Umbriatico

Umbriatico is an Italian town in the province of Crotone in Calabria with 894 inhabitants (as at 31 December 2012).

Location and data

Umbriatico is located 60 km north- west of Crotone on foothills of the Sila Mountains. The neighboring municipalities are Campana ( CS), Carfizzi, Ciro, Crucoli, Pallagorio, Scala Coeli (CS) and Verzino. Umbriatico, which rises on a rocky plateau high above ravines, can only be achieved over a large bridge on 9 piers. The road from the Ionian coast to Umbriatico was built in the years 1914 to 1925.

History

Even before the colonization of the Greeks here was a village. The present town was founded in 700 by Greek immigrants from Crotone and bore the name Bristacia. Later the place then Euria, which then was in the Byzantine language Evria, finally Evriaticon. This led to the present name Umbriatico. From 1099 to 1808 the town was a bishopric, then the two dioceses Cariati and Umbriatico were combined to form a diocese based in Cariati. Umbriatico but also sees itself as the heir of the city and diocese of Paternum, which is attested as a bishopric since 431.

Attractions

The Cathedral of S. Donato Vescovo was built from the 10th to the 12th centuries and is one of the eight most important Romanesque churches in Calabria. The assumption that the remarkable crypt was originally a pre-Christian temple, which would have been then rededicated to the Christian cathedral, was refuted by excavations: This crypt is probably from the 11th century. The cathedral was changed considerably over time; the Baroque furnishings of the 18th century was completely removed during the renovation in 1950. On the outskirts there are the remains of defenses.