Ferruzzano Superiore: ghost town
A destination for cyclists and romantics alike, the abandoned villages of Ionian Calabria have a thousand stories to tell.
Where
Wandering through the ghost village of Ferruzzano
We move quietly through the empty alleys of the abandoned village, perched on the edge of the cliff. Stone stairways, houses with collapsed roofs pressed close together, noble residences with richly carved stone portals… At times, the empty windows let us glimpse interiors that seem only recently deserted. There are still overturned chairs, broken furniture: humble traces of the rural life that once thrived here. The church, with its collapsed roof, still preserves its sacredness. On one wall, a red inscription stands out: “Ferruzzano, you are like first love: you can never be forgotten.”
The story: the 1907 earthquake and abandonment
On the night of October 23, 1907, at 9:25 pm the village was devastated by the first violent tremor of an earthquake that flattened houses and caused the death of 175 people. It was decided to rebuild in the nearby hamlet of Saccuti, but today it too is abandoned (except for a few courageous families who still remain). The reasons: strong emigration in the 1950s, which halved the population, and the flood in the 1970s that dealt the final blow.
Not to be missed: the view
The melancholic charm of every abandoned village is undeniable, but Ferruzzano has something more. It was built on a steep cliff about 470 meters above sea level to escape attacks by the Saracens, and from there the view over the Ionian Sea and Aspromonte fills the eyes with beauty. The highest point, known as the Calvary, offers a magnificent 360-degree panorama.
Why it is special: traces of the Neolithic
The area where Ferruzzano Superiore was built has a much older history than the Saracens. Our guides Santo and Orlando point out at the highest point of the village small post holes and steps carved into the rock: evidence of a settlement in the Neolithic (8000–3500 BC)! But there is more. We stop in front of the ruins of a “cave-house”, built on a pre-existing cave, with even older origins. Among dry leaves and fallen beams, the rock reveals short, diagonal marks: made with stone tools (not iron), used in the Paleolithic. Thank you, Santo and Orlando, for allowing us to see the invisible!
Curiosity: from abandoned village to film set
Resilience is a human trait. Ferruzzano, abandoned for decades, has on several occasions come back to life as a film set for short films and TV series: Agarthi, a story not to be told (2015); Rica, the last great story (2016); Sanremo: pale flower (2017); Nautilus (2021), works by the Calabrian artist Bruno Panuzzo; ZeroZeroZero (2018, based on the novel by Roberto Saviano) and Away from Aspromonte (2018, based on the book by Pietro Criaco).
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The Map thanks:
PNRR M1C3 2.1 Attrattività dei Borghi, Linea B Ferruzzano: Borgo del benessere, Int. 12 Hub digitale, CUP J98C22000050006, CIG B701ED11E2
Enter the Map of Italy's Undiscovered Wonders and find treasures where you least expect it... Inspire, Recommend, Share...
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