SHARRYLAND
Villages of the Orange Coast - 1 DI 3
Three Boroughs of the Gulf - Montauro
It is the first of three villages in the hinterland of the Aranci Coast that form an itinerary generous with rural vistas and views of the sea
Where is
This is one of three villages on the Orange Coast.
A belvedere between sea and mountains
Montauro (m 393) is an agricultural center that looks on one side to the Gulf of Squillace from the top of a rocky spur and on the other to Mount Paladino (m 630), a wooded high ground that introduces the wider scenery of the Calabrian Serre. The town offers initial evidence of its relevance by being at the point of convergence of several roads that rise from the coast and connect it to neighboring towns in the foothills.
Under the sign of the powerful Charterhouse of San Bruno
The town has an ancient foundation, probably early medieval, at the hands of Basilian monks. It was the Normans after the year 1000, however, who marked a turning point in the community's history by placing the important monastery of San Giacomo under the jurisdiction of the Carthusian monastery of San Bruno. Various aspects, starting with the location of the settlement, suggest the defensive character of the settlement to cope with the risk of pirate raids that lasted over the centuries.
Portals and coats of arms signs of an ancient rank
On the high ground in front of the settlement, beyond the line of olive trees rise imposing ruins, what remains after the catastrophic earthquake of 1789 of the so-called grange of Sant'Anna, a fortified monastic structure intended primarily for the protection of crops from the many uncertainties of the dark ages. To this presence the village owes its considerable rank in the hierarchies of the territory. Also testifying to this is the unusual number of palaces, more than twenty, which with their showy portals stand out among the low stone houses in the dense network of paved streets of the old core.
The Mother Church on the site of an early medieval castle
The monument that brings together the entire history of the town is the Mother Church dedicated to the patron saint, the martyr St. Pantaleon. The sacred building was probably built on the remains of an ancient fortification, of which several exterior elements are easily recognizable, the most conspicuous of which forms the basis of the bell tower. The imposing facade is opened by a portal with large granite ashlars, through which one enters a room of substantially Baroque character. Inside, attention focuses on thehigh altar in polychrome marble, surmounted by a majestic tabernacle in the manner of the famous Neapolitan architect Cosimo Fanzago (1591-1678).
Memories and flavors of land and sea
In spite of its distance from the sea, Montauro enjoyed a certain fame in the past as a town of "marinari e pisciari." It so happened that many villagers found themselves walking the seven kilometers of dusty country roads separating it from the marina every morning and vice versa in the evening. A tradition, that of fishing, which waned in the second half of the twentieth century, but is still alive in memory and culinary customs.
Enter the Map of Italy's Undiscovered Wonders and find treasures where you least expect it... Inspire, Recommend, Share...
The Map thanks:
Enter the Map of Italy's Undiscovered Wonders and find treasures where you least expect it... Inspire, Recommend, Share...
Index
INTRODUZIONE
Villages of the Orange Coast
1 di 3
Three Boroughs of the Gulf - Montauro
2 di 3
Three Boroughs of the Gulf - Gasperina
3 di 3
Three Villages of the Gulf - Montepaone
Where is
