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Visit Castrovillari
Castrovillari is situated to the north of the Calabria region (the 'toe' of Italy), to the west of Sybaris.
Castrovillari has a remarkable artistic heritage, as highlighted by the imposing Aragonese Castle, located in the city centre.
Castrovillari Castle: the castle was built in 1490 and has a square plan with large angular cylindrical towers -the one to the right of the entrance retains its original appearance. Surrounded originally by a deep moat, crossed by a drawbridge, it retains in the entrance a door with a high relief depicting the weapons of the House of Aragon, and a Latin inscription that refers to the date of construction and the dynasty of the founder.
Sanctuary of the Madonna del Castello: in the so-called "Civita", the ancient Old Town, situated on a hill dominating the village, there is the Sanctuary of the Madonna del Castello, founded by the Norman Roger in 1090 and rebuilt in the Baroque period. The Church, of the Basilica type with three naves, has a façade with a large Loggia of arches and pillars, resting on medieval structures. The façade is embellished with two Romanesque portals. The interior, tripartite, with chapels on the sides of the aisles containing paintings from the 16th-18th centuries, was re-done and decorated in Baroque style in 1769. On the right side of the Church is another entry with a portal surmounted by a marble bas-relief by Tino Da Camaino (1285-1336, started by his father, who was an architect and part of the “bottega” of Giovanni Pisano). The Church holds some paintings by Pietro Negroni (1505-1567, a follower of Caravaggio [1571-1610]) dating back to the 16th century, in addition to some valuable Romanesque works of the 14th century.
The Church of San Giuliano was located in the main square of Castrovillari. Dating back to 1090, it was enlarged in the 16th century and was destroyed by fire in 1789. Later rebuilt, the Church has a stately 16th century portal flanked by columns and made from local stone, and a contemporary wooden door. Inside the church holds important artistic works, such as the remarkable baptismal font of XVI, two finely carved altars, and a "Christ on the cross" of the 16th century.
The ancient Franciscan monastery of Castrovillari, located on the “Colle del Lauro”, was founded in 1220 by Pietro Cathin, a disciple of Saint Francis of Assisi. The monastery has undergone several transformations and it was abolished in 1809. It presents a valuable marble Portal from the 18th century and, in its oldest part, has two porches surrounding three courtyards.
Also visit the Castrovillari Municipal Museum, which exhibits some finds from the Palaeolithic and the Middle Ages from the town and its surroundings. Among those of particular interest are some votive statues of the 5th century BC, found on the “Colle della Madonna del Castello”, pottery from the Necropolis of “Bello Luce” (VIII-VII century BC), Ferrocinte (4th century BC), from the Roman villa of “Camerelle” (II century BC-2nd century AD) and some rare finds from the Lombard necropolis of Celimarro (7th century AD).
Crafts and Cuisine in Castrovillari
In Castrovillari there are many local activities, including the processing of gold, woodworking, carpenters, shoemakers and creators of objects in wrought iron. Some artists also continued to work with stone.
No less interesting are the typical dishes of the area, based mainly on simple products of the Earth. Thanks to the good oil produced in the region many delicacies are preserved in oil such as the 'scamicia' (eggplants), the 'avulive scazzate', the 'pummadore siccate' (seasoned with capers) and 'fungij' (mushrooms). Typical also the 'sardicedde' and 'cancariddi cruski' (fresh chillies, emptied of seeds, are put in hot oil for about 20 seconds). Also excellent are the cheeses, including the "picurinu", and the sausages (the "savusizza suprissata" , "prusuttu" and "capicuddu".
Among the first courses to try we suggest the spaghetti eg ‘spaghetti alli cintu buccuni’. other local dishes include the so-called "suffrittu" (innards of kid cooked with tomatoes, peppers and spices); lamb and kid baked with potatoes; the "scorz puorcu cu soup" (rolled pork rind cooked in vegetable soup), the 'stuffed mirlingiane' (aubergines stuffed with meat, stale bread and spices); the 'mirlingiane to kitarra' (aubergines fried sliced, diced, and seasoned with fresh tomato). Among the desserts are dried figs with almonds and walnuts (covered with sugar).
See also history of Castrovillari