Located on the Scilla promontory, towards the Strait of Messina, the castle also known as Castello Ruffo di Calabria, is a legacy of rare beauty. It represents the genius loci of the city of Scilla, about 20 km from Reggio Calabria and its history started in the Etruscan era. Scilla is completely isolated and right next to the sea, the ideal lookout location to protect the Calabrian lands from whoever arrives by sea.
The history of the Calabrian fortifications inevitably leads us to the Saracen invasion period. However, the Castello Ruffo di Scilla has ancient roots: first the Etruscans, then the defensive walls in the period of Magna Graecia. Even the Romans, who expanded it, found here the perfect place to settle. The modern excavations show us only the walls of the monastery of San Pancrazio, from the 9th century, also a defence against the Saracens. It is no coincidence that in 1060 it became a military fortress and in 1808 state-own property. A place of defence but also of suggestive beauty. A heritage to protect. This is why since the 1970s it has been a meeting place for people and cultures: first as a Youth Hostel and now as a very important cultural centre, a venue for meetings and exhibitions.
References:Visby Cathedral (also known as St. Mary’s Church) is the only survived medieval church in Visby. It was originally built for German merchants and inaugurated in 1225. Around the year 1350 the church was enlarged and converted into a basilica. The two-storey magazine was also added then above the nave as a warehouse for merchants.
Following the Reformation, the church was transformed into a parish church for the town of Visby. All other churches were abandoned. Shortly after the Reformation, in 1572, Gotland was made into its own Diocese, and the church designated its cathedral.
There is not much left of the original interior. The font is made of local red marble in the 13th century. The pulpit was made in Lübeck in 1684. There are 400 graves under the church floor.