Praia a Mare

Infobox CityIT
official_name = Comune di Praia a Mare
img_coa =
img_coa_small =


image_caption =
region = RegioneIT|sigla=CAL
province = ProvinciaIT (short form)|sigla=CS (CS)
mayor =
mayor_party =
elevation_footnotes =
elevation_m = 5
area_footnotes =
area_total_km2 = 22.91
population_footnotes =
population_as_of =
population_total = 6277
pop_density_footnotes =
population_density_km2 = 285
coordinates = coord|39|55|0|N|15|46|0|E|region:IT_type:city(6277)
gentilic = Praiesi
telephone = 0985
postalcode = 87028
frazioni = Fiuzzi, Foresta, Laccata
saint = Madonna della Grotta
day = 15 August
mapx = #expr:39 + 55 / 60.0
mapy = #expr:15 + 46 / 60.0
locator_position =
native_name = Praia a Mare
name = Praia a Mare
website = http://www.comune.praia-a-mare.cs.it/

Praia a Mare is a town and "comune" of the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of Italy. It is a beach resort on the Tyrrhenian Sea.

Geography

The 2 km long beach is the main attraction for tourists. It is sandy at its northern end but increasingly pebbly as one goes south. During the summer months, the beach is divided into about 50 lidos, although intermittently there are unprotected slivers of beach open to the public at no cost.

At the southern end of the town, about 100 m from shore sits a rock outcrop called Dino Island which features a number of large sea caves, accessible by small craft and paddle boats. At the most southerly extremity of the beach, a medieval tower, built by Byzantine forces to guard the coast, sits on an outcropping of volcanic rock with a commanding view of the sea approaches to Praia a Mare.

About 50 meters up the slopes of a mountain that rises precipitously above the town is another large cave complex, also carved by wave action several million years ago, inside of which is a completely built church called the Chiesa La Madonna della Grotta, and an open air sanctuary. Both the church and sanctuary are both in use today.

History

Near the sanctuary is the site of an archaeological dig which has been advancing slowly for twenty years. Among other finds are the bones of a prehistoric shark.

Notes and references