Gerace sits at 500 meters on a cliff above the ancient Greek colony of Locri, founded in the 9th century by Locrians fleeing Arab raids. They brought their culture uphill and built a town of extraordinary religious density: 128 churches at its peak (for a population of 10,000). Today, Gerace has 2,700 residents, maybe 20 surviving churches, the largest Norman cathedral in Calabria (columns salvaged from the Greek temples of Locri below), and the haunted beauty of a town that was once important and is now genuinely forgotten. The views from the castle rock span the entire Ionian coast from Siderno to Caulonia, with Etna visible on clear days. Calabria guide →
Plan my Calabria trip →Cattedrale dell'Assunta (Norman, 1045): The largest medieval church in Calabria — a three-nave basilica with 20 columns of granite, cipolin, and marble salvaged from the temples of Locri Epizefiri (6th-5th century BC Greek columns holding up an 11th-century Christian roof). The crypt has Byzantine frescoes. Free entry. Churches: San Francesco (Gothic portal, high altar by Antonello Gagini), San Giovannello (tiny Byzantine church, 10th century, still standing), La Nunziatella (baroque interior). The castle rock (Rocca): At the highest point — ruins of the Norman castle with 360-degree views: the Ionian Sea to the east, the Aspromonte peaks to the west. Empty streets: much of Gerace's centro storico is depopulated. Walking through lanes of shuttered palazzi and locked churches has a melancholy beauty specific to southern Italian hill towns that the 20th century abandoned.
Getting there: car from Locri (10min uphill, SS111). Locri station is on the Ionian coast line (Reggio-Catanzaro). Stay: La Casa di Gianna or other B&Bs (€35-60/night). Eat: La Tavernetta (€20-30, excellent Calabrian mountain cooking). Combine with: Locri Epizefiri (10min below — Greek ruins), Aspromonte (30min uphill), Reggio Calabria (1.5h — Riace Bronzes).