I Love Touring Italy - Northern Calabria

If you're looking for a European tourist destination, consider the region of Calabria in southern Italy in the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Ionian Sea. Calabria is the toe of the Italian boot. There are excellent tourist attractions, and you will not have to fight crowds, but you may need to combat the heat, hot summers. With a little luck can avoid tourist traps, and go home with the feeling that you really have visited Italy. This article examines tourist attractions in northern Calabria. Be sure to read our colleague in southern article Calabria.Our tour of northern Calabria begins at Diamond, on the west coast Tyrrhenian. Then head south along the coast as far as Paola and a little east to Rende. In theory that is applicable to almost a straight line to the east unless the roads are mostly straight and that's half the fun, Cosenza, pop up a bit to the north Parco Nazionale della Calabria, and then to the southwest in Crotone Ionic the east coast. We remain the coastal road north and east of the small town of Cerchiara di Calabria. We left (east) and end our tour in Castrovillari, approximately forty-five miles (seventy miles) northeast of our starting point.Diamante (you can guess what the name?) Is a beautiful fishing village about five thousand in a protective rock along the Mediterranean Sea. Unlike so much of southern Italy, its climate is sunny, yet mild. It is quite an artist colony that has many narrow streets and alleys. Diamond walls are covered with murals, an ancient tradition that still remains. You'll love the century-old stucco houses and their balconies. Never assume that little red objects are hung to dry on clotheslines in late summer, red-chile. These are peperoncini both a local specialty in early September that the city holds a festival Peperoncini, called "The Carnival of the South" that attracts hundred thousand visitors. There is dancing in the streets, men on stilts, traditional music, and a lot of peroncini flavor food.Rende is home to the University of Calabria in the green hills of the suburbs Cosenza (see below). The city itself has a population of about thirty-five thousand, but the university population is about twenty-five thousand. Stop by on their way to Cosenza, you will appreciate the cobblestone streets even if it's a little wind from negotiating the stairs and escalators.Cosenza 's population is approximately seventy thousand, but nearly triples if one takes into account the urban area including the University. It lies at the confluence of two rivers: the Crathis and the Busento, home to the legend of King Visigoth Alar that in the year 410 captured Rome, the first to do so in more than eight hundred years. Of course accumulated enough treasure. Two years later he died under unclear circumstances. He was buried with his horse and his treasure under the riverbed, the Busento became temporarily outside its course during the excavation of the tomb. Once the tomb was completed, the river was returned to its original site and the tomb covered with water. To ensure that no one would reveal this location Alaric troops killed all of the slaves. Perhaps not surprisingly, his tomb and its treasures have never been found. If you like history you can learn about the many occupations in this beautiful city and how it was destroyed and rebuilt several times during the first millennium and the next centuries.Cosenza was known as the Athens of Calabria. His academy was founded almost five hundred years ago, becoming one of the first in Italy. To this day Cosenza is home to numerous libraries, museums and theatres. It's a very picturesque city about seven hundred feet (two hundred and forty meters) above sea level. You'll love the castle and old town. The Castello Svevo is mostly in ruins, but not for the reasons you might imagine. First came several earthquakes. Then a stroke of luck (bad luck) beam offset gunpowder stored in premises.Nobody sure when the Duomo (cathedral) was built, but estimates favour mid-twelfth century. At that time Calabria was a feudal duchy Norman and Cosenza was its capital. An earthquake destroyed the cathedral in 1184 and was rebuilt within forty years. It is one of the most interesting of these buildings in southern Italy. Over the years there have been many additions (and subtractions) in a multitude of styles including baroque, Gothic, and Provencal Gothic.Be sure to visit the fifteenth century, the church of San Domenico that combines medieval and Renaissance elements. Do not miss the rosette with Toba (limestone) columns, wooden portal decorated with floral motifs, and polychrome marble altar. Nearby is the "Convent of the Virgin," which has many historical paintings. Cosenza Other churches include the Church and Monastery of St. Francis of Assisi, and the sixteenth century church of Sant'Agostino, also known as the Holy Spirit. In this area in 1844 the famous Italian patriots, the brothers Bandiera, were executed during the struggle for Italian independence.Of course, the new city will not be as interesting as the old town. But it also includes an outdoor museum Museum all'aperto Bilotti the name of the person with the checkbook. The sculptures are St. George and the dragon of Salvador Dalí? Br /> Do you Cree that there are plenty of good skiing in southern Italy? The Sila is a large wooded kilometers high plateau in the interior of Calabria. This is the largest training across Europe. It is divided into three parts and shape the Parco Nazionale della Calabria (Calabria National Park), whose largest section is east of Consenza. Most forests have been replanted, and as a sign of ecological health, the symbol of the park is the wolf on the way back. As you can imagine, local farmers are not overjoyed.Crotone whose population is approximately sixty thousand was a major city in the days of the Greeks. The famous philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras founded a school here, some twenty five hundred years ago. Be sure to see the ninth-eleventh century neoclassical cathedral home to an icon of the Virgin Black said that coming from the East in the early days of the Christian era. Then, walking to the island and its sixteenth century castle of Charles V, home of the City archaeological Museum.Cerchiara di Calabria is a city of nearly three thousand located on the east coast of the Ionian Sea. The site has been settled since the days of the ancient Greeks. It is best known for the tenth century shrine of St. Maria delle Armi, which includes a historic pilgrimage hospice. The streets are cobblestone, the view is great, and he told me that the restaurant La Locanda di Alia is out of this world, if the clock spices.Castrovillari is the last stop on our tour of northern Calabria. Its population is about twenty two thousand. There is a historic synagogue, a Spanish castle, a church and the sixteenth century. Castrovillari is a gateway to the national park above. But one of the main reasons that people stop visiting the restaurant La Locanda di Alia. The next time I'm in the region ... What about food? The Cordillera Sila something that resembles the Swiss Alps is famous for its mushrooms, especially porcini and truffles, and Silano Caciocavallo cheese. As good as that sounds, I think I would even wild boar better.Let 's suggest a sample menu, one of many. Start with Macco di Fava (Broadbean Soup). Then try Costolette d'Agnello alla Calabrese (lamb chops with olive oil, tomatoes, sweet peppers, and Olives). For dessert engaged with Mostaccioli (Anise-flavored biscuits.) Be sure to increase their dining pleasure by including wines of the region with its meal.We conclude with a brief look at Calabria wine. Calabria devotes some sixty thousand hectares of vineyards, but ranks 13 among the 20 Italian regions of the area dedicated to wine. About 91% of its wine is red or pink, leaving 9% of whites. The region produces twelve DOC wines. DOC means Denominazione di origine controllata, often translated as designation of origin, presumably a high quality wine. Only 2.4% of Calabria wine carries the DOC designation.The most famous red wine is Ciro, which some say is the oldest wine in the world. Given the region's high altitude, mild climate and poor soil quality can be expected of excellent wines. At this moment, is a matter of hope. But sooner or later, as in other regions of southern Italy, Calabria wines step forward.
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