A trip to San Nicola Arcella, between the old town and the sea

Those who come on holiday to this part of the Tyrrhenian Sea are enchanted by the sea: San Nicola Arcella, not surprisingly among the Calabrian Blue Flags, is situated on a coastline of extraordinary colours, offering a great variety of coves, inlets, marine flora and fauna for those who wish to go diving. The jewel among the beaches? San Nicola Arcella is famous for an absolute gem: Arcomagno Beach. So called because of the natural arch carved out by the sea, which frames a small cove of fine sand and the Saracen Cave behind it, inside which there is a freshwater spring. The Arcomagno can be reached on foot, via a rocky path from which you can enjoy a breathtaking view, or by boat, docking directly near the cave.

The rocky arm gives the coast of San Nicola Arcella the shape of a natural harbour. In the past, as evidenced by the aforementioned Saracen Cave, pirate ships used to dock there, from whose incursions the population tried to defend itself by erecting a series of defensive structures. Among these is the splendid Crawford Tower, one of the best-preserved coastal towers in Calabria, linked to the fascinating story of the American writer, Lord Francis Marion Crawford, who chose it as a "buen retiro" and wrote several novels there. Crawford fell in love with this  sea, San Nicola Arcella and its scenery while taking a boat trip in southern Italy in the company of his wife.

Once you reach the village, San Nicola Arcella reveals its ancient history. The historic centre is an open book about the many ruling powers, as evidenced by the styles of the stately buildings, most of which have late 19th-century façades. Among the alleys and squares, in a panoramic position, stands the Chiesa Matrice church on a narrow terrace in the centre of the village. Recently, some of the facades of the houses have been embellished with a series of murals that tell the story of the life and traditions of the village: San Nicola Arcella is in fact a place with a thousand-year history, whose narrative begins with the landing of the first navigators who came to colonise what would later become Magna Grecia.

Among the various buildings, just outside the centre, Palazzo Principi Lanza stands out for its grandeur and noble origins.San Nicola Arcella was ruled by various feudal lords until the 19th century, when Prince Pietro Lanza Branciforte, having married Eleonora, the last heir of the Spinelli di Scalea family, took over ownership of the entire fiefdom. The prince inherited the fortified farm in the Dino district, now known as "Palazzo Principi Lanza". San Nicola Arcella thus flourished under the productive impetus of the Lanza family, who increased fishing activities and set about building the urban core, which, from a simple "Casale", acquired its own municipal autonomy (1811).