Palizzi – Bova

The stage retraces the old trail connecting two of the most important centres of the area. It starts in the picturesque hamlet of Palizzi, located at the bottom of a majestic cliff with vertical sides 300m high above sea level (and ruins of a feudal castle towering above it). The trail then continues along paths, gravel roads and old mule tracks until the Chora Tu Vua, the city of Bova, considered the capital city of “Greek Calabria” and one of the “Borghi più belli d’Italia”.

Bova – blooming season along the trail

Area

Aspromonte Meridionale – Area Greca

Difficulty

E – Also accessible via MTB

Distance

13 km

Travel time

5 – 6 hrs

Start

Palizzi

Finish

Bova

Difference in altitude

↑ 1200m ↓740m

Accessible

All year round

Springs and fountainheads with waypoint

Spring in the area of Agrappidà
Spring in the area of  Cavàddhu

River/fiumare crossing (waypoint)

No

Route

The trail starts from the main square of Palizzi, with the 17th century Church of Sant’Anna (still showing traces of the original Byzantine structure, such as the dome above the internal apse, and featuring an important marble statue of Sant’Anna with Madonna as a child). Walking along the characteristic alleys, steps, tunnels and surfacing rocks, hikers will reach the highest part of the city centre, next to the walls of the Castle. From the Castle, the trail continues to the right following the white/red signage of the “Sentiero dell’Inglese” to Bova, along a road that gradually moves uphill. After 3 km, the path turns into a gravel road which coincides with the southern border of the Parco Nazionale dell’Aspromonte for many stretches of the way.
It will be possible to see forests and some of the peaks of the Aspromonte Massif to the North, while to the South the Valleys of Palizzi and San Pasquale will be in view. Bova suddenly appears over the horizon with its majestic cliff and ruins of the Castle: a village of ancestral beauty between arduous mountain ridges and crags covered by maquis shrubland, olive trees, oak trees and rock roses. Numerous remains of rural life in the area such as terraces, dry stone walls, isolated huts and drinking troughs. The trail crosses the small abandoned village of Cavalli and the so-called “Vallata dei Mulini” – Valley of the Mills – before reaching Bova via an old mule track.

Brief historical overview

The village of Palizzi is at the bottom of a sandstone rocky spur with the ruins of a feudal castle towering above it. Even though archaeological finds attest that the area has been inhabited since prehistoric times, the first written records mentioning the village only date back to the XI century. The hamlet was first property of the Monastero di Sant’Angelo of the Valle del Tuccio, and then included as one of the hamlets of Bova in the XII century. It turned into an important feud at the beginning of the 14th century and was bought around the first half by the Ruffo family, one of the most important noble families of Southern Italy. Palizzi Marina is on the coast. An excellent red wine with IGT label is produced locally, and we recommend drinking it in one of the characteristic “catoi” of the village – that make Palizzi the “city of wine”.

Vineyard in the area of Palizzi

Bova, or Vùa in Greek, is considered the capital city of “Greek Calabria”. It is one of the “Borghi più belli d’Italia” and has a very ancient history linked to mythological tales and legends. It sits on a rocky spur at 820m above sea level, towering over the valley of the fiumara San Pasquale to the East, and the majestic valley of Amendolea to the West. Many archeological finds of prehistoric age excavated in the proximities of the Norman Castle confirm the ancient origins of the city. It likely served as fortress for the two most important polis (cities) of Reggio and Locri during Magna Graecia times. Thanks to its strategic position (that allows a 360 degree view over the whole territory), Bova grew ever more important throughout the centuries until it became the seat of the Diocesi during Byzantine times and the arrival of the Normans.

It kept the Greek-Byzantine rite alive until 1572, when it was suppressed and converted to latin rite. This however did not effect the use of the Greek language and culture that continues to survive to this day (in Bova and in many other villages of the Vallata dell’Amendola), thanks to oral transmission from generation to generation. Bova still shows its original Medieval urban tissue, refined with palaces and important restoration works to the main religious building during the 17th century. Of particular interest are: the Shrine of San Leo, Patron Saint of Bova (featuring a 1606 facade, a 16th century marble statue of the Saint under the central apse and a 17th century silver reliquary of the Saint); the Churches of San Rocco, of the Spirito Santo, of the Carmine and the Immacolata, and, finally, the Norman Cathedral of Isodia, the largest religious site of the area, with a fine marble statue of the Virgin with Child (1584).

In the main square are the beautiful 18th century Palazzo dei Nesci Sant’Agata and the Municipal office, built at the beginning of the 20th century over the ruins of Palazzo Marzano. Palazzo Tuscano is the seat of the Centro Visite of the Parco Nazionale dell’Aspromonte. The only defensive tower still standing in the city is in the quarter of Pirgoli (once Bova’s ghetto), used to reinforce the city walls during Angevin rule. Here is also the majestic Palazzo dei Mesiano-Mazzacurva, rebuilt after the 1783 earthquake. Bova features 3 important museums: the Museum of the Greek-Calabrian Language “Gerhard Rohlfs”, the Museo Civico of Palaeontology and Natural Science, and the Open Air Museum of Farming Civilisation.

The local cuisine of Bova is very simple and it is based on the traditional products of farmers and shepherds of the area. Among some of the most typical dishes are the maccarruni with tomato sauce and goat meat, the cordeddi and the ricchi di previti with tomato sauce, the tagghiarini with chickpeas, goat meat alla vutana and the lestopitta. There are many renowned cured meats and cheeses, such as the musulupo, made from a traditional wooden stamp hand-carved by shepherds during Easter time. Sweets include the ngute during Easter time and the petrali during Christmas time. Among the many traditional celebrations that take place in Bova, the “Processione delle Palme” (Procession of the Palms) is highly recommended. Great female figures (made by local families with olive leaves weaved together by hand on cane stalks – or steddhe – adorned with flowers, fruits and cheeses) are taken in procession to the Chiesa di Santa Caterina, where they are blessed, and then to the Cattedrale dell’Isodìa for mass. This ancient rite is one of the most important processes of “contamination” that has characterised the passage from Paganism to Christianity. A unique syncretism that, according to researchers, originates in the Greek mysteries of the hellenic world.

Farm along the trail

Map and elevation profile

Further information

[Bova]

Comune Bova – tel. +39 0965 762013 – web: www.comune.bova.rc.it – mail: info@comunedibova.it
Pro Loco Bova – tel. +39 0965 762009 – mail: ass.proloco.bova@virgilio.it

Where to eat

[Bova]

Restaurant – Grecanico – tel. +39 347 3046799 – mail: cooperativasanleo@gmail.com

Last update: 2021-12-31