The ancient city of Kroton was founded, on advice of the oracle of Delphi, by a group of Achaean colonists at the end of the 8th century B.C. (709-708 B.C.), on a wide promontory looming above the sea. Rising up on the site of the ancient Greek acropolis, the historical center of Crotone was enclosed by 16th-century walls which today are still partly intact. Just outside and connected to these, is the castle, an imposing construction of a quadrangular plan, with cylindrical donjons and pentagonal bastions. In 1541 the castle was re-built in its current form in defense of the Saracen invasions. The lay-out of the medieval hamlet of Crotone has been preserved in the small streets rising radially to the fort in a maze of narrow lanes and closed alleys, with frequent overhead passageways heightening the fascination. Of the numerous and successive dominations (Aragonese, Swabian and Spanish), the predominant stylistic imprint appears to be that left during the 16th century by the Spanish viceroyalty, seen in the visible use of blond sandstone, in the arched balconies and in the light loggias of homes. Strolling through the hamlet of Crotone it is possible to admire many noble palaces of the Baroque epoch and several churches; standing out among these is the Duomo (cathedral), its original structure dating back to the 9th century. During the 16th century the cathedral underwent a complete reconstruction. Absolutely not to be missed is a visit to the Archaeological Museum of Crotone. Here precious findings bear witness, still today, to the splendor and sophistication this city of Magna Grecia reached in the classical epoch, mainly in the goldsmith's art, for which, still today, Crotone artisans are famous. www.riservamarinacaporizzuto.it/2211/IT/geostoria/comuni.asp Comune di Crotone, official site www.comune.crotone.it Crotone Harbour www.portodicrotone.it Informations about Crotone www.comune.crotone.it/turismo_e_cultura www.crotone.com www.crotone1.net www.crotoneturismo.it www.turista.it/cerca/pages/Calabria/Crotone

Just 11 kilometers south of Crotone it is possible to visit the interesting Archaeological Park of Capo Colonna, with the ruins of Heraion, one of the most important and venerated religious centers of Magna Grecia. The low but rocky promontory of Capo Lacinio, the extreme western point of the Calabrian region, has, since pre-Hellenic times, been considered a sacred and inviolable site, as well as a strategic navigational reference point. Here a sanctuary was founded around the 6th century B.C., dedicated to the goddess Hera Lacinia, the Latin Juno, protector of women and fertility. Furthermore, this spot is often mentioned in ancient sources as a place where sailors sought shelter and relief. Today all that has remained of the grandiose rectangular and hexastyle temple is a single marble column with Doric capital, more than 8 meters tall, resting on a partially preserved formidable base, or stylobate. In addition to the mighty enclosure wall (temenos), it is possible to visit the ruins of numerous other scared areas and buildings, which attest to a frequentation of the site up until the height of the Roman era. Discovered north of the temple, Edifice B has a rectangular plan. It is believed to be the most ancient of the cult edifices, with material dating back to the first half of the 8th century B.C. Nearby the sacred road was uncovered, 8.50 m wide and roughly 58 m long. Two structures dating back, instead, to the 4th century B.C. are: Edifice H or the Hestiatorion, of a square plan, place of shelter and relief for voyagers and priests; and Edifice K or the Katagogion, a Doric order portico used for welcoming guests of honor. To the east of the Katagogion emerge the ruins of a rectangular structure, most likely a cistern of Roman times belonging to a Roman balneum. Also preserved within the park is the tower of Nao, a 16th-century defensive structure housing the Antiquarium by the same name, which preserves an important collection of archaeological findings discovered both in the stretch of sea just off the coast of Crotone and in the area of the Lacinio promontory. The Archaeological Park of Capo Colonna http://www.calabriaturistica.it/calabria-parchi-archeologici/parco-archeologico.asp?id=capo-colonna-capo-colonna; http://www.riservamarinacaporizzuto.it/2211/IT/geostoria/capo_colonna.asp. Informations about Crotone www.comune.crotone.it/turismo_e_cultura www.crotone.com www.crotone1.net www.crotoneturismo.it www.turista.it/cerca/pages/Calabria/Crotone Crotone Harbour www.portodicrotone.it