On the Olive Planes

In the middle of the Gioia Tauro Planes, immersed in century-old olive groves, is the town of Taurianova. This town is well-known for its pastries, and in particular “torrone”. There is a lovely Cathedral to see and many churches and nobleman’s houses. Cittanova, which is also surrounded by olive groves, is worth visiting for its town park, which is full of ornamental trees and fountains. There are several churches such as the Church of the Rosary, St. Gerolamo’s Church and the Church of St. Rocco, which, together with the Natural History Museum, are well worth seeing too. The local restaurants are famous for the preparation of dishes based on dried codfish. The Mountain of the Zomaro is 13 km away. The historic centre of Polistena is well preserved with its Cathedral and the Church of the Rosary, the Immaculate and of the Trinity. The medieval hamlet of S. Giorgio Morgeto, which was built on a hillside, is four kilometres away. On the top of the hill there are the ruins of a castle surrounded by a pine wood. The Church of St. Dominic is along one of the many characteristic lanes of this hamlet. A lovely cloister and the building that was once home to the St. Dominic monastery are next to the church.