The best MTB trails around Motta San Giovanni

The view from below can be scary, but at least the climb is shaded in places.

One of the most beautiful murals along the climb up to the village

In the village there are the workshops of several artists/artisans who are renovating the village. Three of them are the only inhabitants of the village. The tavern from May to September is open every day as a trattoria for both lunch and dinner. There is a public fountain in the center of the village

A village with an ancient history, apparently abandoned, in reality small solid artisan businesses live inside the village, which alone are worth a visit to the place. I recommend the circumnavigation of Monte Calvario, which makes the visit to the village more complete. The stretch of single track trail on the NW side is beautiful

This church in Pentedattilo was dedicated to the two Saints Peter and Paul (Santi PIETRO e PAOLO), also known as the “Prince of the Apostles”. Their common feast day in the saints' calendar is June 29th. * Simon, nicknamed Peter (Rock), was a fisherman on the Sea of Galilee when he - together with his brother Andrew - was called by Jesus Christ to be “fishers of men”. According to Catholic understanding, he is the supreme apostle, and the two millennia-long line of popes - currently Francis - are his successors. On statues and paintings, Peter is almost always depicted with two keys in his hand; this attribute refers to the biblical saying in Matthew: “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Chapter 16, verse 19). * Paul was initially an opponent of the Christian movement and was not called to the apostleship by Jesus Christ during his lifetime like the other apostles, but was only converted later with the famous “Damascus experience”. His attribute is the sword with which he was executed. According to Roman law at the time, such a sentence was a “privilege” (quick death and not associated with a long, painful agony like other types of execution) that the citizens of Rome were entitled to.

On the cliff of Monte Calvario stands Pentedattilo, a mysterious and fascinating village, a hamlet of Melito di Porto Salvo. Abandoned until recently, the ancient village, considered over time the most evocative ghost town in Calabria, is today revived by new commercial and tourist activities. A beautiful village with incredible legends.

Fraction of the Municipality of Melito Porto Salvo, the ancient village is perched on Monte Calvario which seems to form a gigantic hand with five fingers, hence the name which, in Greek, means "five fingers". The ancient city was abandoned in the 70's.

The city is famous because in 1860 Garibaldi's troops landed with the intention of conquering the lands of the Bourbon kingdom. In memory of the enterprise, on the seafront in the Rumbolo district, there is a stele at the point where the Garibaldians landed.