to Reggio. SCILLA. 17. Route. J SJ7
On the coast to the r. . not far from the high road, 11 M.
from Rosarno, on a cliff which rises perpendicularly from the
sea, is situated the singularly picturesque town of
Palmi (no good inn), the capital of the district (10,000 in¬
hab.), surrounded by orange and olive plantations and comman¬
ding magnificent views of the Faro, the fort of Scilla . the town
and harbour of Messina and the majestic ..Etna in the background.
The N. coast of Sicily is visible as far as Melazzo: towards the
sea Stromboli and the Lipari Islands; to the N. the bay of
Gioja as far as Capo Vaticano. Seminara, destroyed in 1783,
21/.) M. to the S. E. of Palmi, was the scene of two important
conflicts. In 1495 the French army conquered that of king
Ferdinand II. under Gonsalvo da Cordova, and on April 21st,
1503, the French were conquered on nearly the same spot by
the Spaniards under Ugo de Cardona. one of Gonsalvo's most able
generals.
The road now traverses chestnut and olive plantations. affor¬
ding a succession of fine views of the sea and the coast. to
Bagnara (Loc. della Stella, tolerable accommodation for the night),
celebrated for the beauty of its women, and Scilla, J2 M. from
Palmi. the ancient Srylla. the castle of which rising on a narrow
promontory commands the town. The silk and wine produced at
Scilla enjoy a high reputation. Numerous sword-fish (pesce sputa)
are caught here in July. The castle, ome the seat of the prin¬
ces of Scilla, a branch of the Rufo family, was occupied by the
English after the battle of Maida and defended during IS months,
until 1808. against the French.
The rock of Scylta. represented in Homer's Odyssey as a
roaring and voracious sea-monster, is depicted by the poets in
conjunction with the opposite ( harybdis, on account of the dan¬
gers encountered here by mariners, as a beautiful virgin above
and a monster with the body of a wolf and tail of a dolphin be¬
neath. Of these terrors little is heard at the present day,
although the currents in the straits are still very rapid. It is,
however, now believed that the Charybdis of the ancients is by
no means exactly opposite to the whirlpool of Scylla. as the
saying '-nitidis in Scyllam, cupiens vitare Charjbdim" appears to
indicate, but without the harbour of Messina. 71/., M. from Scilla,
at the point now called Garofalo.
On the morning of Feb. 5th. 1783. an earthquake almost
entirely overthrew the town of Scilla together with the castle,
whilst the inhabitants fled to the sea. Towards evening a second
shock rent the promontory asunder and caused the sea to rise
with such impetuosity that 1500 persons perished by drowning
and the ruins of the town were laid under water.
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