A Journey Through Time, Beneath the Heart of Reggio Calabria

Discover the Soul of a City Through Layers of Stone and Memory

ust beneath the lively surface of Piazza Italia lies one of Reggio Calabria’s most extraordinary archaeological treasures: the Hypogeum. This underground site reveals over two millennia of continuous urban life, seamlessly weaving together fragments of Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Norman, and modern eras within a mere six meters of depth. Far from being a static relic, the Hypogeum is a living chronicle of the city’s ever-evolving identity.

Each layer tells a unique story. At the base, remnants of ancient Greek civilization—orthogonal walls and ceramic shards—speak of the city’s early urban planning. Above them, Roman structures, including four rectangular rooms with original cocciopesto flooring, reflect the enduring strength of Empire, despite earthquakes that reshaped their form.

Hints of sacred grandeur emerge deeper still: a massive wall, possibly belonging to a lost temple, and an enigmatic two-meter metallic mass, perhaps once part of a cult statue. The Hypogeum becomes not just a site of commerce and habitation, but of myth and memory.

Moving upward through time, the Byzantine and Norman layers unveil bustling workshops and maritime trade networks. Coins, ivory trinkets, and bronze-crafting shops show how Reggio remained a vital port in the Mediterranean. From the Angevin period to the 19th century, the Hypogeum continues to reflect the city’s commercial heartbeat, culminating in its final transformation into the public square we see today.

Step inside the Hypogeum and you don’t just visit a site—you traverse history itself, beneath the very feet of Reggio’s modern life.