|
|
|
Beside the cave, archaeological excavations have brought to light some well-preserved graves with skeletons of individuals short of stature. Of considerable importance is also another archaeological site at Timpone della Motta and Macchiabbate in the vicinity of the town of Francavilla Marittima. In the former place, an indigenous inhabited area was found. It already existed when the Achaeian settlers founded Sibari in 720 B.C. In the latter place, there is an important necropolis near the inhabited area where a wealth of burial goods was found. At San Donato di Ninea, the cave of Sant'Angelo houses an underground church dating from the 5th to 6th centuries A.D., with well-preserved frescoes, altars, columns and architectural works. In the vicinity of San Sosti, a votive bronze hatchet devoted to the goddess Hera was found; at present, it is exhibited in the British Museum in London. Well-known in the territories of Valsinni and Cersosimo are the defensive boundary walls from the 4th century B.C. Other significant archaeological finds - mainly of burial goods have been brought to light in the area of Chiaromonte. Many are the centuries-old holy places such as churches, sanctuaries and monasteries scattered in the various villages within the Park. Some of them are located in very spectacular and picturesque spots: the Santuario della Madonna delle Armi (Sanctuary of Madonna delle Armi) near Cerchiara di Calabria built on a cliff in 1440 still conserves precious frescoes and a silver shrine with the miraculous, sacred image of the Virgin Mary; striking is also the medieval Chiesa di Santa Maria di Costantinopoli (Church of Santa Maria di Costantinopoli) at Papasidero high up on a cliff overlooking the river Lao far down below; worth visiting in the Orsomarso mountains is the Santuario della Madonna del Pettoruto (Sanctuary of the Madonna del Pettoruto) at San Sosti built in 1274 by the monks of the Abbazia di Acquaformosa (Abbey of Acquaformosa) and later rebuilt after an earthquake in 1783; unique is the Santuario di Cappelle (Sanctuary of Cappelle) at Laino Borgo named after the fifteen small chapels with frescoes depicting scenes from the life of Jesus Christ. Outside the village of Chiaromonte one can see the ruins of the Abbazia del Sagittario (Abbey of Sagittario) from the 13th century and those of the Monastero del Ventrile (Monastery of Ventrile) dating from the 14th century. From the motorway that runs through the Park one can see the fascinating ruins of the Convento di Colloreto (Convent of Colloreto) near Morano Calabro built in 1545, abandoned around the 13th century which later became a place where bandits found shelter. In the historical town center of Morano Calabro -a place with a wealth of art and history- among the many churches, a few deserve special attention: the 15th century Chiesa di San Bernardino (Church of St.Bernardino) with its valuable wooden lacunar and Gothic portal; the Chiesa dei SS. Pietro e Paolo (Church of St. Peter and St.Paul) with two statues by Pietro Bernini from the no longer existing convento di Colloreto (convent of Colloreto); la Colleggiata della Maddalena (Collegiate Church of Maddalena) built from the 16th century onwards, whose interior is one of the most interesting examples of the Baroque in Calabria and houses the artworks - Madonna degli Angioli by Gagini and a polyptych signed and dated by Vavarini in 1477. Other religious edifices enhance the villages on Mt. Pollino: the Santuario di Santa Maria della Consolazione (Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Consolazione) at Rotonda, the Abbazia di Santa Maria Odigitria (Abbey of Santa Maria Odigitria) at San Basile with its 13th century Madonna Coronata, the Monastero di Santa Maria del Monte (Monastery of Santa Maria del Monte) at Acquaformosa, the Chiesa Bizantina di Santa Sofia (Byzantine Church of Santa Sofia) at Papasidero with frescoes depicting St. Sophia and St. Giles, the Chiese dei santi apostoli Pietro e Paolo (Churches of SS. Apostoli Pietro e Paolo) at Frascineto, the Cattedrale di San Nicola di Mira (Cathedral of San Nicola di Mira) at Lungro with its precious iconostasis, and the Chiesa della Visitazione (Church of the Visitation) at Aieta with its beautiful 18th century portal. In addition to the places of worship there are ancient fortifications and palaces : at Chiaromonte, Senise, Morano Calabro, Grisolia, Mormanno and Castrovillari as well as the ruins of an Aragonese castle dating from 1490. At Valsinni stands the medieval castle that belonged to the great 16th century poet Isabella Morra whose name was made known by Benedetto Croce. Her lyrics have inspired the establishment of a "Literature Park". Particularly striking is the historical town center of Laino Castello, an ancient village overlooking the Valle del Lao (Lao River Valley) that was completely abandoned after an earthquake in the early 1980s. Other villages of historical interest are Orsomarso with its unusual Clock Tower built on the cliff, Papasidero, Civita with its peculiar chimneypots, Viggianello, Rotonda with its portals and precious friezes carved by local stone-cutters. In the past, splendid watermills added beauty to the area and some of them still exist today like the one at "Ricchie Muzze" near Francavilla sul Sinni; other mills built between the 14th and 17th centuries are located near San Severino and at Mezzana where one can see the great millstones that were once in use. THE ARBĖRESHE COMMUNITY.
Of great religious interest are the church services in the
Byzantine-Greek rite such as weddings. In some places, fabric
from broom fibers is still woven by hand following age-old
procedures passed on from mother to daughter like the splendid
costumes for daily use and for festive occasions with songs and
Vallje - unusual dances where the Arbėreshe dancers are tied
together with scarves so as to preserve their memory and pass it
on to future generations. THE TRADITIONSVarious rites celebrate the relationship of Man with the mountains. For example, during the feast of Madonna di Pollino celebrated on the first Friday, Saturday and Sunday in July, a procession winds its way up to the sanctuary of the Virgin Mary at an altitude of 1537 mts in the vicinity of San Severino Lucano; the feast of the Madonna di Pettoruto at San Sosti is celebrated on the first Sunday in May with a ceremony called "cerimonia della Cinta", and from the 1st to the 8th September to commemorate the anniversary of the reconstruction; the "Giudaica" of Laino Borgo takes place on Good Friday every two years; the feast of St. Ann is celebrated on the Sunday following the 26th of July at San Lorenzo Bellizzi and finally the feast of San Rocco with its famous sickle dance which takes place on the 16th of August at San Paolo Albanese. Courtesy of Parco Nazionale del Pollino
|
