Roghudi, Italian comune
Roghudi is a commune in the Calabria region built on a rocky hillside at about 527 meters elevation in the foothills of the Aspromonte mountain range. The village consists of old, weathered stone houses built close together with narrow streets between them and the ruins of a small church dedicated to Saint Nicholas.
Roghudi was founded around 1050 by nomadic groups and developed into a settlement with Greek linguistic roots. The region suffered from numerous natural disasters, particularly severe floods that peaked in 1971 and 1973, forcing nearly 1,650 residents to abandon the settlement.
Roghudi was home to a community that spoke Grekaniko, a dialect rooted in ancient Greek, which only a few people speak today. The villagers practiced inherited traditions and crafts such as weaving brooms from plant stems, skills passed down from mothers to daughters across generations.
The village consists of overgrown ruins that can be explored on foot, though visitors should watch for uneven ground and narrow pathways. The nearest facilities are located in the new settlement of Roghudi in the lower valley, so planning ahead before making the journey to the old site is necessary.
In earlier times, the village women tied their children to large nails and ropes attached to house walls to prevent them from falling into the steep crevices and cliffs surrounding the settlement. This unusual safety measure was necessary because the village was built on the edges of dangerous rocky outcrops.
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