From the Drop

A Gutta: when the sea returns memory

In the Lido di Catanzaro neighborhood, 13 kilometers from the city center, in the small gardens in front of the "Stefano Pugliese" promenade, there is one of the most unusual and fascinating monuments of the local maritime memory: 'A Gutta.

This old iron buoy, with its characteristic cylindrical shape, tells a story that intertwines maritime tradition, collective memory, and the millennial relationship between man and the sea.

A giant of iron among the waves

'A Gutta, with its five meters in diameter and two in height, was much more than a simple nautical equipment.

This imposing cylindrical iron buoy represented a fundamental reference point for coastal navigation and a characteristic element of the Catanzaro marine landscape.

Its primary function was to serve as a safe anchorage for boats, but over the years, it had acquired a much deeper meaning in the life of the local community.

Tradition and youth: diving from the buoy

For generations of young people from Catanzaro, 'A Gutta was not just an anchoring device, but a natural diving platform into the sea.

This tradition, passed down from father to son, transformed the buoy into a place of youthful initiation, where boys demonstrated their courage by challenging the height and strength of the waves.

Diving from 'A Gutta represented a rite of passage for the youth of the Lido neighborhood, a moment of personal challenge and community sharing that strengthened social bonds and created indelible memories.

The buoy thus became an identifying element of the territory, a symbol of freedom and carefreeness that characterized the Catanzaro summers.

The disappearance: when the sea takes back what is its own

The force of the sea, which had peacefully coexisted with 'A Gutta for decades, one day decided to reclaim this iron giant.

A violent storm caused the buoy to disappear, swallowing it into the depths of the sea and leaving a void in the landscape and in the heart of the local community.

The disappearance of 'A Gutta represented much more than the loss of a simple object: it was the erasure of a piece of collective history, of a place of memory that had accompanied the lives of entire generations.

The sea, which had given so much to the Lido community, had taken back one of its dearest symbols.

The miracle of 1995: when the sea returns...