Calabria · Reggio di Calabria
Gerace
A 470-meter conglomerate rock above Locri, founded by Locri Epizefiri refugees, with Calabria's largest cathedral on Roman columns from Magna Graecia temples.
Known for
THE CATHEDRAL
Calabria's largest cathedral, Norman 1100, with twenty-six mismatched Roman columns in the crypt taken from the temples of Locri Epizefiri.
THE HOLY CITY
Founded in the tenth century by Locri refugees, the centro storico held more than a hundred churches and remains a Borgo più bello d'Italia.
FOSSIL ROCK
470-meter spur of conglomerate made from sea fossils sixty million years old, with the centro storico balanced on its narrow upper plateau.
When to visit
Best · Apr–Oct
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Why come
Gerace sits on a 470-meter rock of sea-fossil conglomerate ten kilometers inland from Locri, on the Ionian flank of the Aspromonte. The town was founded in the tenth century by survivors of Locri Epizefiri who fled the coastal Saracen raids; the name comes from the Greek hierax, sparrowhawk, said to have led them to the site. The Cattedrale di Gerace, consecrated around 1100 in the Norman period, covers 1,690 square meters and is the largest cathedral in Calabria.
Its crypt holds twenty-six Roman columns of different stones and capitals, salvaged from the ruined Magna Graecia temples at Locri Epizefiri. The Norman castle, the Chiesa di San Francesco commissioned by Charles II of Anjou in 1294, and a centro storico of more than a hundred churches give the town its other nickname, the holy city. Gerace is a Borgo più bello d'Italia and carries the Touring Club's Bandiera Arancione.
The Sunday letter
We haven’t written Gerace’s letter yet.
One town every Sunday, with the photo, the food, the festa. Be there when this one comes up. Free, by Peter & Sophia from Pietrasanta.
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What to see
Cattedrale di Gerace
Largest cathedral in Calabria, consecrated around 1100, with twenty-six Roman columns in the crypt salvaged from the Magna Graecia temples of Locri Epizefiri.
Chiesa di San Francesco d'Assisi
Late thirteenth-century church commissioned by Charles II of Anjou in 1294, with a Gothic portal and a marble high altar of the early seventeenth century.
Castello Normanno-Svevo
Norman-Swabian castle on the upper rock, restructured around the eleventh century on a likely seventh-century foundation, partly in ruin since 1783.
Borgo medievale di Gerace
Centro storico of narrow alleys and unexpected squares on a 470-meter conglomerate spur, with more than a hundred churches recorded historically.
Belvedere sulla Locride
Cliff viewpoint over the Ionian plain and Locri, on a rock formed sixty million years ago from sea-fossil conglomerate.
The slow-trip planner
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Living here
- Population 2,353
- Commuter belti
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Nearest airport Lamezia / Reggio, 1 h 45 min drive
- Regional capital Catanzaro, 1 h 55 min drive
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources
The numbers
- Elevation: 470 m
- Population: 2,353
- Surface area: 28.99 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories — ISTAT, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata — and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
Featured on
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