Reggio Calabria: Ancient Treasures on the Strait of Messina

Today, we’re in Reggio Calabria, a beautiful Italian city on the Strait of Messina, the narrow channel separating mainland Italy from Sicily. We had no organized tour planned. The city is very walkable from the harbor, so we set out on our own.

Windstar provided a morning shuttle from the port to the center of town, saving us a few steps. With an all-aboard time of 2:30 p.m., however, we knew we didn’t have much time to spare.

🏛️ The Riace Bronzes

Our first stop was the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Reggio Calabria, better known as MArRC. The museum is famous above all for the Riace Bronzes, two life-sized Greek warrior statues believed to be roughly 2,450 to 2,500 years old.

The museum is relatively compact—four stories—but packed with fascinating exhibits tracing the archaeological history of the region. Calabria has been shaped by a long succession of civilizations and conquerors, including Greeks, Romans, Vandals, Goths, Byzantines, Saracens, Normans, Angevins, and Aragonese.

Some of the earliest known human remains in Italy have also been found in this part of the country, including the remains discovered near Ostuni that we wrote about a few posts ago.

Walking through exhibits filled with artifacts from such ancient cultures felt genuinely eye-opening, especially as Americans. The depth and detail of the history on display here far exceeded anything we were exposed to in school back home.

We slowly made our way through the museum, heading down toward the ground floor, where the bronzes are displayed. Along the way, several entertaining video presentations explained the stories behind different exhibits. They were narrated in Italian by a humorous, Indiana Jones-style professor character, with English subtitles, so we had no trouble following along.

We spent well over an hour exploring the many civilizations that lived and thrived here before finally reaching the museum’s most famous room.

The Climate-Controlled Room

The Riace Bronzes are housed in a carefully controlled environment designed to protect them from dust, pollutants, humidity, and temperature changes.

Before entering, we stepped into a small chamber, perhaps ten feet by ten feet, and the doors closed behind us. For several minutes, we could feel the air changing.

Filtered air helped remove dust and airborne pollutants carried in on visitors’ clothes and hair. The closed doors prevented outside air from flowing directly into the sculpture room, while the chamber created a transition between the museum’s regular atmosphere and the precisely controlled conditions surrounding the statues.

It also limited the number of visitors entering at one time, since body heat and even breathing can affect the room’s delicate microclimate.

Then the doors in front of us opened, and there they stood: the two enormous Riace Bronzes.

One of their most remarkable features is their eyes. The whites were made from calcite, while colored glass paste was used for the irises. Their visible teeth are made of silver, giving the figures a strange and startlingly lifelike presence. One statue is missing an eye entirely, which makes it look especially ominous.

No one knows for certain who sculpted the bronzes. They are believed to have been created by highly skilled Greek bronze craftsmen in the fifth century BC, probably to represent heroic or mythological warriors.

After admiring them for a while, we headed toward the exit, which led into a second chamber. The doors to the sculpture room closed behind us before the outer doors opened—the same careful transfer process in reverse.

Bob and I genuinely love a good museum, so this was an easy win for both of us. Admission was only €10 per adult, and it was absolutely worth it.

🚶 Walking Reggio Calabria

Back outside, we found ourselves on Piazza Giuseppe De Nava, at the beginning of Corso Giuseppe Garibaldi, the city’s main pedestrian shopping street

We took a leisurely walk along the wide cobblestone corso, browsing the shops and watching the people around us. It wasn’t especially crowded, which made the walk particularly pleasant.

After about a mile, we turned down a side street toward the waterfront and found a beautiful, broad promenade running along the Strait of Messina.

We followed the waterfront back toward the city center with a particular restaurant in mind for lunch, only to discover that it was closed. After a little quick research using ChatGPT and Google Maps, we changed course and found a lovely upscale seafood restaurant a few blocks away.

Lunch was delicious. We shared a lightly fried mixed-seafood appetizer, followed by linguine alle vongole with baby clams.

That left just one more item on our anniversary itinerary: gelato.

We had spotted a promising gelato shop near the morning shuttle stop, and when we returned, there was a small line out the door—always a good sign. It turned out to be, without question, some of the best gelato we’ve had on this entire trip.

🚌 A Long Walk Back

We kept an eye out for the Windstar shuttle on our way back, but never saw it.

I checked the pin I had dropped earlier, then asked a local bus driver for help using a mixture of gestures and patience. He eventually made it clear that there were no more shuttles running and that we would need to walk back to the ship.

With time getting tight, we headed down the boulevard toward the port. After about half a mile, we spotted the ship’s five tall masts and used them to guide us the rest of the way.

We boarded with about fifteen minutes to spare.

The ship pulled away from Reggio Calabria right on schedule at 3 p.m. We worked for a while, enjoyed a massage, and then had an excellent dinner at Stella, the ship’s upscale French restaurant, to properly celebrate our anniversary.

The crew took wonderful care of us, bringing a special dessert, offering plenty of congratulations, and even performing a funny anniversary song.

Another couple seated nearby happened to be celebrating their 50th anniversary as well, which made the evening even more memorable.

When we returned to our stateroom, we found it decorated with balloons, towel animals, and swans.

Well done, Windstar.

📝 Practical Notes

When exploring Reggio Calabria independently, don’t assume the cruise shuttle will run throughout the day. Confirm the return schedule before wandering too far, or leave enough time to walk back along the waterfront.

The Riace Bronzes are genuinely worth the modest admission fee and the short wait inside the climate-control chambers. A walk along Corso Garibaldi and the waterfront promenade also makes for a relaxed and enjoyable way to spend a morning in the city.