#spilinga

Spilinga, Calabria, Italy

Ph. Mario Greco

Spilinga, Calabria, Italy

In recent years, the small town of Spilinga has experienced growing fame and economic benefits thanks to the nduja, a Calabrian sausage known throughout the world, typical of this small town; produced with chili pepper and selected pork meats, after an industrious drying process.

Spilinga stands on the slopes of Monte Poro, at a height of about 450 meters above sea level. The name of this town, a fairly common name in Calabria, comes from the Greek and means "cave". It is said that a landslide had destroyed the villages that arose in these places. Those who escaped the disaster took refuge, in fact, in caves and gradually merged into a single community, which also grew due to the arrival of other people. From this process it is thought that, over the centuries, the current Spilinga was born.

In addition to the numerous churches in the village, some rebuilt after the earthquake of 1783, noteworthy are the sanctuary of the Madonna delle Fonti, a small church carved into the rock, probably in a Basilian hermit refuge; the remains of the aqueduct, which seems to date back to the Roman era, but is actually much more recent; the natural caves existing in several points of the municipal territory; the ruins of the ancient mills near the rivers.

Spilinga, Calabria, Italy

The tiny village of Spilinga, in Calabria, is best-known for its production of the 'nduja, a soft, spreadable fermented pork salume, spiked with fiery Calabrian chilies.

Even if there are many other excellent Calabrian specialties, the ‘nduja holds a special place in people’s heart, so much so that, although it is a local product, it is exported everywhere in the world and eaten by Italian families on a daily basis. 

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