They speak an ancient language, the stones of Calabria, worked by people capable of building works of great allure. These silent testimonies tell the story of this region.

They speak of the civilizations that have followed one another and mingled over the centuries, founding cities and customs. Of past dominations. Of eras of abandonment and reconstruction.

Thanks to its location, this land has been a crossroads of diverse civilisations. All peoples have left an imprint of their passage here. Today we walk among the remains of ancient cities. We admire the impressive Roman ruins. We walk through the narrow streets of small medieval villages that resist the corrosion of the centuries. The secrets of ancient peoples, their historical treasures, are all there, in the buildings, in the vestiges and in all the works they have left us, which have become symbols of Calabria.

In the depths of time, when myths were intertwined with reality, the first inhabitants left their indelible footprints on this land of contrasts. The Enotri, a mysterious and fascinating people, were among the first to shape the Calabrian landscape.

Their name, meaning ‘vine growers’, conjures up images of verdant hills dotted with vineyards, a heritage that still enriches the region today. Traces of these ancient inhabitants persist in the archaeological finds and wine-making techniques handed down through the millennia. Thanks to this, only a sip of Calabrian wine is enough to savour the past.

With the arrival of the Greeks, Calabria became a melting pot of culture and civilisation. Magna Graecia flourished on these shores, giving birth to legendary cities such as Kroton, Sybaris and Locri. Here, among the Doric columns and finely worked mosaics, philosophers and mathematicians were born whose thought would shape the western world.

Walking through the ruins of Caulonia or admiring the Riace Bronzes, masterpieces of timeless beauty, the visitor can almost hear the echo of the philosophical discussions and artistic fervour that animated these ancient polis* (Greek speaking settlements).

The Greek heritage survives not only in the stones, but also in the language: Grecanico, still spoken in some enclaves, is a sound bridge connecting the present to the glorious past.

The Bruzi emerge between the folds of this millenary history, a proud and warlike people who were able to carve out their own space in the ancient Calabrian landscape. According to legend, they were descended from rebellious slaves who challenged the domination of the Greek colonies, founding an independent kingdom in the heart of Calabria.

The name of this civilisation, which according to some means ‘rebels’ (and according to others derives from Brettia, the first western female warrior), evokes the indomitable spirit that still characterises this land today. Traces of its presence survive in the names of some localities and in archaeological sites like Cosenza, its ancient capital.

The Bruzi enriched the Calabrian cultural mosaic with their warrior traditions and skills in the art of metallurgy, leaving a legacy of pride and independence that still resonates in the character of modern-day Calabrians.