Our b&b "Umballa" takes its name from the English steamer "Umballa" owned by British India Steam Navigation Compani ltd, which played a fundamental role in the transport of food during the First World War.

The extended stretch of sea that goes from Praia to Mare, to the north, to Fiume Freddo Bruzio, to the south represents a real naval drainage of the first and second world war.

It was the night of Santo Stefano in 1917 when the "Umballa" cargo ship of English nationality was torpedoed by the German submarine UB-49 (Hansvon Mellenthin) off the Scalea cape. However, the ship managed to reach the village of Praia a Mare, in front of the island of Dino, where it sank. The ship's bell was donated to the Sanctuary of the Madonna della Grotta in Praia a Mare and was hoisted on the bell tower after being renamed "SANTA MARIA VITTORIA". Today, in front of the "Capo d'Arena near the island of Dino, the Umballa boiler is still easily identifiable.