Forza d'Agrò

An open-air museum, with an incredible panorama and history and culture transuding from every stone.

This is Forza d’Agrò, whose present urban nucleus is rooted in the Middle Ages, from which it still preserves the atmosphere, alleys and the castle. The other two urban nuclei, Scifi and Fondaco Prete, complete this museum in an original manner.

Fondaco Prete is the pride and glory of tourism, with fascinating and impenetrable sheer rocks over the Ionian Sea, which support the Sant’Alessio castle and further down vanish into the broad beaches of fine sand. Scifi, with its Roman-Byzantine diggings, is the youngest place in the Valley, being just 150 years old, but at the same time it is also the most ancient, with the archaeological finds bearing witness to human presence in the Roman epoch.

The history of Scifi intertwines with that of the origin of the monastery of SS Pietro and Paolo d’Agrò. It was from this monastery that there also started the history of the present-day nucleus of Forza d’Agrò. Indeed, from 1117 there dates a document giving a notice of a farmstead, Vicum Agrillae, donated to the monastery. But it was only in the middle of the 14th century that this “farmstead” took on the name “Forza”.

This fortress watching over the rocks looking out on the Ionian over the centuries has nurtured numerous legends and mysteries, above all with its castle, erected by the Normans and several times altered. Its strategic position truly made it the fortress of the Valley, as is also demonstrated by the fact that the English occupied it in 1810 for defence against the French. It was the seat of the University and the theatre of battles and other historical vicissitudes of major importance for the life of the whole area.

Forza d’Agrò has preserved all the atmosphere of the Middle Ages. Its houses, made of lime and stone, with wooden floors and steep flights of steps, are never higher than two floors; in the visitor’s mind they evoke images of a history that is still not lost here. Going up the narrow little streets you still perceive the precious gift of silence. In addition to the castle, with its bartizan, its loopholes and its walls, you can contemplate the imposing Cathedral in the heart of the village.

In the structure of this building there is a wonderfully harmonious blend of elements from the fifteenth century, when it was founded, and the 18th century, when the edifice was rebuilt after an earthquake. Not far from the Cathedral there is the Triade church, from the late 15th century, and the Durazzo arch surmounting its charming flight of steps. Here there is also the Augustinian monastery, dating from the 17th century. Alongside so much history, there is the Damuseddu Belvedere, a place giving a truly unique view going from Aspromonte to Etna.

POINT OF INTEREST

Triade Church: It was built at one of the highest points in the village, at the end of the fifteenth century. It is accessed via a big flight of steps topped by a splendid Durazzo portal. The façade of the church, which dates back to 1576, replaced the previous structure, which is still visible. Inside there are important works from the 15th and 16th centuries. Set against the church stands the Augustinian monastery, built in the early 17th century. Recently restored, it is now used as a conference centre and museum space.  

Main Church: It dates back to the 15th century, but was destroyed by the 1648 earthquake. Rebuilt in the 18th century, it retains some elements that survived the earthquake like the splendid and richly carved 16th century portal alongside the majestic and simple 18th century façade. The three-aisle interior has a rich wooden 18th century chancel. Among the precious sacred trappings and important paintings there stands out the impressive 16th century painting depicting the Annunciation by Stefano Giordano. 

Milano, Mauro, Bondi and Garufi palazzos: All majestic and prestigious buildings from the 17th century. 

San Francesco Church: Dating back to the 16th century, it is known as the S. Caterina dʼAlessandria church, because of the presence of a statue of the saint in Carrara marble by an alumnus of Montorsoli.

Norman Castle: Dating back to the Norman period, it was rebuilt by Count Roger I of Hauteville and rebuilt at the end of the sixteenth century. You can still see the walls with arrow slits in them and the remains of the bell tower. The castle was occupied by the British in 1810.

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