Scalea

Scalea climbs a hillside above Calabria's Tyrrhenian coast, its old streets rising towards a Norman castle. The town's name recalls the steps that link its steeply arranged houses. In the Middle Ages it belonged to the Sanseverino family, among other feudal lords; around 1499 Francesco di Sanseverino acquired the castle and estate. Later the Caracciolo and Spinelli families held Scalea, while its fortified heights continued to look out over the sea and the coastal road.