Where in the World?

Question: What picturesque coastal town was named for a legendary sea creature that threatened to swallow Odysseus?

Answer: Scilla, Italy.

You might say that Scilla is the stuff of legends. An enchanting fishing village set along the Calabrian coast at the tip of the toe of the Italian boot, Scilla (pronounced Shee-la) was named for Scylla, a six-headed monster who guarded the Strait of Messina, the channel separating Sicily from mainland Italy. At least that’s according to Homer in his epic poem, The Odyssey. And the roots of the town do go back to the times of the Trojan War, so who’s to say he’s wrong?

In Greek mythology, Scylla was one of two deadly guardians of the Strait, and she would pull sailors off their ship and devour them. Charybdis, the one residing on the Sicilian side, was an all-consuming whirlpool who would send a ship and its crew to their watery deaths. So, one had to be very careful navigating through this narrow passage—avoiding one monster would only put you closer to the other (it’s why the expression "between Scylla and Charybdis" grew to mean "choosing the lesser of two evils" or "stuck between a rock and a hard place.")

Homer tells us that his hero Odysseus steered his ship to the Italian side of the Strait. Did he choose correctly? Well, Scylla ended up devouring six of his crew, but he did save his ship …

Navigating toward Scilla is still a wise choice. The first thing you notice is Castello Ruffo. Said to be the lair of Scylla, this ancient fortress perched atop a craggy promontory jutting out into the Tyrrhenian Sea divides the town in two—the beach resort of Marina Grande sits on one side, and the ancient fishing settlement of Chianalea sits on the other. Working fishermen have lived in Chianalea for generations, with their weathered, pastel-colored homes seeming to tumble down the hillside into the sea. One of Italy’s last remaining authentic fishing hamlets, Chianalea often appears on lists of borghi più belli, or "most beautiful villages."

Even without the sea monsters to worry about, the waters near Scilla can be tricky. As the meeting place between the Tyrrhenian and Ionian seas, unexpected whirlpools, strong currents, and internal waves often make navigation difficult. But you won’t hear the fishermen of Scilla complaining. Something that swims through the Strait of Messina has been their lifeblood for 2,000 years—swordfish.

Swordfish spend most of their time in deep ocean waters, but each summer they pass through the Strait to mate in the warmer, shallower waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea—where the fishermen of Scilla lie in wait. Using traditional methods to catch the majestic fish, they "hunt" them in boats called passarelle, updated versions of vessels used by ancient Phoenicians. A "spotter" in a tall watchtower will locate a swordfish, which is then harpooned.

For such a charming spot, it’s surprising how Scilla has managed to stay under the radar for so long—at least for Americans. But if you’re a fan of Stanley Tucci’s award-winning docuseries, Searching for Italy, you may remember Scilla showing up in the Season 2 opener in Calabria. The episode was especially meaningful for Tucci because all four of his grandparents were Calabrian. The actor hadn’t been back to his ancestral homeland since he was a young boy, but you could tell cucina calabrese flowed in his blood—one scene shows him biting into a Tropea onion like it was an apple. Red and sweet, Tropea onions—cipolla rossa di Tropea—have been cultivated here for thousands of years and feature prominently in Calabrian dishes, even gelato.

But the dish Tucci is really after is the pride of the region—fresh-caught swordfish—so we find him in a family-run restaurant in none other than Scilla. After sharing swordfish sashimi with the owner, then tucking into a big plate of pasta resembling a swordfish ragu, Tucci looks like he’s in food heaven.

Tucci had brought his elderly parents along with him for the episode in Calabria. They wanted to look for the original home of his grandfather, Stanislaw Tucci, who came from a small village not far from Scilla called Marzi. But Tucci’s 92-year-old father, also named Stanislaw, struggled to recall the exact location of the home. So they decided to wander the streets and look for it. We know they were in the right place—it turned out that half of Marzi’s 900 residents were named "Tucci."

It’s not just charming coastal towns like Scilla that make Calabria so special. Italy’s least explored region is renowned as the land of "mare e montagna," where the sea and mountains blend into one. Odysseus only made it to the shore, but one historic figure met his fate in the nearby Calabrian mountains. Spartacus, the leader of the most significant slave uprising in Roman history, had already defied the might of Rome for almost three years. After being pursued south into the toe of Italy (his escape route across to Sicily had been thwarted), Spartacus and his rebel army took refuge in the dense forests of Calabria where Roman forces encircled them. After a desperate last stand, Spartacus was killed here in 71 BC.

From lovely coastal towns that tumble down hillsides into the sea to the natural beauty of rugged mountain ranges that teem with endangered wildlife, there’s a lot to love in Calabria. So don’t let the sea monster stop you from checking out Scilla. You might even run into a Tucci—or, more likely, several of them.

5 Facts about Scilla

• Before she devoured heads, Scylla turned quite a few heads: Scylla wasn’t always the six-headed monstrosity as depicted by Homer in The Odyssey. She had once been a beautiful sea nymph considered quite the catch—which didn’t sit well with Circe. The jealous sorceress put a potion in Scylla’s bathing pool that turned her into the hideous sea monster we know and love.


• Swordfish are blazingly fast—so how do Scilla fishermen catch them? Practically the Usain Bolt of the ocean, swordfish can travel through the water at astonishing speeds of up to 60 miles an hour—but that’s usually at dawn or dusk. When they swim through the Strait of Messina, Scilla fishermen are in pursuit of the ones that sleep during the day near the surface.


• Scilla’s iconic fortress, Castello Ruffo, has been a lot more than a castle: When you can trace your origins back to the beginning of the fifth century B.C., there might be a few career changes on your resumé. At one time or another, Scilla’s imposing castle perched on a rocky outcrop has been a military fortress, a monastery, a private residence, a lighthouse, a youth hostel, a cultural center …


• Greeks seem to have myths about everything—even swordfish: Like the one about the Myrmidons, skilled warriors who followed Achilles: Following the death of their beloved leader, the Myrmidons threw themselves into the sea. Thetis, the mother of Achilles, took pity on the loyal warriors and transformed them into fish—and they got to keep their swords.


• There’s even an annual feast for the swordfish of Scilla: In a tradition that began in the 16th century, Scilla hosts the Festa della Madonna del Carmine every year on the second weekend of July. Leading the main procession is a boat bearing a large swordfish—then again, it could be a Myrmidon.

Explore Scilla and meet some local fishermen during our New! Journey Through Southern Italy: Sicily, the Aeolian Islands, Calabria & Puglia adventure.