to the fallen of all wars, Viale delle Rimembranze.
- Sculpture of the Madonna (On the seafront in front of the Sanctuary of Porto Salvo).
Events and parties
- Feast of the Immaculate Conception.
December 8. Patronal feast. - Feast of Maria S.S. of Porto Salvo. Last Saturday in April and the following Sunday. Feast of the patron saint of the town.
- Feast of St. Joseph (celebrated in both the churches of Melito and in that of the Annà district). March 19.
- Feast of St. John the Baptist (Prunella fraction). June 24.
- Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows (Prunella fraction). Last Sunday of September.
- Feast of Our Lady of Candlemas (Presentation of the Child Jesus in the Temple) (Pentedattilo fraction).
- Feast of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul (Pentedattilo fraction). June 29.
- Feast of Sant'Antonio Abate (Pentedattilo fraction). January 17.
- Feast of Madonna del Carmine (Pilati hamlet). July 16.
- Festival of the eggplant (Annà fraction).
- Crepe Festival (Prunella fraction).
- Festival of hot bread (Pallica fraction).
- Meatball Festival (to the Old Town).
- Fish festival (to the Navy).
- Pentedattilo Film Festival (in the large open-air theater of Pentedattilo). Mid September. International short film competition.
December 8. Patronal feast.What to do
Shopping
How to have fun
Where to eat
Where stay
Safety
Organized crime is present.
How to keep in touch
Around
Although not very close, the city of Reggio Calabria it is certainly the best known of the nearby destinations.
Other projects
Wikipedia contains an entry concerning Melito di Porto Salvo
Commons contains images or other files on Melito di Porto Salvo
