Porto di Scilla

The history of the port of Scylla is closely linked to that of its city whose very ancient origins mix mythology, history, legend and images created by the striking surrounding landscape. According to tradition, Scylla, daughter of the king of Megara, allegedly helped King Minos to conquer lands that were under her own father’s rule.

At the end of the atrocious affair, the Cretan king refused to marry her and abandoned her to the waves of the sea, which carried her body to the foot of the promontory that was 12 miles from Messina, which was therefore given the maiden’s name. According to historical sources, waves of people coming from the sea and heading south would later establish villages along the lower terraces of the Aspromonte ridge.

Being peoples of fishermen, they probably chose as their area of settlement the area adjoining the central cliff of Scylla, where the presence of the very numerous rocks facilitated the practice of fishing, while at the same time allowing the construction of the rudimentary huts. The ports of Scylla, in fact, are located below the cliff where the Ruffo Castle of Scylla stands today.

Over the centuries this port has been a refuge for boats crossing the Strait of Messina, later transforming into a fishing port since fishing was the main activity engaged in by the local population. Even today in the port’s only slipway are the boats of fishermen ready to put to sea for a fishing trip. Passerelles for swordfish fishing, a type of fishing that is widespread in the area, are often anchored in the dock.

The port of Scylla consists of a pier that has an “L” shape that extends in a north-southeast direction and is equipped with docks in the inner part, with bollards for mooring, and a single dock with a slipway: the Ruffo di Calabria dock is used for nautical pleasure, the one called Scoglio di Ulisse is dedicated to fishing boats, and the outer pier is assigned for commercial use and for anchoring police vehicles.

The rocky seafloor becomes particularly dangerous due to the appearance of some rocks on the surface in the presence of particularly strong sea currents and on days when the libeccio is the master.

Recreational services are managed by Boat Service, which has placed 2 ecological buoy fields near the ports with 100 berths, active from May 1 to September 30, built with catenaries tied to the natural stones and rocks on the bottom. The service includes boat docking, continuous guarding, and round-trip ferry transportation. The management has established an agreement with the boatyards for winter storage and maintenance, which allows the boat to be left in annual care.

Another steadily growing activity in Scylla is, clearly, tourism. The city attracts many tourists not only for the sea and beaches, but also for the natural beauty and architectural works.In the summertime, in fact, there are many moorings in the ports available to those who stay in Scylla and bring their boats.