Gerace
Member of I Borghi più belli d'Italia
Photo: The original uploader was Attilios at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0 
Photo: Benjamin Smith, CC BY-SA 4.0 
Photo: Benjamin Smith, CC BY-SA 4.0 
Photo: Benjamin Smith, CC BY-SA 4.0 
Photo: Benjamin Smith, CC BY-SA 4.0 .jpg/960px-%22Gerace%22_(21656041363).jpg)
Photo: Fondo Antiguo de la Biblioteca de la Universidad de Sevilla from Sevilla, España, CC BY 2.0 
Photo: Benjamin Smith, CC BY-SA 4.0 
Photo: Benjamin Smith, CC BY-SA 4.0 
Photo: Benjamin Smith, CC BY-SA 4.0 
Photo: Benjamin Smith, CC BY-SA 4.0 
Photo: Benjamin Smith, CC BY-SA 4.0 
Photo: Benjamin Smith, CC BY-SA 4.0 
Photo: Benjamin Smith, CC BY-SA 4.0
Legend says a sparrowhawk led people fleeing the coast up to this sandstone rock, 500 metres high and ten kilometres inland from Locri. Gerace became a Byzantine and then Norman stronghold, and once counted 128 churches. Its cathedral is the largest in Calabria, its nave lined with columns from the temples of ancient Locri, and from the castle and the Bombarde terraces the view runs down to the Ionian Sea.
Highlights
- The Norman cathedral, with ancient columns, crypt and museum (IT)
- San Francesco, with the Ruffo sarcophagus and an inlaid Baroque altar
- San Giovannello, a tenth-century church now of Orthodox rite
- The castle ruins at the top of the town, with views over the Locride
- Il Borgo Incantato, an international street-art festival in the lanes
Summary based on Wikipedia and Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA), written with AI assistance.
Population: 2,353
Travel guide (Wikivoyage)
Gerace is a striking medieval hill town in the region of Calabria, perched on a sandstone plateau above the Ionian coast. Known for its remarkably preserved historic centre, Norman-era cathedral, and sweeping views over the Locride plain and sea, Gerace is one of southern Italy’s most atmospheric small towns.