The village of Morano Calabro

In the province of Cosenza, in the middle of the Pollino National Park, we find one of the most beautiful villages in Italy.

We are talking about Morano Calabro, which lies in the high valley of the Coscile River, at the foot of the Calabrian massif.

The whole town looks like a lovely “panoramic view”: the houses seem piled on each other, and inside the village the harmony between alleys and noble palaces is clearly perceptible.

Certainly founded by the Romans, Morano Calabro was involved in a long battle against the Saracens in the early Middle Ages: clash that saw the triumph of the citizens of the Calabrian village.

Ceded to the Spinelli princes of Scalea in 1614 until the end of feudalism, Morano Calabro was affected by a significant migration between the 800 and the early ‘900, which caused a strong population decline.

Precisely for this reason, in the ’80s, the town ratified the twinning with Porto Alegre: it is estimated that about 15,000 natives of Morano reside in the Brazilian city.

The jewel of Morano Calabro is undoubtedly the Church of San Bernardino da Siena: the style is late Gothic and the interior reminds a bit the typical characteristics of the Franciscan environments, strict but at the same time imbued with spirituality.

Walking through the district of Lauri you reach the wonderful Collegiate Church of St. Nicholas.

From there you enter a dense grid of squares, underpasses and alleys that leads to the Castle, of Norman origin.

Always continuing, you can easily get to the other Collegiate, that of SS. Peter and Paul: This church is the oldest in the entire village (dating to around 1000, ed).

Do not miss out on visiting also the beautiful noble palaces: the Scorza-Aronne Palace, the Salmena Palace (which houses the Museum of Agriculture and Pastoralism), the Lauria Palace and the Rocca Palace over all.

Also take a trip to the Caves of St. Paul, a complex of caves located on the plateau of Campotenese: the stalactites and stalagmites that upholster these caves create an authentic spectacle that will definitely leave you speechless.