Petilia Policastro

The second name arrived by mistake. Until 1863 the town was simply Policastro, from the Byzantine Greek; then Petilia was added to it, because at the time it was believed to stand on the site of ancient Petelia, which was in fact where Strongoli is today. The error has stayed on the municipality's identity card.

In 1987 two bronze axes of the early Bronze Age were found in the district, probably part of the grave goods of an important person: one of the two, decorated with geometric motifs cut with a burin, is considered unique in Europe and is in the archaeological museum of Crotone. In the town's sanctuary, on the other hand, a thorn is kept that is held to come from the crown of Christ, given by queen Jeanne of Valois, wife of Louis the Twelfth, to her confessor, who was from here. From Petilia, too, came Lea Garofalo, a witness for the state killed in Milan for denouncing the 'ndrangheta.