Castrovillari

For the Castrovillari meteorite of 1583, see meteorite falls.

Castrovillari (Calabrian: Castruvìddari) is a town and comune in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy.

Castrovillari
Comune
Città di Castrovillari
The massif of Pollino seen from Mimmo Rende Stadium
Coat of arms
Castrovillari within the Province of Cosenza and Calabria
Location of Castrovillari
Castrovillari Location of Castrovillari in Italy Castrovillari Castrovillari (Calabria)
Coordinates: 39°49′N 16°12′E
Country	Italy
Region	Calabria
Province	Cosenza (CS)
Frazioni	Cammarata, Vigne
Government
• Mayor	Domenico Lo Polito
Area
• Total	130 km2 (50 sq mi)
Elevation	362 m (1,188 ft)
Population  (31 March 2017)
• Total	22,037
• Density	170/km2 (440/sq mi)
Demonym	Castrovillaresi
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	87012
Dialing code	0981
Patron saint	St. Iulian
Saint day	January 27
Website	Official website

Geography

Castrovillari lies in the north of Calabria, close to the border with Basilicata and within the Pollino National Park. The town is surrounded by mountains including Pollino (2,248 m) and Dolcedorme (2,273 m), also part of the Pollino National Park.

The town borders with the municipalities of Altomonte, Lungro, Cassano allo Ionio, Cerchiara di Calabria, Chiaromonte, Civita, Frascineto, Morano Calabro, San Basile, Saracena, San Lorenzo Bellizzi, San Lorenzo del Vallo and Terranova di Pollino.

History

The name derives probably from the medieval Latin castrum villarum, meaning "fortress of the villas". The place is inhabited since prehistoric times. The city was founded, or better fortified, during the medieval wars between the Lombards and the Byzantine Empire; the name comes from a more ancient fortress called "Sassonion" or "Saxonion", so the "Castron" appeared in some documents as "Neon Sassonion", likely the ancient Byzantine name corresponding to the medieval Latin "Castrum Villarum". Officially the city entered the history in 1064 AD when the "Castra" was occupied by Norman warriors led by Robert Guiscard. In 1090, during the county of his son Roger Borsa, the sanctuary of "Saint Mary of the Castle" Madonna del Castello was built.

During the House of Hohenstaufen rule in southern Italy, the town obtained the title of city and was the starting point for the evangelization of Calabria by the Minor Friars Order, founded by St. Francis from Assisi.

The first Franciscan Monastery in Calabria ("Protoconvento francescano") was built here in 1220 by Pietro Cathin from Sant'Andrea of the Marca, the first Order's Prior in Calabria. the castle was built in 1490 during the Aragonese rule in southern Italy.

Main sights

• Castello Aragonese
• Ponte della Catena (Bridge of the Chain), connecting the two halves of the city
• Church of San Giuliano
• Franciscan protoconvent
• Church of Madonna del Castello

Transport

The town was served, until 1978, by a railway station on the now abandoned narrow gauge line Lagonegro-Lauria-Castrovillari-Spezzano Albanese, owned by the regional company Ferrovie della Calabria.

It is crossed by the A2 motorway (Salerno-Reggio Calabria) and served by two exits: "Castrovillari-Morano Calabro" and "Castrovillari-Frascineto".

Sport

Castrovillari local chess team plays in the second division of the Italian team competition. Regarding football, the most representative team is the U.S. Castrovillari Calcio, commonly known as Castrovillari. The team played for several seasons in the Serie C2, the fourth highest football league in Italy and the lowest with a professional status. Its home ground is the "Mimmo Rende Stadium".

External links

• Official website (in Italian)
• Castrovillari.info (in Italian)
• The diary of Castrovillari (in Italian)