Foto sferiche Google - Città di Pietra - Maurizio Iori

However, it is what can be admired inside the  Zungri caves that provides the visitor with more information about the lifestyle and habits of the rock populations who gave birth to this extraordinary settlement in the heart of Calabria. The  niches carved into the rock , inside the cavities of the caves, suggest that those spaces were used as pantries and storerooms, or as beds.

The  arches  and quadrangular openings that adorn the entrance of some of them, on the other hand, are clear proof of the fact that the men who lived within those walls felt the need to decorate their homes in a unique and original  way  . It still amazes the way in which they have worked hard to make the most of the  water resources  granted to them as a gift from Mother Nature: both inside and outside the houses, they were able to create very useful connection channels between tanks and gutters , making sure that the rainwater is conveyed directly into a precise compartment of the cave.

The  city of stone  is therefore a site that offers the possibility of traveling back in time, but also of discovering how man has evolved thanks to his discoveries and innovations. However, its history is still steeped in mystery, and despite numerous studies it has not yet been possible to identify the origin of this wonderful village. It is possible that it is a  religious colony founded by oriental populations  that have come down to us. Or even that it was born as a simple productive community of farmers.

The most fascinating hypothesis is the one from which Zungri inherited its most famous name, i.e. the  village of the Grotte degli Sbariati . This term would identify some wandering religious fleeing from Sicily or from some African communities, following the barbarian invasions that had set fire to their cities. The cave houses would therefore date back to the 10th century, and would have welcomed

Zungri is not just a  rock village of incredible charm . This is located a short distance from the small "new" village, where it is equally possible to admire ancient evidence of the peasant civilization that has characterized it for many centuries. Among its most beautiful architectures there is certainly the  Sanctuary of the Madonna della Nev e, which houses a painting of great value attributed to a southern painter of the Raffaellesca school.

Also in the historical centre, the more curious can visit the  Museum of rock and peasant civilization of Zungri : inside it houses finds and secrets that guarantee the visitor an unrepeatable interactive experience, to discover something more about the famous stone city. Instead, it is in the nearby hamlet of  Macroni  that archaeologists have carried out numerous excavations, which have brought to light an ancient Roman villa and a cave that houses the stylized figure of Christ dug out of the sandstone.

The  ghost village of Papaglionti Vecchio  is also a place full of suggestions. Its abandoned houses and now in a state of total ruin recall the passage of time and the unspeakable power of nature: the town was in fact moved further upstream a few decades ago, when persistent floods forced the inhabitants to leave their homes in  a  hurry . The landscape that opens up to the eyes of visitors today is disarming and even a little disturbing.