Coreca

Coreca (also known as Coraca or Corica) is in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of Southern Italy.

Understand

Coreca is a small town with two distinct neighbourhoods: the city centre, where there are high-level hotels, and the seacoast with its beautiful views. The most pleasant seasons to visit are spring and summer.

Get in

By plane

1 Lamezia Terme is the nearest international airport, 25 minutes' drive away. You can take the Campora San Giovanni city bus from the airport. There are flights from many other Italian airports and from London Stansted Airport.

By car

You can easily get to Coreca by taking the Salerno-Reggio Calabria autostrada to the Falerna exit, then going north until you are 1/2 km past Campora San Giovanni. From the north, you can take the SS18 (Tirrenica inferiore), exit onto the strada della Tonnara and drive another 50 m south.

By train

2 Amantea station is 3 km from Coreca.

Get around

By taxi

• Servizio NCC P.B., ☏ +39 3471371034, pasqualebruno2@alice.it. (updated Apr 2020)

See

• Chiesa Madonna degli Angeli (Church of the Madonna of the Angels). A small modern church built from 1964-65 with a very unassuming exterior but a nice statue at the altar of the Madonna attended by three angels at her feet. This statue is carried through town in a procession every August (see "Do" below). (updated Apr 2020)
• Grotte di Coreca (Caves of Coreca), Contrada Fauno. There are two karst caves in Coreca: the Grotta du' Scuru and Gruttuni. Their entrances are about 10 m from each other. In ancient times, they were at sea level, but as of 2020, they are about 25 m higher, requiring a difficult scaling of a rock face for access. The entrance to Gruttuni is broad but the entrance to Grotta du' Scuru is narrow; as a result, Gruttuni is relatively bright and Grotta du' Scuru is very dark. Both caves are archaeologically important. In 2012, late Bronze Age relics were unearthed, including well-conserved terracotta, stone millstones and smooth pebbles. Archaeologists determined that Gruttuni was inhabited but Scuru was used for funeral rites. (updated Apr 2020)

Grotta du' Scuru

Grotta du Pecuraru

• Piazza Madonna degli Angeli. Finished on May 5, 2005, this very small but picturesque piazza hosts the summer events of the hamlet and since 2015 it has the name of Madonna degli Angeli for its proximity to the church and the presence of a small niche with a statuette of the Madonna. It's a good place for a picnic, and every year, it is home to food and wine events and the procession of Our Lady of Angels. 

Piazza di Coreca

• 1 Torre di Coreca ("Turriella"), Contrada Tuvulo (take the Tonnara road to the north or the road from Marinella to the south). This tower, partly collapsed on the first floor, is of historical importance as a melting pot of styles of various centuries. It was used mainly as a lookout, first by the Arabs, then the Normans and various lords of the territory through the Nazis and Allied troops in World War II. It is north of Coreca, on the slopes of Tuvulo Hill. 

"Turriella", seen from the Piazza Madonna degli Angeli di Coreca

• 2 Scogli di Coreca. This is a group of 10 rocks: Capoto (the largest of them), Formica, Ginario, Longarino, Piccirillo, Tirolé (or even Pirolé) and the 4 Scuagli da Funtana are distributed across an area extending from the nearby locality of La Tonnara on the edge of the sea air of the main village of Coreca. Capoto is the largest of them, with an area of 50 m², and is used mainly for diving and amateur photographic and cinematographic shoots. 

Scogli di Coreca seen from Colle degli Ulivi

• 3 Madonna della Scogliera, Via Coreca, 1. This statue of the Virgin Mary was placed in 2020 in the center of the rock that faces the Hotel La Scogliera, and is now a destination for local pilgrims and Marian devotees. 

Do

• 1 Coreca beach (Spiaggia Coreca), Contrada Coreca, 25. A nice, quiet place, with amazing sunsets. Free. (updated Sep 2020)
• Trekking
• Swimming
• Windsurfing
• Underwater photography
• Running

Events

• Sagra della porchetta. July. Pork-based food and wine evening, with the local "porchetta" as the main course, prepared days before the event by the porchettari of the area. The atmosphere is enlivened by music and folk dances, for a taste of peasant knowledge and flavors, tradition and innovation. 
• Sagra delle alici. Middle of July. Food and wine festival based on acciuge (anchovies in the local dialect), all prepared and cooked at the moment, consisting of a compote: fried anchovies, spaghetti alla mullicata (chopped anchovies and breadcrumbs, oil, garlic, parsley and a pinch of fresh chili pepper), the characteristic local monacella (fried dough, boiled potatoes, yeast and a salted anchovy in the middle), all served with a glass of local red (or white) wine, accompanied by traditional music and dancing. The event is filmed and recorded by local and regional television stations. 
• Sagra della melanzana. August. Aubergine-based food and wine tour, all prepared and cooked on the spot, served with a glass of local red (or white) wine, traditional music and dancing. The event is filmed and recorded by regional and local television stations. 
• Madonna degli Angeli. 22 August. Feast of the village's patron saint. The statue of the Madonna is carried from the church to the cliff in a procession, sometimes with songs or sometimes in silence and prayer, until it reaches the square near the church. Here a mass is celebrated before the icon is returned to the church. The event ends with a fireworks display and singing, and people play games until late in the evening. 

Buy

From Amantea and Campora San Giovanni there are numerous shops, both food and non-food; at the level of national chains there is a branch of Eurospin and one of Lidl (Amantea).

Eat

• 1 Pizzeria Nuovo Vecchio Mulino, Via Formiciche, 1 (Campora San Giovanni, località Marinella), ☏ +39 0982 46001. (updated Sep 2020)

Sleep

• 1 Hotel La Scogliera, Via Coreca, 1, ☏ +39 0982 46219, la.scogliera@libero.it. 

Stay safe

Emergency numbers

• Carabinieri (Amantea), ☏ +39 0982 41000. 
• Guardia di Finanza (Amantea), ☏ + 39 0982 41052. 
• Municipal Police (Amantea), ☏ + 39 0982 41256. 
• Ambulance (Croce Blu Amantea O.N.L.U.S.), Viale Trieste (Amantea), ☏ + 39 347 0814880, +39 0982 41182. 

Doctors on call and pharmacies on duty

• Guardia Medica, Via Santa Maria (Amantea), ☏ + 39 0982 41290. 
• Guardia medica, Via Delle Ginestre, 6 (Campora San Giovanni), ☏ + 39 0982 48043. 
• Farmacia De Grazia, Via Dei Gladioli, 1 / C (Campora San Giovanni), ☏ + 39 0982 46014. 

Connect

Post

• 1 Ufficio postale (Post Office), Via Amalfi, 7 - Amantea, ☏ +39 0982 490143, fax: +39 0982 490143. M-F 08:20-13:45, Sa 08:20-12:45. There's an ATM. 

Mobile network

There is 2G and 3G cover from mobile operators; Vodafone has activated 4G.

Go next

The cities that can be visited in the surrounding area are Amantea, Belmonte Calabro, then the nearby Campora San Giovanni, at a greater distance, Paola and the cities of the Tyrrhenian coast, while in the south destinations of tourist interest are Cleto, Falerna and Nocera Terinese in the vicinity and, at a greater distance, Lamezia Terme, Tropea, Scilla and Reggio di Calabria.