Castiglione Cosentino: visit the hill town of Castiglione Cosentino in Calabria, Italy

Visit Castiglione Cosentino

Castiglione Cosentino is a small town in the countryside of the Calabria region of southern Italy.

Castiglione Cosentino was subject to several severe earthquakes during the 18th - 20th centuries, so a substantial part of the architectural heritage has been lost. However, this heritage is still well represented by the religious buildings in the town.

Explore Castiglione Cosentino

In the sacred buildings of Castiglione Cosentino you can see various works of art, some of considerable interest. Start your visit at the parish church, dedicated to Saint Nicholas and Our Lady of the “Olmo” and Saint Biagio, that dates from the 15th century. The interior has three naves covered with stucco, baroque decorations, and pillars in tuff.

The Neapolitan painter Girolamo Imparato (1549-1607), a late-Mannerist artist, worked in this church. He was author of an oil painting depicting the "Annunciation," dating back to 1591, signed as: “Hieronimus Imperato / pictor / faciebat, 1591”.

In the left side chapel stands the "Madonna del Carmine" attributed to Christoforo Sant'Anna (1735-1805), a painter from Rende, who worked for a long time in the province of Cosenza. The church contains some fine statues and a wooden crucifix of the 18th century. On the main altar stands the "Assumption" by Giuseppe Pascaletti (1699-1757), a painter born at Fiumefreddo, in the province of Cosenza, who worked in various churches of Castiglione Cosentino.

Other important religious buildings in Castiglione Cosentino represent the historical and architectural heritage of the town, among which is the Church of the Capuchins containing, among other things, a fine ciborium of the 17th century.

Tourism is a very important industry for the area, where the forests and mountains offer a beautiful scenery for nature lovers, with a favourable climate that produces the region’s best olive oil and wine.

For gourmets we recommend you sample some of the tasty local dishes such as the Fettuccine with ricotta and the “Maccarruni aru furnu” [Baked Macaroni].

You can find more local travel ideas in the Calabria guide.