SHARRYLAND
Record-breaking Calabria, the isthmus of Catanzaro
It climbs from the Ionian Sea to the Tyrrhenian Sea by ascending to a windy saddle between the Serre and Sila Piccola
Where is
Isthmus, from ancient Greek ĭsthmós , 'neck,' a relatively narrow tongue of land joining two wide territories surrounded by water. The most famous cases are the 193-kilometer-wide Isthmus of Suez and the 81-kilometer-wide Isthmus of Panama, cut by two strategic navigation channels. The Catanzaro Isthmus, a kind of 35-kilometer valley between the Sila Massif and the Calabrian Serre Mountains, the Ionian Sea on one side and the Tyrrhenian Sea on the other, may not hold the record for width but is likely to be unparalleled in terms of beauty.
Between Squillace and Sant'Eufemia, the ancient road of the two seas.
Being the most direct route of communication between the two seas of Calabria, it is easy to understand the strategic importance that the isthmus has held in Mediterranean history since the time of Greek colonization, when Scylletium (Squillace) dominated on the Ionian side and Terina (Sant'Eufemia) dominated on the Tyrrhenian side. The route of the road that has traversed the isthmus since then, punctuated by various transit villages, is essentially the same as today's State Highway 280 "of the two seas," opened in 1959 and 34 km long from Catanzaro to Lamezia Terme.
The narrowest (and windiest) point on the peninsula
First and foremost, the Isthmus of Catanzaro boasts the record for being the narrowest point on the Italian peninsula, but that is not the only reason it can be called unique. Conformed as a valley between two mountain groups exceeding a thousand meters in altitude, at its narrowest point it is about two kilometers wide. As a result, due to the usual gradient of atmospheric pressure over the two seas, it is traversed by strong air currents. The installation in recent years of dozens of wind turbines, the windmills of the third millennium, has transformed its landscape in a way that is nothing short of astounding.
If one sea were not enough.
One question arises: is there a point from where you can see the two seas? The answer is positive and indeed worth double. There are in fact two peaks at the northern end of the Serre that offer this possibility. From Girifalco one climbs Mount Covello (m 848) and from Jacurso one ascends Mount Contessa (m 881), which pair up to close the beautiful Pesipe valley, jutting out like balconies over the isthmus of Catanzaro.
A double record billboard
The transition between the two sides of the isthmus corresponds to the so-called saddle of Marcellinara, also known as the Sant'Elia insellatura, which represents the second record of the isthmus of Catanzaro, as the lowest point of the Calabrian Apennines, 250 meters above sea level. To mark this, a large tourist sign has been placed along the Two Seas Highway that reads "You are crossing the narrowest point in Italy."
Municipalities along the road of the two seas
Enter the Map of Italy's Undiscovered Wonders and find treasures where you least expect it... Inspire, Recommend, Share...
The Map thanks:
Enter the Map of Italy's Undiscovered Wonders and find treasures where you least expect it... Inspire, Recommend, Share...
