Copanello | |
|---|---|
 Copanello Lido beach | |
 Interactive map of Copanello | |
| Demonym | Stalettesi (the same as the commune it belongs to) |
Copanello or Copanello de Stalettì is afrazione (a hamlet, in Italy) of the municipality ofStalettì in the province ofCatanzaro. It's a seaside resort on theIonian coast nicknamedla perla dello Jonio catanzarese, i.e. the Pearl of theIonian Sea ofCatanzaro.[1] It is bounded to the north by the Alessi river and to the south by the Lamia torrent. Copanello itself is divided into two hamlets: Copanello Alto and Copanello Lido.
In the 14th century, Copanello was part of the estate of the Latin politician and writerCassiodorus (485–580). Around 555, he built theVivarium monastery (now in Copanello Alto) and the Chapel of San Martino. Under the name ofCoscia, it was a dependency of the town ofSquillace until the early 19th century, when it became part of the municipality ofStalettì.
From the 17th to the 19th century, Copanello belonged to the Pepe family, before becoming the property of various Italian patriots (Guglielmo Pepe,Enrico Cosenz, Damiano Assanti, Francesco Carrano, Girolamo Calà Ulloa and Camillo Boldoni), who sold it to Baron Scoppa. The territory of Copanello Lido was then inherited by the Lucifero family, whose last owner was Francesco Lucifero, while that of Copanello Alto was sold to Achille Fazzari, then to the Falcone family and finally to the Gatti family.
The first house on Copanello Lido was built in 1954, and theVillagio GuglielmoVacation Village was inaugurated in 1969.
In 1957, Giovanni Gatti opened theMotel Copanello in Copanello Alto. From the mid-1960s onwards, Copanello was home to celebrities such asFrank Sinatra,Renato Rascel,Totò,Bobby Solo,Rita Pavone,Gloria Gaynor,Gino Paoli,Raf Vallone andPeppino di Capri.
Until the mid-19th century, the western part of Copanello Lido was occupied by theCasino Pepe estate, while Copanello Alto and the Copanello Lido coastline were known asLa Coscia (due to their proximity to theCoscia de Stalettì mountain range, at the foot of which Copanello Lido was situated and on which Copanello Alto was built).La Coscia territory was located in theMarina de Squillace. The name Copanello only appeared in the early 20th century, replacingLa Coscia.[2][3][4][5]
Copanello lies at the eastern end of theisthmus of Catanzaro, in the center of theGulf of Squillace, in the area known asCosta dei Aranci (Orange Coast) orCosta dei Saraceni (Saracen Coast).[6] The locality's northern boundary with Squillace Lido (afrazione of the municipality ofSquillace) is the RiverAlessi, whose mouth is near the Hotel Club Poséidon, in Copanello Lido. Copanello's southern boundary with Santa Maria del Mare (frazione of the commune ofStalettì) is the Lamia torrent. To the southwest, it borders the village ofStalettì, while to the west, it borders the municipality ofSquillace.[7][8]
Copanello Lido lies on the coast of theGulf of Squillace, almost at sea level, at the foot of theCoscia di Stalettì orCoscia de Squillace (a Calabrian mountain also known asMons Moscius in the time ofCassiodorus and later asCoscia della baronessa), while Copanello Alto lies on theCoscia di Stalettì, overlooking theGulf of Squillace at around 100 m above sea level.[7][8][9]
The RiverAlessi (known asAmnis Pellena in the 17th century[7]) rises in the center of theisthmus of Catanzaro, in the municipality ofGirifalco, at the foot of Mount Covello, part of theSerre Calabresi. It then flows through the municipality ofVallefiorita and on to the old town ofSquillace, where it flows around the promontory before joining theGhetterello to the south of the town. The torrent then crosses the northern part of the municipality ofStalettì before emptying into theIonian Sea in theGulf of Squillace. Its mouth forms the boundary between thefrazione of Copanello, in the commune ofStalettì, and thefrazione of Squillace Lido, in the commune ofSquillace. It was here thatUlysses is said to have metNausicaa on his voyage to the land of thePhaeacians. The Alessi torrent runs for a total of 18 kilometers from its source to its mouth.[10][11][12]
In addition to theAlessi river, two other torrents run through Copanello Lido. These are theFosso della Coscia (a tributary of theAlessi that flows betweenVillagio Guglielmo and theGuglielmo Caffèroasting plant) and theFosso Gullà (a tributary of theAlessi that flows north ofCasino Pepe). TheFosso della Coscia rises north of the town ofStalettì, while theFosso Gullà begins in the area between theCasino Pepe and the town ofStalettì.[13]
Fires are fairly frequent in theCoscia deStalettì area between Copanello and the village ofStalettì.[14]
In 2009, in theCoscia de Stalettì area between Copanello Lido andStalettì, a fire threatened some homes, but was extinguished by thenational fire department.[15]
In July 2012, the Copanello Lido pine forest, which roughly corresponds to the lower western part of theCoscia de Stalettì, caught fire. An investigation followed, giving credence to the theory of arson.[14]
Copanello Alto can be reached viastate highway 106Jonica (theSS 106 Jonica), which crosses thefrazione with Copanello Lido (in this case passing under Galleria de Stalettì) to the north and Santa Maria del Mare, then Caminia to the south. The other possible access route is theStrada Provinciale 52 (Provincial Route 52), which leads from the village ofStalettì to the north of Copanello Alto, and runs alongside the neighboring frazione of Torre Elena and Lucerta.[8]
To the west of Copanello Alto, almost at the top of theCoscia di Stalettì, was another frazione now incorporated into that of Copanello, theContrada di San Martino, so named because of its proximity to the Chapel of San Martino, built byCassiodorus, although it is not directly located in the contrada.[7] In fact, the Chapel of San Martino is located in theLopilato locality, in the eastern part of Copanello Alto, almost at the foot of theCoscia di Stalettì.[16]
The Copanello Lidofrazione can be reached via two roads. The first is an exit fromEuropean route E90 which, at thefrazione, passes under an old railroad line and leads topiazza Antonio Susanna in the southern part of Copanello. Frompiazza Susanna, three parallel streets rise in a straight line to the north, forming the center of the hamlet. These three streets are (from west to east):via Lucifero,via Cassiodoro andvia Lido, which runs alongside the beach. After 200 meters,via Lucifero andvia Lido come to an end, giving way to the new residential area built since the 1990s.[8][17]
The second access road to Copanello lies to the north of thefrazione, following on fromvia Cassiodoro. It crosses a bridge over the Alessi torrent, just before its mouth, and arrives in the municipality ofSquillace, from where it is possible to take thestate highway 106Jonica.[8]
The average altitude of Copanello Lido is 9 meters.[18]
On 13 June 2014, at 1:30 am, a bomb exploded outside the entrance to theVillagio Guglielmo restaurant inPiazza Susanna. The bomb was home-made usinggunpowder and afuse. Although the explosion caused no injuries, as the 300 Russian tourists dining there had left a few hours earlier, it did cause extensive material damage to the restaurant's facade (the iron curtain, windows and lampposts were destroyed).[1]
The explosion was part of a series of Mafia intimidations directed at Daniele Rossi and Matteo Tubertini, co-presidents ofGuglielmo Caffè and owners ofVillagio Guglielmo. In August 2012, two of the company's trucks were deliberately set on fire in the parking lot of theroasting plant west of Copanello.[1][19]
TheCarabinieri of the nearby town ofSoverato were initially in charge of the investigation, before it was transferred to the Anti-Mafia Investigation Department of theProvince of Catanzaro. At the same time, Daniele Rossi hired a large number of workers, and the restaurant was completely repaired in less than a morning.[1]
Reactions to the incident were numerous, mainly from Italian center-left political figures (almost all affiliated to theDemocratic Party): Ernesto Magorno (MP and mayor ofDiamante), Enzo Bruno (president of theProvince of Catanzaro since 2014),Wanda Ferro (president of theProvince of Catanzaro from 2008 to 2014), Antonella Stasi (president of the Calabria region),Sergio Abramo (mayor ofCatanzaro),Agazio Loiero (minister from 1999 to 2001, president of the Calabria region from 2005 to 2008, senator and MP) and Mario Maiolo (vice-president of theProvince of Cosenza).[20]
One of the first to locate the land of thePhaeacians,Scheria, in the vicinity of Copanello was the Latin writer and politicianCassiodorus (485–580), who attributed the founding of the city ofSquillace toUlysses on his arrival in the land of thePhaeacians.[21]
Another hypothesis, relayed by oral tradition and based onCassiodorus' accounts, was taken up by Enzo Gatti in his bookOdisseo, published in 1975. According to Gatti,Ulysses was stranded in theGulf of Squillace, at the mouth of the riverAlessi (which today forms the border between thefrazione of Copanello Lido, in the municipality ofStalettì, and thefrazione of Squillace Lido, in the municipality ofSquillace). There, he is said to have metNausicaa, who led him to her father, KingAlcinous, who would have resided, in this case, in the center of theisthmus of Catanzaro, perhaps inTiriolo or closer to the Copanello coast.[22]
This tradition has left its mark, especially in the toponymy of the area. Thus, the coast from Copanello to Catanzaro Lido is today called, among other things,Rivière de Nausicaa. Thefrazione of Squillace Lido has named most of its streets after theUlysses, such asVia dei Feaci,Via Laerte,Via Itaca,Via Telemaco andLungomare Ulisse.[22]
A stele commemorating theVivarium monastery ofCassiodoro, the reign of thePhaeacians and the arrival ofUlysses has been erected at Copanello Alto, nearVasche de Cassiodoro.[23]
Copanello Alto may have been inhabited inprehistoric times, as testified by a statuette found in the early 20th century by farmers belonging toBaroness Elvira Marincola Cattaneo.[24]
The history of Copanello Alto fromancient times is inextricably linked with that of the Greek and Roman city ofScolacium, and later with that of the town ofSquillace. Indeed, the first to settle here was the Latin politician and writerCassiodorus (born in 485 in the nearby town ofScolacium and died in 580), who built theVivarium monastery and Chapel of San Martino in 555, as well as fishponds foraquaculture (theVasche di Cassiodoro,Vasche di Copanello or simplyVasche). Both Copanello Alto and Copanello Lido had belonged to the Cassiodoro family.[25]
At the end of the 7th century, the caves at the foot of the promontory on which Copanello Alto stands were occupied byBasilian monks andhermits from the Middle East who had fled tosouthern Italy following theiconoclastic edicts of the Byzantine EmperorLeo III the Isaurian. Among these caves isGrotta del Confinato, located in the formerbotanical garden of the museum opened by Libero Gatti in 1991.[26]
On his death around 580,Cassiodorus bequeathed his possessions, including the Vivarium monastery and thus the territory of Copanello, to the monks of theMonastère Castellense, located in Santa Maria del Mare (frazione deStalettì). The monastery remained in their possession until the 11th century, although the bishop ofSquillace attempted to seize it on several occasions, at which time it came under the control of the Benedictine Abbey of the Most Holy Trinity ofMileto, as a gift from CountRoger I of Sicily. In the 13th century, although still owned by the Abbey of Mileto, the monastery of Vivarium and the lands of Copanello became part of the town ofSquillace.[16][27][28]
In the 16th century, Copanello regularly suffered Saracen incursions, and the remains of theVivarium monastery were used as acavallara tower to protect the coast.[29]
The Copanello Lido area has been inhabited sinceNeolithic times, with an ancient village located next to the mouth of theAlessi torrent.[30]
In the 16th century, the area where Copanello Lido now stands was part ofCassiodorus' landholding, and was used for pasture and olive groves irrigated by theAlessi river.[31]
Between the 16th and 18th centuries, a road calledVia Grande (Main Street) was built to link Copanello Lido beach with the village ofStalettì. Built on the site of the ancientRoman road (also used in theMiddle Ages) that ran along theIonian coast nearCatanzaro, it was calledViarande until 1943, when it becameVia Rande and thenVia Grande. It starts to the west of Copanello Lido, behind theGuglielmo Caffèroasting plant and at the foot of theCasino Pepe, and arrives in the village ofStalettì, where it serves as the village's main street. In some places, sections of the ancient Roman road can still be seen.[3][32]
Until the end of the 18th century, the territory of Copanello Lido, known asLa Coscia or simplyCoscia, lay within the Marina de Squillace (Squillace coastline).[2][3]
Like the village ofStalettì, the lands of Copanello remained aCasale de Squillace (part of the town ofSquillace) until the early 19th century, whenNapoleon I's French seized theKingdom of Naples from 1806 to 1815. From then on,Stalettì became a commune, encompassing the lands of Copanello Alto and Copanello Lido.[33]
In the 17th century, the owner of the territory now occupied by Copanello was the Pepe deSquillace family, who also owned theCasino Pepe (also calledPalazzo Pepe because of its size,[32] it was built in the 17th century[34]), in the western part of Copanello Lido, adjacent to the Arethusa fountain mentioned byCassiodorus. In the mid-1700s, Copanello was owned bydon Giovanni Battista Pepe (b. May 1695[35]), who married the noblewoman Rosa Soriano, from whom he had Gregorio Pepe in 1740. A few years later,don Gregorio Pepe inherited his father's lands, including Copanello. In 1761, he married Irene Assanti, with whom he had 22 children, including Stefano Pepe,Knight of Malta andFlorestano, andGuglielmo Pepe, who became generals and patriots.[36]
General and patriotGuglielmo Pepe (1783–1855) inherited a quarter of the Pepe family estates, including the territory of Copanello. He stayed there several times until the age of six, but only once as an adult, in 1817,[37] to see his family, who were spending the summer there. He describes his family's property as stretching from the Alessi river to the foot of theCoscia di Stalettì, and specifies that Copanello is still called theCoscia. The land was then occupied byorange groves and pastures where some fifty cows, belonging to Ferdinand Pepe, grazed. Moreover, Guglielmo Pepe reported that the area was infested withbandits, and he himself had to surround himself with guards to ensure his safety. In 1818, theHonorable Kepell Crewe, brother of the Lord ofCrewe, made a trip to Copanello Lido on Pepe land.Crewe drew on this experience for a book published in London in 1820.[38]
In June 1851,Guglielmo Pepe donated the territory of Copanello (then called laCoscia) to his former soldiers and fr iends: politicianEnrico Cosenz (1820–1898), Pepe's cousin Damiano Assanti (1809–1894), Francesco Carrano (1815–1890), Girolamo Calà Ulloa (1810–1891) and Camillo Boldoni (1815–1898).[2][39] Gradually, Damiano Assanti and his brother Cosmo Assanti came to own the entire donation from Guglielmo Pepe. On 4 April 1854, they sold it to Baron Giuseppe Scoppa (1794–1857) for 53,500 ducats, although the latter was unable to pay the full amount, which led to two lawsuits between Scoppa's descendants and the Assanti-Pepe family, one in 1866 and the other in 1873.[40]
Giuseppe Scoppa, now master of Copanello, married Saveria Greco, with whom he had several daughters, including the futureBaroness Enrichetta Scoppa, Luisa Scoppa and Alfonsa Scoppa. On her death in 1857, Enrichetta Scoppa (1831–1910) became the last heiress of the Scoppa family. She thus gave her name to the promontory on which Copanello Alto now stands, theCoscia di Stalettì, also known asCoscia della baronnessa (Baroness's Thigh). In the mid-1860s, she sold the territory of Copanello Alto to Achille Fazzari, then bequeathed the remainder, i.e. today's Copanello Lido, to her niece Antonietta Enrichetta di Francia (daughter of Marquis Francesco di Francia ofSanta Caterina dello Ionio and his sister Alfonsa Scoppa), future wife of Armando Lucifero.[41][42]
In the 1880s, more celebrities such as French novelist Anne Levinck visited Copanello, thenLa Coscia, following in the footsteps ofCassiodorus and generalGuglielmo Pepe. The latter visited the area on numerous occasions, and drew on this experience for an article entitledEn Calabre, published in 1889 in the Geography Magazine.[43]
In the 1860s, colonel and deputy Achille Fazzari, a native ofStalettì, purchased the remains of theVivarium monastery in Copanello Alto fromBaroness Enrichetta Scoppa and transformed it. He added twowings to the building and threecourtyards, where he built large machines forextracting olive oil. Indeed, Achille Fazzari had been trading olive oil in association with Nicola Cricelli. The bottles were then transported toCatanzaro Lido, from where they were shipped bysteamboat toTrieste, then part of theAustrian Empire.[44] After a few years, the emergence of industrial olive oil factories rendered the plant totally useless. Fazzari called onFlorentine architect Federico Andreotti (who had already built thePalazzo Fazzari in Catanzaro between 1870 and 1874) to transform the building into a summer residence for himself and his family, theCasa Fazzari.[29][45]
In 1868, Achille Fazzari joined forces with Luigi Caruso andMenotti Garibaldi to supervise the construction of a tunnel through theCoscia di Stalettì: theGalleria di Stalettì.[46] This tunnel linked Copanello Alto (and thus the towns ofStalettì,Montauro and the entire coast to the south) to the territory of today's Copanello Lido (from where the road led toSquillace andCatanzaro). This tunnel, which is still in use today and through which thestate highway 106Jonica passes, had been built on land belonging to the Fazzari, and compensation was paid to him the following year.[47][48][49]
In 1882,Giuseppe Garibaldi spent a night at Achille Fazzari's house. On the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of Achille Fazzari's death, a stele was erected to commemorate this visit.[29][45] Achille Fazzari died on the night of 19 and 20 November 1910, in the same house in Copanello Alto.[50] At the time, the Fazzari family owned the entire promontory on which Copanello Alto now stands.[29]
In 1897, the English writerGeorge Gissing (1857–1903) travelled to theIonian coast in search of the sites of ancientMagna Graecia, from which he drew a novel, By theIonian Sea, published in 1901, in which the Copanello territory is mentioned in the chapter on the town ofSquillace andCassiodorus.[51]
In 1927, Achille Fazzari's descendants sold the territory of Copanello Alto to Giuseppe Falcone (a piazza was named in his honor, thePiazzetta Giuseppe Falcone), who marriedBaroness Elvira Marincola Cattaneo in 1929 (the latter was Mayor ofStalettì from 1955 to 1964). In 1935,Giuseppe Falcone died, leaving his entire estate, including Copanello Alto, to his son (whom he had inherited fromBaroness Marincola Cattaneo in 1930), Giovanni II Falcone. In 1937, Baroness Elvira Marincola Cattaneo remarried Giovanni Gatti, ananarchist political exile fromModena, and they had a son, Libero Gatti.[29][45]
By the end of the 1930s, the hamlet of Copanello Alto comprised seven houses, includingCasa Falcone (formerlyCasa Fazzari), while Copanello Lido was still uninhabited. In 1938, the French historianPierre Courcelle rediscovered the remains of the Chapel of San Martino on the Falcone family estate, and deduced that the site of theVivarium monastery ofCassiodorus should be on the site of what was thenCasa Falcone (formerlyCasa Fazzari).[7]
During theWorld War II, numerous small and medium-sizedbunkers were built byNazi Germany andFascist Italy.[33][52]
In 1953, Giovanni II Falcone died, andCasa Falcone and the lands of Copanello Alto reverted to his mother, Baroness Elvira Marincola Cattaneo. Four years later, in 1957, Giovanni Gatti, the Baroness's husband, transformedCasa Falcone into a hotel: theMotel Copanello. The Motel was the first hotel to open along the entire ItalianIonian coast, fromReggio Calabria toTaranto. By 1960, the hotel had 10 rooms, and in 1969, a further 30 rooms were opened.[29]
From then on, the influence of theMotel Copanello led others to settle and invest in Copanello Alto and, in 1964, another hotel was opened: theHotel Conca d'oro (with 30 rooms).[53]
In the 1960s and 1970s, many celebrities stayed at theMotel Copanello. These included: Erminio Macario, actor and singerRenato Rascel, actorTotò, singer and composerBobby Solo, singer Mal Ryder, singer and actressRita Pavone and songwriterPeppino di Capri.[29]
Libero Gatti, son of Baroness Elvira Marincola Cattaneo, inherited theMotel Copanello on his mother's death in 1970. In 1982, the hotel was awarded4-star status, but closed in 1985. At the end of the 1980s, the ex-hotel building housed a small archaeological museum for a few years, and in 1991, Libero Gatti opened the Libero Gatti Naturalist Museum (Museo Naturalistico Libero Gatti in Italian), featuring a collection of numerous shellfish and a smallbotanical garden. In 2011, Libero Gatti died and the museum closed.[18][29]
In 1910, Armando Lucifero and his wife Antonietta Enrichetta di Francia took possession of theCasino Pepe and Copanello Lido from the Marquis Lucifero family ofCrotone. Whereas the Pepes had allowed archaeologists to excavate on their land (such asFrançois Lenormant, who in the 1880s had researched theVivarium monastery), the Luciferos were opposed to such research. Armando Lucifero remained owner of Copanello Lido until his death in 1933.[3] He had several sons, including the ministerFalcone Lucifero and Antonio Arduino Lucifero, the eldest, who inherited his father's lands and bequeathed them to his son Francesco Lucifero (born 1934).[54]
The Lucifero family continued to own a large part ofCoscia di Stalettì,[55] as well as the area currently occupied by Copanello Lido, which was still uninhabited at the time.[7]
Around 1950,Marquis Antonio Susanna agreed with Francesco Lucifero to create aseaside resort. In 1954, Domenico Muscolo, a nephew of the writerFilippo De Nobili (who himself often vacationed at Copanello Lido with his friend Filippo Marincola of theDuke ofPetrizzi family[56]), bought a plot of land from Francesco Lucifero and built Copanello Lido's first house,Casa Muscolo, also known asCasa del Pesce, while Susanna bought several plots of land around it. The first houses in the village form ablock between today'sVia Cassiodoro andVia Lido.[57][58]
At the end of the 1950s, aCatanzaro Lido entrepreneur built beach cabins on the site of today'sLido di Guglielmo, laying the foundations for the futureRotonda. Around 1960, Guglielmo Papaleo (founder of theGuglielmo Caffè company in 1943) took over the construction site and began building theVillagio Guglielmo, which opened in 1969.[59]
In the 1970s, Papaleo, who already owned theVillagio Guglielmo as well as theRotonda and the beach in front of it, which took the name ofLido di Guglielmo, bought several plots of land and built restaurants and nightclubs including theRendez-vous, theHamilton, theRebus (a nightclub in the nearbyfrazione of Santa Maria del Mare), theBilbò and theBlu70.[60][61]
In 1972, theGuglielmo Caffèroasting plant (previously in Catanzaro) was inaugurated, construction having begun in 1968. The coffee produced at Copanello Lido by this brand is now sold in 9 countries (Italy, the US, Portugal, Belgium, Germany, the Czech Republic, South Korea, Switzerland and Latvia), and is now managed by the son-in-law and nephews of company founder Guglielmo Papaleo: Roberto Volpi, Daniele Rossi and Matteo Tubertini.[62]
From 1972, when Copanello Lido consisted only of the original 3 houses and theVillagio Guglielmo, Guglielmo Papaleo built and resold several house complexes, which later formed the oldest part of Copanello Lido. He was followed by other owners fromCatanzaro, who also bought land from Francesco Lucifero and built houses on it.[61]
At the end of the 1970s, Copanello Lido was home to such celebrities asGloria Gaynor, Franco Califano,Gino Paoli, Rocky Roberts,Rita Pavone andFrank Sinatra, as well as actorRaf Vallone (1916–2002).[60]
In the early 1980s, a large 15,000 m2reinforced concrete, nicknamed theEcomostro, was built on the side of the Coscia de Stalettì in Copanello Lido. It consisted of four buildings: two 6-storey, one 5-storey and one 9-storey. In 1987, the first request for demolition was made, but it was not until twenty years later that it was accepted. TheEcomostro was demolished on 16 January 2007, in the presence of Environment MinisterAlfonso Pecoraro Scanio, after the demolition order had been issued in 2006. This action was welcomed by theWWF andCalabrianenvironmentalists, who also called for the destruction of several otherecomostri (ecological monsters) located in theprovinces of Crotone,Cosenza andVibo Valentia.[63][64][65]
In addition toVillagio Guglielmo, several other hotels now exist in Copanello Lido:Hotel Club Poseidon,Villagio Club Cala Verde andHotel Il Gabbiano.[66][67][68]
Copanello Alto was home to the Libero Gatti Naturalist Museum (formerly theMotel Copanello), which included a collection of over 1,000 shells ranging from those measuring over a metre (for the largest) to those barely a millimetre long.[69] Outside the museum was a smallbotanical garden featuring many varieties ofMediterranean flora, as well as a pine forest.[18] The museum closed in 2011 following the death of its owner, Libero Gatti.[29]
There is one hotel in Copanello Alto, theHotel Conca d'oro, which has been open since 1964. It is located atVia Conca d'Oro 1, just off thestate highway 106Jonica, and has 30 rooms.[53]
Adjacent to the former Libero Gatti Naturalist Museum,Le Terrazze restaurant overlooksPiazza Giovanni Falcone, and today belongs to the Marincola family.[70]
Along Route Provinciale 52 towards the village ofStalettì is the Hotel Residence Copanello.[71]
AtPiazzale Marincola no. 9 is the Hotel Hamilton House, overlooking theVasche di Cassiodoro on the east side. Inside the hotel is the Luna Restaurant.[72]
Copanello Lido has a small train station. It is on lines 397-A (Catanzaro toCatanzaro viaSquillace andGirifalco), 400-A (Gasperina toCatanzaro) and 400-B (Gasperina toCatanzaro).[73]
Copanello Lido boasts a number of resorts:
Copanello Lido has its ownpharmacy,Dispensario Marino Giuseppe, inpiazza Antonio Susanna, oppositeVillagio Guglielmo.[75]
Via Lido is also home to aCarabinieri logistical and operational base, as well as anItalian National Police bathing center, each with its own private beach.[76][77]
In 1972, theGuglielmo Caffè roasting plant (previously inCatanzaro) was inaugurated, construction of which had begun in 1968. The coffee produced in Copanello Lido by this brand is now sold in 9 countries (Italy, the United States, Portugal, Belgium, Germany, the Czech Republic, South Korea, Switzerland and Latvia), and is now managed by the son-in-law and nephews of company founder Guglielmo Papaleo: Roberto Volpi, Daniele Rossi and Matteo Tubertini.[62]
Close to theGuglielmo Caffè roasting plant and theCasino Pepe is an old, abandoned cement works, consisting of two towers, which once belonged to the Calcementi Calabri company.[78] The plant's last owner was Stefano Siracusa, head of Italtractor insouthern Italy, who had bought it from Zoppas of Pordenone. His plan was to demolish the Copanello cement works and build aVacation Village, but his idea was rejected by the municipality ofStalettì.[79]
In 1986, the Sansone family (anoble Sicilian family who once held the title ofDuke[80]) opened ajewelry store in Copanello Lido, specializing in the sale ofcoraljewelry: theAnna dei Coralli jewelry store.[81]
Copanello Lido has a small train station. It is on lines 389 (Catanzaro toSoverato Marina), 401-B (Soverato toPalermiti) and 403-A (Chiaravalle Centrale toCatanzaro).[73]
Copanello's gastronomic heritage is shared with that of the commune ofStalettì.[32]
These includescilatelle (a pasta similar to Ligurian trofie), wild fennel pasta andbroccoli pasta.[32]
Meat dishes also feature prominently, with eggs withfrisulimiti (frisulimitisareCalabrian pig pies) and′nduja vajanata (a type of piquantsausage made only in theStalettì area).[32]
Pastries are also part of the commune's typical diet, withzeppole (fried egg pastry withamarena, chocolate orcustard) andcuzzupe (flaky pastry with hard-boiled eggs embedded in it).[32]
A number of popular and religious festivals are held in Copanello and the commune ofStalettì. The main one is the Feast of San Gregorio, in honor of Stalettì's patron saint,Gregory Thaumaturgus, who is celebrated every year on 13 May and 17 November. The feast consists of a procession in which the statue of San Gregorio is carried from the Convent of Stalettì to Copanello Lido, before being taken by sea to the nearby frazione of Caminia.St. Roch de Montpellier, known asSan Rocco in Italian, is the co-patron saint of the commune and is celebrated on 16 August during the feast of San Rocco, which consists of a religious procession through the streets ofStalettì.[32][82]
TheBallo del Ciuccio is held inStalettì every year on 15 August the day before San Rocco's feast, while theFiera di San Gregorio, afair in honor of the patron saint, is held from 15 to 17 November.[32]
Since 2011, the "Guglielmo Papaleo" Boxing Trophy (Italian:Trofeo di Pugilato "Guglielmo Papaleo") has been held annually in Copanello Lido. This is an inter-regional men's and women'sAmerican boxing event on theRotonda (owned by theGuglielmo Caffè company), created byGuglielmo Caffè entrepreneur Daniele Rossi in honour of his grandfather, the company's founder.[83]
The 1st "Guglielmo Papaleo" Boxing Trophy takes place on 29 August 2011 at around 9 pm. Boxers fromCalabria, Apulia andSicily compete.[84]
The 2nd "Guglielmo Papaleo" Boxing Trophy takes place on 29 July 2012. It featured boxers fromCalabria (Catanzaro,Lamezia Terme,Cropani,Chiaravalle Centrale,Montepaone andSan Vito sullo Ionio),Apulia andSardinia.[85]
The 3rd "Guglielmo Papaleo" Boxing Trophy takes place on 5 August 2013. Boxers fromCalabria, Campania andSicily competed.[86]
The 4th "Guglielmo Papaleo" Boxing Trophy takes place on 27 July 2014. Boxers fromCalabria (Catanzaro,Lamezia Terme andCropani),Naples,Taranto andBari compete. For the first time in the Trophy's history, a boxer of international renown is invited: boxerPatrizio Oliva,Olympic boxing champion in Moscow in 1980.[87][88]
The 5th "Guglielmo Papaleo" Boxing Trophy takes place on 26 July 2015. It features boxers fromCalabria (Catanzaro,Reggio Calabria andCrotone),Lazio, Campania (Naples),Apulia (Taranto) andSicily (Catania). This year's special guest isClemente Russo, twiceworld boxing champion (in 2007 and 2013), who takes to the ring alongside Daniele Rossi as well as the mayor ofStalettì, Concetta Stanizzi, and the mayor ofSoverato, Ernesto Alecci.[83][89]
The Alessi river mouth ecosystem includes numerous species ofamphibians (frogs andtoads),rodents (mainlymyomorphs:mice and rats) and insects (dragonflies,flies,mosquitoes,bees andwasps). The Alessi's water surface is also home towater striders andduckweed.[90]
Cane plantations andraspberries occupy a large part of Copanello's territory. These provide protection for water birds such askingfishers and ducks. The local fauna also includes frogs,toads, lizards (especiallypodarcis sicula),flathead grey mullets anddragonflies, as well as various bird species such ascrows,Turtle Doves,grey wagtails andgulls, and bats.[91]
The beach is home to varioushalophilic organisms (organisms that thrive in high salt concentrations), such assea holly,sea daffodil,tamarisk,sea fennel andsalsola.[91]
The western part of Copanello Lido is occupied by numerousolive groves, while the area around Copanello Alto and south-west of Copanello Lido comprises rocky terrain on which various types ofconifers grow.[14][90]
Throughout most of Copanello, several species ofcactus and prickly pear are also present, as are numerous oleanders.[90]
The Copanelloreef (Italian:Scogliera di Copanello) starts south of Copanello Lido beach, at the end ofLido Guglielmo (this part of the reef is called Punta Cardillo).[92] It runs along most of the coastline of the municipality ofStalettì, ending after theGrotta di San Gregorio in the Caminiafrazione. It passes at the foot of theCoscia di Stalettì, below Copanello Alto, where theVasche di Cassiodoro are located.[93] The reef is composed mainly ofigneous andmetamorphic rock.[94]
At the end of theWorld War II, surveyor Giovanni Gatti took part, on behalf of theGuglielmo Caffè company and the Provincial Tourism Organization, in the construction on the reef of theRotonda at Copanello Lido and aski jump, now destroyed. At the time, a concrete path linkedVasche di Cassiodoro to Copanello Lido.[95]
Just over a kilometer from theVasche di Cassiodoro, opposite thefrazione di Caminia and the Copanello reef, lies the 13-metre-high rockLa Pietra Grande (Scoglio la Pietra Grande in Italian).[96] For two years running, this rock has been the venue for the World High Diving Championships.[97]
TheVivarium monastery was a Calabrian monastery founded between 535 and 555 byCassiodorus. It owes its name to thefishponds (today known asVasche di Cassiodoro) that the founder had built at the foot of the monastery. In addition to the main building, which included a library, the monastery was adjoined by a church called Chapel of San Martino (Capella di San Martino in Italian).[25]
As early as the 1880s, archaeologistFrançois Lenormant had located theVivarium monastery in the area between the town ofStalettì and the sea, around Copanello Alto. In fact,Cassiodorus described his monastery as being located in a steep, rocky area, which made it impossible to locate it between the mouth of the Alessi river and Catanzaro Lido, since the coast there consisted of nothing more than a long sandy beach. The only likely location was therefore theStalettì coastline.[98]
In 1938, French historianPierre Courcelle discovered the remains of an ancient early Christian chapel at Copanello Alto. He surmised that this might be the Chapel of San Martino, the only surviving vestige of early Christian art in Calabria, which adjoined theVivarium monastery built byCassiodorus between 535 and 555.[99][100][101] He also speculates that theVivarium Monastery was located on the site of what was then Casa Falcone (formerlyCasa Fazzari and laterMotel Copanello before becoming the Libero Gatti Naturalist Museum).[7]
The Chapel of San Martino is a small building comprising anave ending in a three-lobed apse (an apse with a lobe on each side except the one where it is in contact with the nave) adjoining atrapezoidal room containing a sarcophagus with inscriptions inancient Greek, long mistaken for the tomb ofCassiodorus.[102]
TheVasche di Cassiodoro orVasche di Copanello are an ancient Romanaquaculture site located on the seafront at the foot of Copanello Alto. They can be reached by a path leading down from Copanello Alto or by another path, now in poor condition, running along the coast from Copanello Lido. Built byCassiodorus in the 2nd century asfishponds, they consist of three natural basins side by side. They vary in size from 10 to 12 meters long, 4 to 5 meters wide and between 1.50 and 2.50 meters deep on average. It was withPierre Courcelle that theVasche di Cassiodoro were definitively recognized asCassiodorus's fishponds, as they had previously been located in the vicinity of the Grotte di San Gregorio, in thefrazione de Caminia di Stalettì.[103]
The Arethusa Fountain (Italian:Fonte Arethusa) is awater source formerly located onCassiodorus' land. Its existence has come down to us thanks to a letter sent byCassiodorus, on behalf of KingAthalaric, to Severus, corrector ofLucania andBruttium, in which he complains about peasants having stolen horses from an important traveler named Nymphadius.[104] In the 1930s, French historianPierre Courcelle located the fountain on the site of today'sFontana di Cassiodoro (Cassiodorus Fountain), adjacent to theCasino Pepe, in the western part of Copanello Lido, near the ancient RomanVia Grande. The fountain no longer has its original appearance, having been transformed into a rustic monument in the 17th century.[34]
38°46′06″N16°33′59″E / 38.76833°N 16.56639°E /38.76833; 16.56639