Mileto (Italy) - Mileto (Italia)

Miletus is a city of Calabria.

To know

Background

The origins of Miletus, although traced from the Barrio - historical of the '500 - to the Greek period, are likely to be brought back to the Byzantine era, when the city, conquered by the Normans, became the capital of the county of Ruggero I d'Altavilla; however, the remains of a villa have been found Roman from the 2nd century AD, therefore dating back to previous eras. The city has been a bishopric since the 11th century. The diocese of Mileto was founded in 1985 and was the first of the Latin rite in southern Italy.

After the earthquake of 1783 that destroyed the ancient city, the new Miletus rose about 2 kilometers to the west in a land called "Villa del vescovo".

In 1799 Cardinal Fabrizio Ruffo stopped there to gather his army called the "Holy Faith" and from here he moved to bring Ferdinand IV of Bourbon back to the Kingdom of Naples. On May 28, 1807 the town saw the clash between the Neapolitan army and that French who, under the orders of General Reynier, won the battle of Miletus, gaining dominion over the region for about a decade.

On 27 August 1860 Giuseppe Garibaldi stopped in Mileto before completing his conquest of the Kingdom of Naples.

During the Second World War, on July 16, 1943, Miletus was attacked by some US planes that were escorting bombers returning from Vibo; 39 civilians lost their lives in the attack, mostly women and children, and the city was, therefore, awarded the Bronze Medal for Civil Valor on 16 July 2008.

How to orient yourself

How to get

By plane

The nearest airport is that of Lamezia Terme.

By car

The city is served by an exit of the A3 motorway, which connects it directly to Reggio Calabria, Naples and all the centers directly served by this highway.

On the train

The city is served by the Trenitalia railway station of the same name, which allows it to be connected both with the other cities of the Tyrrhenian coast of the region and with the cities connected by the Southern Tyrrhenian Railway, such as Sapri, Salerno, Naples, Latina is Rome.

By bus

Railways of Calabria offers rides to and from Catanzaro, Cosenza is Vibo Valentia.

How to get around

What see

• Archaeological park. The area occupied by the ancient city appears today as a vast congeries of ruins. The scarce economic resources available, for the institutions responsible for research and protection, have not allowed so far to carry out archaeological excavations and stratigraphic readings of the elevations aimed at understanding and developing the Norman city and even before the Byzantine settlement. The scientific excavation campaigns were few and limited to a few days of intervention (in 1995 and 1999 and in various periods of the following years). Previously Paolo Orsi, in 1916, had conducted a short excavation campaign, during which the plan of the basilica was brought to light, which had highlighted the presence of marble, columns and capitals and frames decorated with ovoli and foliage scattered throughout. the surrounding area. The abbey area, on the basis of recent excavations, is built on a bench of white sandstone which, in relation to the part investigated, does not show traces of previous constructions. On the basis of the materials found, it was possible to establish that the flooring of the important structure was made of red porphyry and green serpentine, certainly connected to the stripping of other older monuments. There are not many remains that can be traced back to the Romanesque phase of the church, both because the investigated area is not very extensive but also due to the fact that many changes have taken place in the area. Despite the limited time it was possible to increase the knowledge on some particular aspects arising for example from the recovery of various glass fragments recognized as the remains of the large windows of the Norman era. The ceramic finds are interesting even if for the most part they are fragments generically recovered in the area and therefore decontextualized. The ceramics painted in red bands with decorative motifs consisting of spirals or waves, or even the so-called painted monochrome glazed tiles, which next to the achromatic ones (without decoration) and fires, constitute the most numerous classes should be remembered. Some fragments of painted and glazed pottery on engobe related to shapes such as basins, truncated and hemispherical cups, apod (without foot) or with ring foot can be traced back to the twelfth century. The decoration is expressed by red commas alternating with concentric manganese black threads, or by red dots alternating with linear manganese threads. Even the zoomorphic motifs (with animal subjects) are represented together with the anthropomorphic ones (human figures) such as the cup with rider and horse where the color blue is also used. It should be noted that in recent years, thanks to the work of the archaeologist Francesco Cuteri, the excavation activity in the Archaeological Park, established in the meantime, has resumed, albeit slowly. The greatest attention was paid at the moment to the area relating to the ancient episcope and the cathedral located within the city perimeter. Remarkable and highly promising have been the findings made over the last ten years with targeted excavation and survey campaigns, even if short. In May 2015, a new excavation campaign began within the Archaeological Park, which ended at the end of November of the same year, aimed at the discovery of a large amount of finds of considerable scientific value and the improvement of the services of the entire Park. , for its greater usability and visibility from a tourist point of view. 
• Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, neo-Romanesque church from 1930 and seat of the diocese of Mileto-Nicotera-Tropea.
• State Museum
• Municipal Villa
• Squares

Events and parties

What to do

Shopping

How to have fun

• Municipal Stadium
• Soccer Field (Bus Station Area)
• 5-a-side football field (Episcopal seminary)
• Foro Boario Mileto (soccer field - bowling green)

Where to eat

Moderate prices

• The Granary, Via Vittorio Emanuele III (2 km from the "Immaculate Heart of Mary, refuge of souls" Foundation and a short distance from the cathedral), ☎ 39 0963 337625. € 12-15 (menu). Pizza restaurant with 100 seats indoors (with air conditioning) and 200 outdoors. 

Where stay

Safety

How to keep in touch

Post office

• 38.60686316.0640521 Miletus post office, Via Conte Ruggero, 1, ☎ 39 0963 333149, fax: 39 0963 336387. Mon-Fri 08: 20-13: 35, Sat 08: 20-12: 35. Punto poste, equipped with locker. 
• 38.59272216.0575392 Paravati post office, Corso Umberto I, 29, ☎ 39 0963 338625, fax: 39 0963 338625. Mon, Wed, Fri 08: 20-13: 45. Equipped with locker. 

Around

The nearest touristically interesting city is Tropea.

Useful information

Town Hall: Corso Umberto I 177 - Tel. 0963-338015 - Fax. 0963-336499

Other projects

• Wikipedia contains an entry concerning Mileto (Italy)
• Commons contains images or other files on Mileto (Italy)

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