What is Santa Severina known for?

Tenth-century octagonal baptistery with mosaic floor and twelfth-century frescoes, the only one of its kind still standing in Calabria. One of the best-preserved castles in Calabria, taken from the Byzantines in 1076 and rebuilt in the fifteenth century. Vineyards on the slopes below the town produce Cirò DOC, the historic red wine of Calabria, made primarily from Gaglioppo.

Where is Santa Severina?

Santa Severina is a comune in the province of Crotone, Calabria region of Italy, about 223 kilometers from Reggio Calabria.

Calabria · Crotone

Santa Severina

A tufa-rock stone shipbetween the Sila and the Ionian, holding the only Byzantine baptistery still standing in Calabria.

223 km / 139 mi

Nearest hub (Reggio Calabria)

1,906

Population

Apr–Oct

Best time to visit

Recognised as

Why come

Santa Severina sitson a tufa hill above the Neto valley, halfway between the Sila mountains and the Ionian Sea. Inhabited from the Bronze Age, the settlement was a Greek and then Roman town called Siberene; it became one of the most important Byzantine centers in southern Italy and held out until 1076, when the Normans took it. The Norman Castle, restored in the fifteenth century, stands at the high end of the ridge and now houses a museum of Byzantine and Norman artifacts. The Cathedral of Santa Anastasìa dates from the thirteenth century. Next to it stands the tenth-century Byzantine Baptistery, octagonal, with frescoes from the tenth to twelfth centuries, the only one of its kind in Calabria. The Val di Neto vineyards around the town produce Cirò DOC; the commune holds the Città del Vino badge. Santa Severina has been a Borgo più bello since 2006.

The slow-trip planner

Building a trip? Find where Santa Severina fits in a slow Italy circuit.

Answer five questions. We will shape a geographically coherent slow trip from the 1,000 Italian towns most travelers skip. Yours to save and share.

Plan your trip

Gallery

9 photos · scroll →

Known for

Castello di Santa Severina
Norman fortress on the high end of the tufa ridge, restored in the fifteenth century, now a museum of Byzantine and Norman finds.
Cattedrale di Santa Anastasìa
Thirteenth-century cathedral on the main piazza, named for the saint whose relics the town claims as patroness.
Battistero bizantino
Octagonal tenth-century baptistery next to the cathedral, with frescoes spanning the tenth to twelfth centuries, the only Byzantine baptistery still standing in Calabria.
Centro storico
The tufa-rock platform on which the borgo sits, often described as a stone ship sailing over the Neto valley.
Val di Neto
Vineyards on the slopes below the town, producing Cirò DOC red and white wines on Gaglioppo and Greco Bianco grapes.

When to visit

Best months · Apr–Oct

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

April through June and September into October are the months Santa Severina rewards. The Val di Neto turns green, the tufa walls hold the morning light, and the castle terrace gives a clean view from the Sila to the Ionian on dry days. July and August push past thirty-five degrees; the borgo empties from one to five in the afternoon. November through March stays mild but quiet, with many of the smaller restaurants closing on weekdays. The Cirò wine harvest runs through September. The Festa di Santa Anastasia falls on 25 December, the patroness's traditional day in Eastern Christian tradition.

How to get there

From Reggio Calabria, Santa Severina is roughly 223 km by road. Allow about 191–268 minutes depending on traffic and route choice (autostrada vs scenic).

Drive time to the nearest gateway airports