Everything is tinged with the different shades of purple, giving life every evening, with its spectacular reflections, to an ever new vision.
Plato, 4th century BC
The Costa Viola is a geographical area north of Reggio Calabria overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Strait of Messina.
The Costa Viola extends for about 35 km. between the Strait of Messina (southern border) and the lower Tyrrhenian (northern border) and includes four municipalities (Villa San Giovanni, Scilla, Bagnara Calabra and Palmi) whose territories overlook the sea with a vast hinterland behind. The coast line, squeezed between the sea and the mountains, is dominated by high and jagged coastlines as well as by pretty and suggestive ravines. From Monte Sant’Elia it is possible to enjoy a superb panorama with the archipelago of the Aeolian Islands in the background and the two active volcanoes, Etna and Stromboli. The coastal road crosses the slopes covered by the Mediterranean scrub. The whole territory is also characterized by terraces planted with vineyards overlooking the sea. The beaches and the various coasts are sometimes rocky, sometimes sandy and sometimes gravelly, dominated by the ridges of Aspromonte and Monte Poro, which plunge directly into the sea. The seabed is similar to the tropical one and has an ecosystem that is still intact. Recently, rare colonies of black coral have been discovered near the coasts of Scilla, while in those of Palmi, near Capo Barbi, as many colonies of white coral. In particular, the beach of Seminara Cala Janculla was included in 2003 among the 11 most beautiful beaches in Italy by Legambiente. In addition, part of the territory is included in the list of Special Protection Areas and Sites of Community Interest of the Calabria Region.
The area owes its name to the description of the philosopher Plato who, as reported, was struck by the various shades that the Tyrrhenian Sea, the Aspromonte mountain and the surrounding landscape take on at sunset. In the evening, the color is due to a play of light and refractions and the melange of the green of the mountains looming over the sea and the various shades of the sea itself; the purplish color is strengthened by the gaseous sulphurous particles emitted by the always active and nearby volcano Stromboli.
Source: Costa Viola. (February 14, 2021). Wikipedia, The free encyclopedia. Taken on February 21, 2021, 13:46 from //it.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Costa_Viola&oldid=118667336.