What makes the archaeological area of Sybaris–Thurii–Copiae truly unique is its multi-layered character, spanning more than ten centuries of continuous occupation. Here, the remains of three different cities are interwoven: among the still-visible monumental buildings of Copiae—such as the semicircular theater (Emiciclo-teatro), the baths, the domus, the North Gate, and the final stretch of the city walls—one can discern the street grid of Thurii and the hidden traces of Sybaris, one of the earliest Greek foundations in the West, from which it all began.

After numerous attempts to locate the cities of Magna Graecia that, according to ancient sources, arose along the course of the Crati River, the archaeologist Umberto Zanotti Bianco uncovered the first archaeological remains of Sybaris–Thurii–Copiae in 1932. From the marshy ground emerged the columns of one of the monumental buildings of the Roman city of Copiae; continued excavation soon yielded the first finds attesting to two earlier historical phases, attributable to the Greek cities of Sybaris and Thurii.

Following this initial exploratory campaign, which lasted only a few days, events related to the Second World War and the need to reclaim the marshland that covered the entire Plain of Sibari led to a long interruption in research. Excavations resumed only in 1969, starting precisely from the area where Zanotti Bianco’s work had focused, and continued uninterrupted for several years under the direction and with the participation of scholars who would go on to become some of the most renowned archaeologists in Italian academia.

Public interest was extremely high, as the reclamation and excavation works—carried out with the active involvement of the local community—were supported by substantial funding from the Italian State and some of the most prestigious research institutes of the time. The excavations at Sybaris–Thurii–Copiae were accompanied almost simultaneously by investigations conducted in various locations throughout the surrounding territory by Italian and international research missions. Thanks to these efforts, a deeper understanding was gained of the long history of human settlement in the Sibaritide, from prehistoric and protohistoric times through to the medieval period.