Cosenza, rises up in the Crati valley, at the Busento confluence, and is framed by hills and mountains. The city has very ancient origins and, according to Strabone, was inhabited by the Bruzi who very quickly accepted the Magna Greece civilization. In 204 B.C., the city fell under the Romans, becoming later on an important economic centre. Cosenza was also invaded by the Barbarians and, infact, a legend says that the King of the Visigoths, Alaric, was buried in the Busento in 410 A.D. Afterwards, the town saw the dominion of the Longobards, the Byzantines and the Aragonese, in between sieges and uprisings. Inspired of this, in the 16th century, Cosenza was the seat of a flourishing Humanist culture, as proved by the illustrious Academy, still in existence, founded by Aulo Giano Parrasio. Cosenza took an active part in the history of our Risorgimento. It is also the native land of Bernardino Telesio (1509-88).

 

COAT OF ARMS OF COSENZA

 

This definition well identifies the city, which can be approximately divided into two parts, with its commercial heart situated along Corso Mazzini, and its soul spreading around the old city centre, better known as “Old Cosenza”.

Among alleys and monuments, you can breathe the city culture.

There are many sights to visit.

A perspective view of Cosenza, from

the literary work “Il Regno di Napoli

in prospettiva, diviso in 12 province”, by Giovan Battista Pacichelli, 1693.

OLD COSENZA

The first nucleus of the Castle dates back to the 10th century and was built by the Saracens; under the Normans, some changes seem to have been realised. The first restoration was made by Frederick II of Swabia. The Castle became royal residence under the Angevins. Aphonso of Aragon lived here part of his adolescence, while in 1500 it became a military site. Decadence started in 1638 because of an earthquake which made the upstair rooms collapsed, together with two rampants and one of the towers. The earthquakes of 1640 and 1659 produced other damages; in the 17th century the Castle became a seminary, while in the 19th and 20th centuries further earthquakes reduced it as it appears today. Recently it has been restored. The octangular tower, still existing, dates back to the Swabian period, while the Angevin period is witnessed by the crests with the rake and the fleur-de-lis in some rooms of the Southern wing. In the internal cloister you can still distinguish the changes brought about during the Bourbon dominion, when the Castle became a prison. From the Castle you can enjoy a lovely and wide view of the city.

Swabian Castle in Cosenza dates back to 1595

The first iconographic document concerning the Swabian Castle in Cosenza dates back to 1595: it is a topographic map by Father Giovanni Camerota, rector of the Gesuite Community in Cosenza.

The City Theatre is entitled to the pianist Alfonso Rendano from Cosenza and was built between 1887 and 1909 according to the planning of the architect Zumpano. It was inaugurated on November 20th 1909. Seriously damaged during the Second World War, it was restored thanks to the financial contribution of both the city administration and the Italian government. In particular, the city administration took care of the restoration concerning the Neo Classical external façade, as well as of the building of the staircase in the gallery whose planning was committed to the Neapolitan architect Enzo Gentile. The State contribution was destined to the hall, the boxes, the corridors, the stage and the services.

 

The City Theatre “Alfonso Rendano”,

inaugurated on November 20th 1909, with a performance

of “Aida” by Giuseppe Verdi, is

one of the brightest cultural realities of the whole Calabria.

Small building erected in 1938, the seat of the City Library as well as of the Academy, founded by Aulo Giano Parrasio in 1511 and later made illustrious by Bernardino Telesio.

The Cathedral was built in the 12th century, and immediately after rebuilt in part after a terrible earthquake. The reconstruction, however, was slow and it was completed only in 1222, when it was consecrated on January 30th, in front of the Emperor Frederick II. The interior of the Cathedral is divided into three naves, with eight spans delimited by large rectangular pillars with very short capitals, linked by round arches. The first Chapel is devoted to “Madonna del Pilerio”, strongly venerated by the local population.

 

Saint Frances of Assisi Convent

St. Augustine Church and Convent

The old quarters, in the south part of the city

Two images of St. Augustine

Church

CORSO MAZZINI

“St. Joseph’s Fair”

In January 1233, the Emperor Frederick II gave the city the “sixth fair of the Sicily Reign”, called Maddalena Fair, which was later confirmed by other sovereigns, and by the French at the beginning of the 19th century. Nowadays, the Fair is still an event: it takes place in the central weeks of March, when the celebration of St. Joseph takes place too, and is always visited by many people. Goods from all over the world are sold, and concerts are played as well.

The Metal Age brought to Calabria other populations. Greek merchants and sailors visited the coasts of the region between the 16th and 12th centuries B.C. Calabria was one of the most favourite goals during the migrations towards Southern Italy, which was then called “Magna Greece”. In that period, Sibari and Crotone were founded, and the two centres soon developed a rich agricultural and commercial economy, enlarging to the Tyrrhenian coasts of Calabria and to the present Campania.The traces of the Greek civilization in Calabria are many and inestimable.

Calabria, in its long history, has been the home of various populations and cultures, coming from the whole Mediterranean area. The region was inhabited since the Paleolithic, as it is witnessed by the “Bos primigenius”, a graffito found in a cave in Papasidero, in the province of Cosenza.

Two miniatures from the Codex Purpureus

Rossanensis

For centuries, Calabria remained under the dominion of Byzantines. This long period saw the growing of monasteries, which made the region a rich centre of cultural transmission, through the production of several manuscripts. In Rossano, it is still possible to admire the wonderful “Codex Purpureus Rossanensis”.

Calabria under the dominion of Byzantines : Calabria under the dominion of Byzantines : RossanoRossano

Giangurgolo, a stock character of Calabria’s

Carnival

Traditional Calabrian costumes