The building faces the area historically known as “Piazza Carceri,” now dedicated to the physician and poet Giuseppe Marino.
It is located in the hamlet of Gallina, a peripheral hillside district of the Municipality of Reggio Calabria. The property is accessible via the Ravagnese junction of the E90 motorway, near the “Tito Minniti” Airport. The building stands within an area of significant historical and symbolic value for the neighbourhood nearby are the former Pretura (local magistrate’s court) of Gallina (protected under Regional Decree No. 773 of 20.01.2011) and the former Town Hall, both bearing witness to the institutional past of the district. These buildings stand as tangible evidence of the history of Gallina, which was an autonomous municipality until 1927, when it was incorporated into the “Greater Reggio” project promoted by Podestà Giuseppe Romolo Genoese Zerbi.
From the nineteenth century onwards, Gallina hosted the Giudice di Pace (Justice of the Peace), later becoming a Giudicato circondariale, then a Giudicatura di mandamento, and finally a Pretura—a jurisdiction abolished in 1989, when it became a section of the Pretura circondariale of Reggio Calabria.
Località Gallina, piazza Giuseppe Marino, snc - 89100 Reggio Calabria (RC) Set in the quiet hillside hamlet of Gallina, in the southern area of Reggio Calabria, stands the former carcere mandamentale (local district jail), an architectural complex rich in history and identity, serving as a tangible testament to the local judicial activity of the past. The property lies within an urban context of historical significance, once autonomous and administratively independent from the city of Reggio Calabria, adjacent to symbolic institutional buildings such as the former Pretura (now protected under Legislative Decree No. 42/2004) and the former Town Hall. Together, they form a small yet meaningful civic cluster at the heart of the local community, which at the time was primarily engaged in rural activities. Active until the early 1960s, the Gallina prison served as a temporary detention facility directly connected to the judicial functions of the nearby Pretura.
The building, featuring load‑bearing masonry walls, consists of two main volumes covered by hipped roofs with terracotta tiles and internal suspended ceilings. The two structures are joined by a technical connection: a corridor approximately 1.50 m wide, topped by a flat glass‑brick roof. The entire complex covers a cadastral surface area of 1,380 sqm, of which 808 sqm are built‑up areas.
Calabria forms the southern tip of the Italian peninsula, a landmass projecting into the Mediterranean and bordered by approximately 789 km of coastline, characterised by an alternation of rocky stretches and sandy shores. It borders the region of Basilicata, is separated from Sicily by the Strait of Messina, and is washed by both the Ionian and Tyrrhenian Seas. The territory is predominantly mountainous—home to the Pollino, Sila, Aspromonte, Serre and Catena Costiera ranges—while plains are limited and mainly concentrated in the areas of Sibari, Sant’Eufemia and Gioia Tauro. The region also boasts a rich historical and cultural heritage, ranging from the Riace Bronzes to major artistic works, from archaeological sites to longstanding artisanal and religious traditions.
The building faces the area historically known as “Piazza Carceri,” now dedicated to the physician and poet Giuseppe Marino.
It is located in the hamlet of Gallina, a peripheral hillside district of the Municipality of Reggio Calabria. The property is accessible via the Ravagnese junction of the E90 motorway, near the “Tito Minniti” Airport. The building stands within an area of significant historical and symbolic value for the neighbourhood nearby are the former Pretura (local magistrate’s court) of Gallina (protected under Regional Decree No. 773 of 20.01.2011) and the former Town Hall, both bearing witness to the institutional past of the district. These buildings stand as tangible evidence of the history of Gallina, which was an autonomous municipality until 1927, when it was incorporated into the “Greater Reggio” project promoted by Podestà Giuseppe Romolo Genoese Zerbi.
From the nineteenth century onwards, Gallina hosted the Giudice di Pace (Justice of the Peace), later becoming a Giudicato circondariale, then a Giudicatura di mandamento, and finally a Pretura—a jurisdiction abolished in 1989, when it became a section of the Pretura circondariale of Reggio Calabria.
Località Gallina, piazza Giuseppe Marino, snc - 89100 Reggio Calabria (RC) 
