Marcantoni

Marcantoni is a tiny hamlet in Calabria, lying 670 metres above sea level among the hills of Feroleto Antico. It sits four and a half kilometres from the main town, close to the even smaller settlements of Ievoli and Giacinti. Only about nineteen people live there, making it one of the smallest neighbourhoods in the district. The place was founded long ago by refugees from Serrastretta who were led by a man called Marcoantonio. His name lives on in the village’s title. The heart of Marcantoni is a simple stone fountain said to hold healing waters. A small statue of Padre Pio has been placed in a niche beside it. The hamlet belongs to the parish of Ievoli-San Michele, though no church stands in Marcantoni itself. The surrounding countryside is quiet and rural, with olive groves and chestnut woods stretching away. Visitors arrive along narrow lanes that wind through the hills. At the centre they find the fountain under an old stone arch, its water trickling into a worn basin. A bench offers a place to sit and watch the light change on the distant Sila mountains. The air carries the scent of wild herbs and wood smoke from nearby homes. Few tourists come, so the place keeps its gentle rhythm of village life.