Among them, the first was the priest Gabriele Barrio who, on the basis of the work of the historiographer Stephanus of Byzantium (who in turn drew on Hecataeus of Miletus), identified the ancient Oenotrian settlement of Patycos with the city of Paola, by assonance with the modern toponym.

Hellenistic and Roman periods Between the 4th and 3rd centuries B.C., the territory of Paola was most probably part of the rural district of the Bruttian oppidum of Clampetia, which recent studies have identified as the historical centre of the current municipality of San Lucido.

Faint traces of this presence are attested by the discovery of bones and ceramic fragments recovered during archaeological excavations carried out in the courtyard of the Badia Luta monastery complex, during restoration work in the late 1990s.

The Roman influence soon triggered an impressive process of agricultural restructuring of the Calabrian countryside and new coloniae were founded to control the newly subjugated territories.

The building, which is still partially preserved and almost completely unexplored, occupies the top of a coastal terrace several tens of metres above sea level.

On the inner side of the coastal terrace, towards the surrounding hills, was probably the pars fructuaria of the villa, with facilities for processing olives and grapes, as documented by the numerous fragments of volcanic stone millstones and a fragment of a lithic press for crushing that have been found, as well as the numerous transport amphorae produced on site and discovered in small excavation tests carried out in 2002 by the Archaeological Superintendence of Calabria.

The monks, following the Arab conquest of Sicily, found themselves forced to live in constant danger, so they abandoned it to settle in Calabria, especially along the Tyrrhenian coast.

In 1110, the wife of the feudal lord of Fuscaldo, Roberto de Bubum, made a written donation to the monks of the monastery of Santa Maria delle Fosse.

This stronghold was built using mortar and sandstone, in a strategic position overlooking the city and was intended to defend monks and inhabitants from soldiers passing through the Paola territory.

The Calabrians always remained loyal to the Swabians, even after the death of Corradin of Swabia, who was killed by order of Charles I of Anjou, who took power in Naples.

The town gradually began to grow until, when Calabria passed from Swabian to Angevin rule, it became a fief, and was entrusted to the Ruffo family.

Polissena died of poisoning by one of her uncles in 1420 without giving any heirs to the Duke of Milan, and Paola and the other villages she had brought as dowry returned to her family.

Following a law issued by Joachim Murat in 1809, the suppression of all religious orders in the Kingdom of Naples began, including the proto-cenoby of the Minims of Paola.

Before the construction of the Paola-Cosenza railway in 1910, the port of Paola was very busy, the steamers from Naples and Messina were loaded with goods and travellers and trade flourished.

Among the main places of interest are the Sanctuary of St Francis, the Badia, the so-called church of Sotterra (in the locality of the same name – formerly Gaudimare – with paintings of which the oldest ones date back to the early Middle Ages), Roman ruins, Scorza Palace, and the castle of Paola.

Tradition has it that a boatman refused to ferry St Francis from the Calabrian coast to Messina and the Saint crossed the strait with his cloak.

With regard to the elements of historical, religious and cultural value, it should be remembered that the 16th century was undoubtedly a golden period for Paola, thanks especially to St Francis, whose faithful came from all over Calabria.

The fountain opens like a large fan, reminding us of the tail of the peacock, the symbol of Paola: originally it had 12 holes (Abate Pacichelli), today it consists of two arms, the walls of which have seven panels with seven stone protomes, from which the water flows, and is then collected by a channel and poured into a semi-circular basin.

To the right of the main entrance, there is an archway leading to the side of the sanctuary, which houses the large modern basilica (opened in 2000) and the Cucchiarella fountain, from which pilgrims drink.

Adjacent to it is the hermitage of St Francis, a set of narrow underground spaces that constituted the first nucleus of the coenoby for the saint and his confreres.