Holiday apartment in Oliveto: Churches, olive groves and hiking trails

Oliveto between history and landscape

Oliveto can be explored through several specific themes: ecclesiastical history, the memory of former olive groves, regional wine connections and hiking trails. If you choose a holiday apartment in Oliveto, you can use these focal points to help plan your days – from historical topics to active excursions. The juxtaposition of local history and landscape is particularly interesting.

Churches and local history

The Chiesa di San Pietro in Contrada Paterriti in the Frazione Oliveto is a church with a subsidiary function. The Congrega Maria SS. del Monte Carmelo is associated with Oliveto under the postcode 89134. The parish of Oliveto was canonically established by a decree dated 6 August 1789; until the Second World War, official parish documents referred to the place as Valanidi Inferiore. The former church contained a high altar dedicated to the Madonna della Consolazione. The earthquake of 28 December 1908 destroyed the church of Oliveto.

Olive groves and wine connections

The name Oliveto is probably derived from the dialect forms “livi” for olive and “livitu” for olive grove. The early settlement history also points to this motif: the first settlement of Oliveto lay between the Vallone Cilea (O Srittu) and the banks of the stream; at that time, this area was rich in olive trees. Oliveto is also located in the area where the red wine Pellaro may be produced as an IGT wine. For those interested in wine, this creates an additional regional connection for planning the trip.

Hiking trails and Monte Pettodoro

One hiking route passes through numerous olive groves, offers particularly expansive views of the Fiumara Valanidi valley, crosses the Fiumara that separates the territories of the municipalities of Motta San Giovanni and Reggio Calabria, and then returns to Oliveto. A type E circular hike leads from the Oliveto district to the Castello di Sant'Aniceto in the municipality of Motta San Giovanni. In 1933, a monumental cross, a Calvario, was erected on Monte Pettodoro on the initiative of the parish priest Felice Lopresti and the people of Oliveto. This provides different route options for planning the day, connecting olive groves, valley views, local history and a historic destination.

Religious and cultural connections

The community of Oliveto took part in a pilgrimage dedicated to the Madonna della Consolazione. During a festival in honour of the Madonna del Carmine, the group Etnosound performed as part of its live tour in the square in front of the Maria Santissima della Consolazione church in Oliveto. The Allegria Festival 2022 was conceived as an annual cultural project within the municipal and metropolitan cultural sphere. These connections complement the church and landscape themes with community and cultural occasions.

Choosing a holiday apartment in Oliveto

When choosing a holiday apartment or holiday home in Oliveto, you can put your preferred focus for the trip first. The churches, the parish, the former name of the town and the Calvario suggest a focus on cultural and religious history; the olive groves, the wine connection and the hiking trails support a more landscape-oriented plan. For families with different interests, this distinction can help structure shared days in a varied way.

For further travel ideas, you can also include Reggio Di Calabria, Varapodio, Brancaleone Superiore, Tritanti, Pentidattilo, Ardore Marina, Ferruzzano and Pozzi in your plans.

For the overarching travel overview: Reggio Calabria.