Guardavalle: History, Nature and Festivals

Guardavalle combines hiking trails, churches, palazzi and festivals with distinctive historical and natural-history features. This mix will appeal to you if, while on holiday, you are not just looking for a place to stay but also want to discover the different sides of a destination in Calabria. A holiday apartment in Guardavalle can be selected according to your preferred focus: active days, architectural history, religious traditions or local specialities.

Nature and active days

ZSC IT9330108 “Dune di Guardavalle” is a protected area of particular importance for natural history. Guardavalle has the Arcadia hiking trail. The Cascate Bocca d’Assi – Elce della Vecchia (Guardavalle) route is more demanding: it is 55 kilometres long, involves 1,650 metres of ascent, is classified as difficult and takes around five hours.

Churches and historical landmarks

The Church of the Carmine contains the only intact example of a 17th-century frescoed dome in Calabria. The ruins of the unfinished St Charles Borromeo Basilica are located in the historic centre of Guardavalle. The Chiesa e Convento di Maria Assunta dates from 1568. Together, these sites offer different points of interest: an intact frescoed dome, an unfinished basilica and a church with a convent.

The noble residences and towers also bear witness to different periods of construction. Palazzo Trua was probably built in the early years of the 18th century as a second residence for the Trua notaries. Palazzo Sirleto was built between the end of the 16th century and the beginning of the 17th century and was never completed. Palazzo Criniti is considered one of the oldest noble residences in Guardavalle; the year 1492 is inscribed on the main portal. Torre Cavallara in the hamlet of Vinciarello was built in 1485 by the feudal lord Vincio Spedalieri. The Arco di Trionfo is located in Piazza del Carmine, near the Chiesa del Carmine.

Festivals, flowers and regional specialities

The feast of the patron saint Sant’Agazio is celebrated in Guardavalle on 7 May. During the Sant’Agazio procession, many flowers are brought into the church and placed on the saint; more are distributed from the balconies and arcades of the houses. The Festa di San Martino brings locally produced Novello wine and cured meats together on 11 November. The Sagra della Melanzana has been documented for more than 30 years and offers aubergine dishes, food stalls and live music.

Choose a holiday apartment in Guardavalle according to your interests

When choosing a holiday apartment in Guardavalle, you can first decide which of these aspects should shape your stay. Nature and physical activity lead to different daily plans than churches, palazzi and local history; the festivals, in turn, have their own dates and culinary highlights. This allows you to plan your holiday in Guardavalle consciously according to the experience rhythm you want.

Further destinations for planning your trip

For further travel ideas: Chiaravalle Centrale, Gagliato, Falerna Marina, Lamezia Terme, Soverato Marina, Simeri Mare, Stalettì and Decollatura.

For the higher-level travel overview: Catanzaro.