Castrovillari
Castrovillari (Latin castrum Villarum ) is an Italian town in the province of Cosenza and is part of the Calabria region with 22,414 inhabitants (as of 31 December 2012).
Location and data
The municipality covers an area of 130 km ². Castrovillari located on the eastern edge of the Pollino National Park, halfway between the Tyrrhenian Sea to the west and the Ionian Sea in the east.
Borders the following municipalities: Altomonte, Cassano allo Ionio, Cerchiara di Calabria, Chiaromontes (PZ ), Civita, Frascineto, Morano Calabro, San Basile, San Lorenzo Bellizzi, San Lorenzo del Vallo, Saracen, Spezzano Albanese and Terranova di Pollino (PZ ).
History
Paleolithic and Neolithic finds indicate a lively stone-age settlement history of the region. The area was Castrovillaris after 720 BC under the influence of the Greek colony of Sybaris. Since the end of the Second Punic War, southern Italy finally belonged to the Roman Empire. The name of Castrum Villarum probably originated during the Byzantine rule and suggests a fortified place, which served as the 6th century as a refuge for the rural population against the Ostrogoths and other " barbarians ".
Attractions
- Castello Aragonese, a fortress in the city center, built around 1490 on the orders of Ferdinand I.
- Chiesa di Santa Maria del Castello, church from the 11th century
- Chiesa della Santissima Trinità church from the 18th century
- Chiesa di San Giuliano, church from the 14th century
- Protoconvento FRANCESCANo, Franciscan abbey dating from the 13th century
- Ponte di San Giuseppe or Ponte della Catena (Eng. Chain Bridge), connects the two halves of the city together
- Museo Archeologico di Castrovillari (German Archaeological Museum Castrovillari ), founded in 1957, is located in the Protoconvento FRANCESCANo