Capo Vaticano and the Oracle That Negotiated Sea Monsters (Mamma Santissima)
The name says it all: Vaticano has nothing to do with the Pope in Rome, but derives from the Latin vaticinium (oracle/prophecy). In ancient times, the prophetess Mantea resided atop these very cliffs.
Legend has it that ancient mariners—supposedly including Odysseus himself—had to drop anchor before the towering rocks to offer sacrifices to Mantea. They desperately needed her advice on how to navigate past Scylla and Charybdis, the dreaded sea monsters lurking in the Strait of Messina.
The humorous catch to the story: Mantea was far less a mystical priestess and much more a ruthless businesswoman. The quality of her oracle depended entirely on how fat the goat was or how fine the wine was that the sailors hauled up the cliff. If they only offered a skinny chicken, her grim prophecy was usually: “You will all be devoured by Scylla.” But if they brought a fine import of premium olive oil, the forecast suddenly changed: “Steer two points to the left, and the monsters will be fast asleep.”
It was, in essence, humanity’s very first paid navigation app.
