“Arpazo” to survive The first to settle on the karst rock on which stands the village were probably the inhabitants of the caves who, in order to survive, hunted its fauna and used its flora: from this derives its ancient name “Arponion” (from “arpazo” which means to steal and rip all the resources off the mountain). The oak which betrayed Troy Compared to the current name of the village, however, there are different hypotheses. According to some it comes from the oak that grows wild in the area and whose Epeo timber would have built the Trojan horse. According to others, it derives from the Semitic word kirkis or boiling, for the presence of a hot sulphur spring, or from the Greek Kirkos or the Latin Circus, which would indicate the circle of mountains that surrounds it, or more likely, the circle of fortifications that protected it against the invasion of the Saracens.

The spiritual door of Sibaritide Perched on the slopes of Mount Sellaro, at over 700 meters above sea level, dominated by the ruins of the castle, the current town dates back to the Middle Ages, but the first documents attesting the existence of the village date back to the Byzantine period when it is indicated, with the name of Circlarium, at the centre of a monastic area of great importance. There are also many natural caves that were inhabited by hermits. Sources: www.parcopollino.it www.turiscalabria.it