Vibo Valentia is a small city situated in the Calabria region, south Italy, capital of its homonym province. It belongs to the so-called "coast of the gods" and it stands on a hill located at six hundred meters above the sea level.
The city of Vibo Valentia has a history of over 8,000 years. Crossroad since the ancient Greece and the Roman Empire times, it was founded in the 7th century BC by the Greeks, who have already founded Locri, the principal city of the Italian Magna Graecia. Its first name was "Hipponion", after latinized in "Hipponium" when it fell to the Roman empire.
The city then became a Roman colony with the name of "Vibo Valentia" and it had one of its most prosperous period until the fall of the Western Roman Empire. Thanks to its strategic and political importance, it had the honor of hosting Julius Caesar, Octavian and Cicero, who remembers it in his letters. There are several archaeological sites that testify the ancient splendor of the city, and many others to discover!
After the end of the Roman empire the Byzantines provided to fortify it, but the Saracens attacked it and sacked it several times. In 1070 the Normans built a castle at the site of the old Acropolis, the "Castello Normanno-Svevo (Norman-Swabian castle) and in 1235 a new city was established by Frederick II of Swabia, Holy Roman emperor and king of Sicily, with the name of Monteleone.
Under the Angevins (French) and the Aragonese (Spanish) the city acquired even more prestige and prosperity, and so many jobs flourished, especially when the city became the regional capital.
The city got back the old Roman name of Vibo Valentia only in 1928, under the Fascism. Thanks to Luigi Razza, journalist, politician, Member of Parliament and Minister of Public Works, a major revival began in the field of public works, in which the construction of the Town Hall stands out.
In conclusion, for many reasons, it worth a visit! First of all, if you start your trip from here, you can reach many other interesting places all over the province. If you like the mountain, it's just one hour by car and if you prefer the seaside, well, you can reach the first sea place driving for twenty minutes! Food is amazing and genuine and you can still find some really cheap deals. People here are very hospitable (it's called the "Greek hospitality") and simple, who believe in the importance of the tourism (I can not say the same for the corrupt administration). Weather is fantastic, short winters and long summers (you can still have a swim at the end of September). Really old traditions are still alive and it's full of culture wherever you go, thanks to all the different populations that have succeeded in the territory.
Unfortunately, public transport is poor, so the best option would be to get a car and to drive all around, some other places are not well connected. But, as I always say: "there's nothing better than a bit more of adventure!".
Thank you very much and...enjoy!
