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The town of Filadelfia, in the province of Vibo Valentia, lies in the hilly area of Piano della Gorna, a short distance from the WWF nature reserve "Lake Angitola", in the Parco Regionale delle Serre.
The name Filadelfia, and the town's unusual urban layout, originated from the pre-existing settlement of Castel Monardo (or Castelmonardo), which was destroyed in the earthquake of 1783 and later rebuilt according to the same street plan as the American city of Philadelphia.
The fateful date of the earthquake marked the moment when the superstitious inhabitants abandoned the original town to build a completely new one, named Filadelfia or "brotherly love". It is a perfect copy of the famous city of the same name designed by William Penn. It is an orthogonal city, divided into 4 quadrants with four churches (St Francis of Paola, St Theodore, St Barbara and Our Lady of Mount Carmel) with a large square in the centre. The Ficarazza Fountain, at the entrance to the village, welcomes visitors with its trio of spouts and gargoyles (Hate, Love and Oblivion). The urban design of Filadelfia combines Enlightenment-Masonic ideas, participatory democracy (through a special Citizens' Assembly) and clerical principles. The most important public building is the seat of the town council: Palazzo Quattrocchi, with its large clock.
Of all the traditional festivals for which Filadelfia is known, one in particular seems to revive an ancient tradition popular in Castelmonardo: the “Ballo del Cammello”, a dance performed to the beat of large drums, on the Feast of St Francis of Paola (the first Sunday in August). The Carnival holiday also has its own distinctive character in the streets of Filadelfia: it is called “Carnivaletto” and takes place after the official festivities have ended.
