Wender·Vista
Reggio Calabria
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileItaly
at the toe of Italy, across the strait from Sicily

Reggio Calabria

— — a seafront that watches Etna burn.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“The southernmost large city on the Italian mainland, set along a curving lungomare that looks across the Strait of Messina to Sicily and the cone of Etna. The seafront is the city's living room. Inside the National Museum of Magna Graecia, two bronze warriors pulled from the seabed off Riace in 1972 are the reason most travellers come and stay an afternoon longer than they planned. — from the studio

from the studio
Reggio Calabria
— bring it home

Reggio Calabria, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Reggio Calabria

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

Reggio Calabria is a port city of about 170,000 in the Italian region of Calabria, on the eastern shore of the Strait of Messina at the toe of the peninsula. It is the capital of the metropolitan city of Reggio Calabria and one of the oldest Greek foundations in Italy, established as Rhegion around 730 BC. The 1908 Messina earthquake leveled most of the old fabric; the modern city was rebuilt to a low, regular grid behind the Falcomatà seafront promenade.

— the stone

The city's anchor is the Museo Archeologico Nazionale, the National Museum of Magna Graecia, which holds the Riace Bronzes — two near-life-size Greek warriors cast around 460-450 BC, recovered in 1972 from the seabed off Riace Marina, about 130 kilometres up the Ionian coast. The bronzes stand in a climate-controlled hall on a vibration-isolated platform. The museum also holds the Pinax votive tablets from the sanctuary of Persephone at Locri.

— the visit

Reggio Calabria sits at the end of the A2 Autostrada from Salerno and is the southern terminus of mainland Italian rail. Frequent ferries cross to Messina in Sicily, a passage of about 20 minutes. The Lungomare Falcomatà, roughly 1.7 kilometres long, was called by Gabriele D'Annunzio the most beautiful kilometre in Italy. The museum is closed Mondays; a timed reservation for the Riace hall is recommended. Spring and early autumn give the most comfortable temperatures along the seafront.

— where
Italy · Reggio Calabria, Calabria
— elevation
31 m · 102 ft
— position
38.1113° N · 15.6470° E
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
12 km W
Messina
Sicilian port
90 km SW
Mount Etna
volcano
22 km N
Scilla
coastal village
N
Reggio Calabria
Messina
Mount Etna
Scilla
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Reggio Calabria — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

Reggio Calabria sits at the southern tip of mainland Italy, on the eastern shore of the Strait of Messina facing Sicily. It is the capital of the metropolitan city of Reggio Calabria in the region of Calabria.

Reggio was founded by Greek colonists from Chalcis around 730 BC as Rhegion, making it one of the oldest cities in Italy. It has been continuously inhabited for nearly 2,800 years through Greek, Roman, Byzantine, and Norman periods.

Two near-life-size Greek bronze statues of warriors, cast around 460-450 BC and recovered in 1972 from the seabed off Riace Marina. They are displayed in the National Museum of Magna Graecia in Reggio Calabria.

Frequent passenger and car ferries cross the Strait of Messina from Messina to Reggio Calabria in roughly 20 minutes. The crossing connects Sicilian and mainland rail networks and runs throughout the day.

The Lungomare Falcomatà is the seafront promenade running about 1.7 kilometres along the Strait of Messina. Gabriele D'Annunzio called it the most beautiful kilometre in Italy; on clear days Etna is visible across the water.

Spring and early autumn give the most comfortable seafront weather, with daytime temperatures around 20 to 25 degrees Celsius. Summer is hot and crowded; winter is mild and quiet, with reliable ferry service to Sicily.

— about the piece in your home

It has carried well for customers with Calabrian family roots or who summer along the strait. The lungomare and the view across to Etna read instantly to anyone from the region. A Small or Medium with a handwritten note ships well.

The Ionian blues and warm seafront stone sit in coastal-modern, Mediterranean-modern, and jewel-tone maximalist rooms. The Voynich treatment keeps the piece from reading as a postcard, which is what dates most coastal art.

Yes. Italian-coast art has held steady in coastal-modern and Mediterranean-modern interiors. The stained-glass language gives the strait a weight rare in framed harbour prints.

Above a sofa, a single Large reads as the focal piece. For a wider wall above a console or bed, a 4-tile Mural carries the seafront line; a 9-tile Mural suits a primary feature wall.

Yes, on the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both resist humidity and scratches and suit a backsplash or a powder-room feature wall. The Glossy finish is for framed display rather than wet zones.

A soft microfibre cloth with plain water handles routine dust. For a kitchen install, a mild soap solution is fine. Avoid abrasive pads, bleach, and scouring powders on every finish.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is curated by Reid Wender and produced in-house at the Knoxville studio. The studio does not license artwork from outside artists or stock libraries.

— if this one stayed with you

A few you might also love.

Hand-picked by the eye that found Sorapis. Same air, same kind of quiet.
— a collection

The Italian Dolomites,
painted slow.

The valleys between Cortina and Val Gardena, the tarns you walk an hour to see, the towers that turn the colour of a banked fire just before dark. Wander the collection by valley, by season, or follow the path Reid walked.

Tre Cime
Braies
Misurina
Sorapis
Cinque Torri
Sassolungo
Marmolada