Punta di Pellaro

Punta di Pellaro (Greek: polytonic|Λευκοπέτρα, "white rock"; Latin: Leucopetra) is the extreme southwestern point of mainland Italy, in the region of Calabria, looking towards the east coast of Sicily, at coord|38|01|N|15|38|E.

Anciently, a promontory of Bruttium, it was in consequence of its location generally regarded as the termination of the chain of the Apennines. Pliny tells us it was 12 miles from Rhegium (modern Reggio di Calabria). The whiteness of the rocks composing this headland gave origin to the ancient name. (Strabo vi. p. 259; Plin. iii. 5. s. 10; Ptol. iii. 1. § 9.) It is evidently the same promontory which is called by Thucydides polytonic|Πέτρα τῆς Πηγίης, and was the last point in Italy where Demosthenes and Eurymedon touched with the Athenian armament before they crossed over to Sicily. (Thuc. vii. 35.) It was here also that Cicero touched on his voyage from Sicily, when, after the death of Julius Caesar, 44 BCE, he was preparing to repair into Greece, and where he was visited by some friends from Rhegium, who brought news from Rome that induced him to alter his plans. (Cic. "Phil." i. 3, "ad Att." xvi. 7.) In the former passage he terms it "promontorium agri Rhegini": the "Leucopetra Tarentinorum" mentioned by him (ad Att. xvi. 6), if it be not a false reading, must refer to quite a different place, probably the headland of Leuca, more commonly called the Iapygian promontory.

References

*SmithDGRG
*Barrington|46
*Geographic Names Information System, for coordinates