Museo e Parco Archeologico dell'antica Kaulonìa

The Museum and Archaeological Park of Ancient Kaulonia brings together the remains of a Greek city and the objects recovered from its territory. The site lies near Punta Stilo on the Ionian coast at Monasterace.

Why it matters

Kaulon was an Achaean colony associated with settlers from Croton. Its archaeology documents the development of a city within Magna Graecia, with residential quarters, sacred spaces and connections extending beyond the shoreline.

What to notice

The remains include a Doric temple and a street layout organised into regular blocks. The Casa del Drago is associated with a polychrome mosaic depicting a dragon, an image closely connected with the site's modern identity. Museum holdings include bronze objects, votive armour and architectural elements recovered from the sea.

Context and history

Evidence of occupation reaches back to the seventh century BC. Later rebuilding and changes in the use of sacred areas reveal a city that developed through successive phases. The inscribed bronze Tabula Cauloniensis is an important testimony to its Greek cultural world. Maritime finds, including Ionic architectural fragments and amphorae associated with Bruttian pitch, add another dimension to the history revealed by the land excavations.