Morano Calabro

Morano Calabro, a jewel set in the heart of the Pollino National Park, is a gem of Calabria that surprises at every street corner. Among narrow streets that seem to set the stage for a breathtaking natural setting, this ancient village reveals itself to visitors with its wealth of history, art and traditions.

The urban fabric harmonizes beautifully with the surrounding landscape; stone houses climb along the slopes of the mountain, providing breathtaking panoramic views. The imposing Norman-Swabian Castle, which dominates the hilltop, is the custodian of centuries of historical events and offers an open window into the region's warrior and noble past.

Morano Calabro is a place where aristocratic palaces tell stories of illustrious families: from the rose-colored facades of the Marzano palace to the imposing facades of the Salmena palace, home to the Museum of the History of Agriculture and Pastoralism, every building seems to have something to tell. Architectural beauty does not stop at aesthetics as each structure is imbued with a deep connection to the land and its inhabitants.

Visitors are invited to get lost among the churches that hold sacred artwork and ancient frescoes, silent witnesses to a religious fervor rooted in the centuries. A perfect example is the Church of St. Mary Magdalene with its Baroque facade, which conceals treasures of devotion and artistic merit inside.

In addition to its historical and cultural heritage, Morano Calabro also offers a fascinating experience for nature lovers. The Nibbio, a unique nature museum, is the gateway to learn about the biodiversity and most fascinating aspects of the Pollino Unesco Geopark.

A separate chapter deserves the local gastronomy, with the genuine flavors of the Calabrian land combined with the sophistication of the presentations. And for those who wish to fully immerse themselves in this universe of taste and tradition, a visit to the Campotenese Lavender Park is not to be missed. Here, among expanses of lilacs and dreamy scents, one can savor the experience of an environment where nature plays the starring role.

Morano Calabro is not simply a place to visit but an experiential journey that enchants the senses and ennobles the spirit, a must-visit destination for every traveler who seeks in Calabria not just a vacation, but a memory to be preserved eternally in the heart.

History

Morano Calabro Murenu (in dialect moranese) is situated in a strategic position in the high valley of the river Coscile (ancient Sybaris epoch magno-Greek), on the slopes of the Pollino massif, in Calabria. The toponym is already attested in the II century B.C. Morano Calabro was certainly founded by the Romans, as already said, around the II century b.c. The first significant trace of the village we meet is the Muranum station of the Via Capua-Rhegium appeared for the first time in a milestone of the II century a.C., the so-called Lapis Pollae (or plaque Polla) where are marked the distances of the ancient roman consular road commonly called via Annia-Popilia. Subsequently, I ended with the name of Summuranum in so-called route of Antonino (III century d.C.) and in Tabula Peutingeriana (III century d.C.).

In the medieval era, during the Saracen raids of the IX century, was fought between the Saracens and moranesi a battle that saw the victorious citizens of the village, the battle of Petrafòcu. Today, is annually remembered as a symbol of the independence town in an annual commemoration historical, the Feast of the flag as well as iconograficamente in civic coat of arms. In the Middle Ages the village was for a certain time a free commune, it later became the fief of Apollonius Morano, Fasanella, Antonello Fuscaldo and in the XIV century it passed finally to Sanseverino of Bisignano. This noble family felt very much tied to Morano, leaving many and precious traces historical-artistic, testimony of their patronage, such as the votive foundation of the monastery of San Bernardino of Siena is the patron saint of the city (1452), and the enlargement of the Castle (1515).

A test of the constant link with its dominions, Prince Pietrantonio Sanseverino, major exponent of the family, conferred numerous concessions, thanks to the famous Act Chapters and thanks, ratified in the city of Morano on 1 August 1530, also his son Niccolò Bernardino (remembered for the botanical gardens sanseverini of Naples), was born there in 1541 and which was given as a second name that of the patron saint, almost suggellarne binding. In 1614 the feud was then ceded to the Spinelli principles of Scalea, until 1806, the year of eversion from feudalism. The village then followed the fate of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and the fledgling kingdom of Italy.

The ancient core of the urban center is perched on a hill of conical shape top 694 meters above sea level at the top of which there are the ruins of an ancient manor of Normanno-Sveva era. The inhabited center develops degrading from the top to the base of the hill and creating a suggestive illusion perspective to which the houses seem to be attached to each other. This urban structure goes back to the roman and medieval ages: it is indeed found that today's castle, may reproduce a more ancient defensive fortress dating back to the Roman era.

In later times, the village is extended modellandosi on the structure of the hill up to lead toward the beginning of the eighteenth century, in the district of Via Vigna della Signora, anciently called Burgo, outside the city walls. As a result of the various mutations socio-economic of the last century, in the second half of the sixties started a phase of enlargement toward the plateau overlooking the ancient city nucleus, where today there are new modern buildings.