Capo Colonna Archaeological Park
The Capo Colonna Archaeological Park is only 10 kilometers south of Crotone and just under 2 hours from where I live in Cosenza. It is a great place to consider for a day trip when travelling in Calabria, especially if you love ancient Greek and Roman history.
Capo Colonna is an important historical site when it comes to the civilizations that once called this area home. The park, which sits at the tip of this peninsula, extends over 50 hectares of land. I mean, it’s big!
And, for those of you, like me, who aren’t great with measurements, I did a quick search online to help put that number into perspective. Imagine a soccer field. Now, imagine 70 soccer fields. Well, that’s pretty much how massive this area is!
So, let’s take a look at all there is to see at the Capo Colonna Archaeological Park!
Capo Colonna Archaeological Museum
The Museum is located at the entrance of the Archaeological Park. I would recommend stopping into the museum first because it will give you a bit of history of the area. Within the large structure are various artifacts that have been uncovered over the years. There are three different sections devoted to the evolution of this area. Admission is free, so it doesn’t hurt to check it out! If you are interested in learning more about this museum, I’ve written about it in more detail here!
Roman Settlement
There is still so much that hasn’t been uncovered in this area of the park yet! As a matter of fact, it was during the excavations that took place between 1983 and 2003, that archaeologists found some important remains from the Roman settlement. From these discoveries, they were able to begin reconstructing what this colony would have looked like.
The Romans established their settlement in Capo Colonna in around 194 B.C. At the time, there was only the sanctuary dedicated to the goddess Hera. The colony was mainly agricultural, but it also had the added responsibility of controlling the coast. Like most Roman settlements, there was a wall that surrounded the city. The temple sat within the fortified walls.
Nao Tower
This 16th century fortified tower sits on the remains of the Roman settlement on the northeast corner of Capo Colonna. The structure of the tower is intriguing.
The lower part of the tower has slanted walls and no windows. And, the only way to access the tower is from a staircase that leads you to the upper part of the tower via a drawbridge.
Sanctuary of Madonna del Capo Colonna
This small church dedicated to the Madonna del Capo Colonna stands near the sea next to the Tower. The intricate bronze doors welcome you into the shrine built around the 11th or 12th century. This religious site was once home to a Syrian-Byzantine-style painting dating back to the 1400s.
If you look above the altar, you can see a hand-painted replica of the Madonna del Capo Colonna. The original can be found in the Crotone Cathedral. You’ll also notice the vaulted ceiling created using cylindrical terracotta pieces.
The church itself is very simple. A flood caused one of the rooms of this church to collapse revealing an ancient Roman furnace underneath. Gaze down at the mosaic decoration on the floor, although not part of the original church, it’s quite pretty!
The Last Standing Column of Hera’s Temple
Sitting tall and proud on the banks of the peninsula is this column. The temple built in honor of the goddess Hera in 6th century B.C was made up of 36 columns and this one is the last one still standing.
That’s pretty remarkable when you think of about. The column stands at about 8.35 meters in height and at the moment you can only observe it from afar. The sea crashing up against the land has caused it to erode over time and for safety reasons the path leading closer to the column has been blocked off. It’s still worth seeing though!
Location:
Via Hera Lacinia
Crotone, KR 88900
FYI: As of this time, there are no direct buses or trains to the park or museum. Plan to have a driver or rent a car to get there.
Park Admission and Hours of Operation:
Admission:
FREE
Hours of Operation:
Park:
Tuesday to Sunday
9:00am – 7:30pm
Monday CLOSED
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Comments are closed.
Luna S
January 31, 2020 at 5:14 pmWow I love how much history is packed into this park, and it is amazing they still haven’t found everything yet. Seeing those ruins left before is so neat!
LuLu
February 1, 2020 at 8:34 amDefinitely! These kinds of things absolutely fascinate me!
Debra Roberts
January 31, 2020 at 4:16 pmWhat a cool life you are living! I envy people who have the guts to up and move to a faraway place. It’s so gray here right now, I’m ready to jump ship and join you!
LuLu
February 1, 2020 at 8:35 amThanks, Debra! 🙂 It was definitely a life-changing experience! And although things aren’t always easy here as an expat, there are so many great things about living here too – places like Capo Colonna for instance!
Dreams Abroad
January 31, 2020 at 4:12 pmWhen I hear the word Archaeological something will interesting will always pop up. It seems like your travels to Capo Colonna was well worth it. How these buildings were built always amazes me. Also, the fact they are still standing is a world of wonder. Thanks for sharing.
LuLu
February 1, 2020 at 8:37 amThanks for stopping in and reading about this interesting and important Calabrian archaeological site! It always fascinates me how these buildings are still standing, especially after the numerous earthquakes here that destroyed whole villages! The Greeks and Romans really knew what they were doing when it came to building!
Lyanna Soria
January 31, 2020 at 10:43 amThat sounds like a great place to visit someday. This is something our family would love to explore and learn something new.
Subhashish Roy
January 31, 2020 at 8:11 amRoman settlements and their history have always fascinated me. I am in awe of this archaeological park. What a wonderful place to be in and experience.
LuLu
January 31, 2020 at 8:42 amThanks, Roy! I love history and ancient civilizations. I’m grateful that there are so many interesting places like this near my home! You’d be surprised how many ancient Roman settlements still exist in Calabria and other parts of Italy.
Lene Andersen
January 30, 2020 at 5:33 pmThank is a much for another great trip into archaeology — I always look forward to your posts. That floor mosaic is just breathtakingly beautiful. Imagine walking on something like that every day of your life.
LuLu
January 31, 2020 at 8:39 amThank you so much, Lene! I’m so thrilled you are enjoying my posts! I can’t wait to introduce you to more interesting places here in Calabria!
Britt Kascjak
January 30, 2020 at 2:24 pmThis is absolutely fascinating. I’ve never been there before but the idea of archaeological sites and the secrets that they reveal about the past have always fascinated me. I find myself thinking about how people built some of these massive structures without modern technology on their side, and that leaves me in total awe! Just look at the column from Hera’s temple, for example. That’s such an incredible feat!
LuLu
January 31, 2020 at 8:38 amI know exactly what you mean! I’m always fascinated by how they managed to build these massive and intricate structures! And many are still standing all these years later!
Lyosha
January 30, 2020 at 2:05 pmLooks like a lovely place to explore! i would so visit it as well, looks like fun!
Thuy
January 29, 2020 at 9:03 pmThe mosaic work on Hera’s temple is gorgeous, I’d definitely want to visit someday
LuLu
January 31, 2020 at 8:36 amYes, the mosaic is lovely, but it’s actually in the small church that you can find near the remains of the temple.
Kileen
January 29, 2020 at 7:06 amIt looks like such a beautiful archaeological park, definitely have to visit someday and check it out for myself!
Kileen
cute & little
Kelly Martin
January 29, 2020 at 12:45 amRoman history is really interesting and I love hearing about the history of the places you visit. Capo Colonna archaeological museum would be a great place to explore.
Scott DeNicola
January 28, 2020 at 8:32 pmCapo Colonna Archaeological Park is extremely interesting to me as I am fascinated with “ancient times and civilizations”. The fact that these settlements were built so long ago with crude tools and no machinery is incredible. The old church as well. Such intricacies in the building of these structures. And that old column dating so far back. I wonder if any of the structures we have now will stand the test of time the way these have after so many years. I love the ocean views as well.
LuLu
January 29, 2020 at 8:08 amCapo Colonna is definitely worth a visit when traveling in Calabria, it makes for a great day trip! The column is so incredible that it has withstood the elements all these years. The sea is slowing eating away at the coastline so I hope they take measures to protect this important monument! I’ve also recently discovered that you can even do scuba-diving in Capo Colonna – where you can see a sunken ship!
Emily
January 28, 2020 at 8:08 pmI’ve never heard of this, but it looks amazing! That mosaic is gorgeous! I’ll definitely check it out if I’m ever in the region.
Despite Pain
January 28, 2020 at 4:11 pmThis is another lovely post. It’s so interesting learning about the history and archaeological finds. But, I have to say the I am in love with the mosaic-tiled floor. It’s so beautiful.
LuLu
January 29, 2020 at 8:04 amThanks, Elizabeth! 🙂 Yes, the mosaic in the church is such a lovely touch! I’m always so impressed with mosaics!
John and Susan Pazera
January 27, 2020 at 3:21 pmGreat information! Well written.
LuLu
January 28, 2020 at 9:11 amGrazie mille, thanks so much! 🙂
KareninCalabria
January 26, 2020 at 6:15 pmVery nice post of a very nice area, and you got some great pictures. Love the blue sky and green door of the sanctuary!
LuLu
January 28, 2020 at 9:02 amThanks so much, Karen! The sky was incredible that day, it made up for the crazy wind! 😛 It was nice to go back and revisit the Archaeological Park in Capo Colonna. I hope it continues to grow as more discoveries are unearthed.