Once you’ve been asked if Cape Vaticano had anything to do with the Vatican, the question intrigued me and I did not know what the answer was. Over the years I had remorse this thought, until the moment when I found myself in Vibo Valentia. The promontory of Capo Vaticano was to be visited absolutely. And my first question was just that.

The priest (who could I ask him if not to him?) told me that the name derives from the latin word Vaticinium, which means oracle, response and it recall a legend that wants the extreme tip of the promontory inhabited by the prophetess Manto.

Now the story becomes more interesting and magical.

Manto was listened to by sailors who wanted to cross those beautiful but dangerous waters. Among her requesters we also find the valiant Ulisse

A rock emerges from the clear waters and it owes its name to the oracle. It is called Mantineo, from the Greek Manteuo, “I give answer”.

In these wonderful places we find the Torre Ruffa beach, theater of a sad and legendary story.

Kidnapped by the Saracens, the beautiful and faithful widow Donna Canfora would have thrown herself from their ship to the cry: “The women of this land prefer death to dishonor!”. Precisely to honor the sacrifice, the sea changes color every hour to assume all the nuances of the blue veil that covered its head, while the echo of the waves crashing against the shoreline is nothing but the poignant lament with which Donna Camphor greets his beloved land every night.

You have to see bsolutely The Lighthouse of Capo Vaticano. It was erected in 1870 and activated for the first time in 1885. It is a cylindrical tower on a one-storey building, with a terrace roof . It features a rotating optics system, with a four-flash white light of twenty seconds intermittent. The Lighthouse can be reached via a panoramic path, overlooking the coves of Capo Vaticano.