Vibo Valentia, Coastal administrative center in Calabria, Italy
Vibo Valentia is a hillside town in southern Calabria that serves as the administrative center of its province. The old quarter sits on a plateau, with streets opening toward the Tyrrhenian coast and the forested mountain slopes inland.
Greek colonists from Locri founded the settlement around the mid-seventh century BC under the name Hipponion. Romans took control in the second century BC and renamed it Valentia.
The Norman-Hohenstaufen Castle, constructed in 1000 AD using materials from Greek temples, now functions as the State Archaeological Museum.
The old center sits on higher ground, so expect narrow lanes and some steep steps between lower and upper quarters. Visitors exploring the Calabrian coast will find this town a central point between Tropea and Pizzo.
The Norman-Hohenstaufen castle was built in the eleventh century using stones taken from Greek temples and now houses the state archaeological museum. Ancient fortifications once enclosed a perimeter of several kilometers, showing the scale of the settlement during Greek times.
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