Stage n.6
Alessandria del Carretto – Cerchiara di Calabria
Area
Pollino Orientale – Monte Sparviere
Difficulty
E – Also accessible via MTB
Distance
23,3 km
Travel Time
6 – 8 hrs
Start
Alessandria del Carretto – Piazza Municipio
Finish
Cerchiara di Calabria
Difference in altitude
↑ 412m ↓ 737m
Accessible
All year round
Springs and fountainheads with waypoint
Yes
River/fiumare crossing (waypoint)
No
A stage of the Cammino Basiliano that reveals the beauty of the Pollino’s Eastern side. Immersed in the maple forest of Alessandria del Carretto and Mount Sparviere, where hikers will be able to see the Chapel of the Madonna dello Sparviere, also known as the Madonna delle Nevi. Along the trail, visitors will be able to see the entire Calabrian arch facing the Ionian Sea, and the Sila Mountains that gently wane towards East.
The itinerary ends in Cerchiara di Calabria, the “village of bread”, where scattered caves all across the area have always been shelter to Basilian monks, brigands and shepherds (and today represent an ideal location for speleology enthusiasts).
Alessandria view
A stage of the Cammino Basiliano that reveals the beauty of the Pollino’s Eastern side. Immersed in the maple forest of Alessandria del Carretto and Mount Sparviere, where hikers will be able to see the Chapel of the Madonna dello Sparviere, also known as the Madonna delle Nevi. Along the trail, visitors will be able to see the entire Calabrian arch facing the Ionian Sea, and the Sila Mountains that gently wane towards East.
The itinerary ends in Cerchiara di Calabria, the “village of bread”, where scattered caves all across the area have always been shelter to Basilian monks, brigands and shepherds (and today represent an ideal location for speleology enthusiasts).
Alessandria view
Area
Pollino Orientale – Monte Sparviere
Difficulty
E – Also accessible via MTB
Distance
23,3 km
Travel Time
6 – 8 hrs
Start
Alessandria del Carretto – Piazza Municipio
Finish
Cerchiara di Calabria
Difference in altitude
↑ 412m ↓ 737m
Accessible
All year round
Springs and fountainheads with waypoint
Yes
River/fiumare crossing (waypoint)
No
Murals
Route
Brief historical overview
Alessandria del Carretto was founded in 1633 with the arrival (from the nearby villages of Oriolo, San Lorenzo Bellizzi and Cerchiara) of a number of farmers helped by the Marquis Alessandro Pignone del Carretto, who intended to increase the agricultural area and cultivable land. The village has kept alive many traditions that make it well worth a visit, such as: the Carnival and the festival of “Pitë and of the Patron Sant’Alessandro Papa and Martyr”. The former is a depiction of the struggle between good and evil, with people wearing masks of the “belli” (pretty ones) and the “brutti” (ugly ones): an incredible and unique show.
The “Festa della della Pitë e del patrono Sant’Alessandro Papa e Martire” (about to be recognised UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage) dates back to the 17th century, when, according to legend, a woodsman found in the trunk of a white fir tree the image of the decapitated Saint. From that day onwards, every year (starting from the second to last Sunday of April until the 3rd of May) people of the village celebrate through various rituals the values of the community and their cultural identity. Places of interest in Alessandria del Carretto are the Museum “Guido Chidichimo” dedicated to the first Italian doctor to perform an open heart surgery operation (born and buried in Alessandria del Carretto); the Museum of the Woolf, that illustrates the animal’s relationship with man, and the Botanical garden, with a series of itineraries to discover the local flora. “Radicazioni” is the traditional cultural festival that livens up the streets of the village from the 20th to the 22nd of August with popular music, street artists, handmade produces and debates.
Two the most typical dishes are: maccherunë cu suchë du rregonë (pasta of Carosella wheat with lamb’s leg sauce and lard, garlic, parsley and laurel) and the licurdë (stale bread soup with onions, peppers, tomatoes, dried basil, eggs and a dash of aged pecorino cheese).
View of Cerchiara
The structure of the city centre of Cerchiara di Calabria is of clear Medieval style. The old village – made of low housing, narrow alleys and magnificent gates carved in rock (the famous Pietra of Cerchiara) – has many churches (San Giacomo, San Pietro Apostolo, Sant’Antonio, with annexed the Convento degli Osservanti) and a great view onto the entire Piana di Sibari. The area of Cerchiara, thanks to its caves, has always been shelter to Basilian monks, brigands and shepherds: today it represents an ideal location for speleology enthusiasts. The geological structure is such that a kind of sulphurous water with remarkable properties for skincare gushes from the slopes of the mountains. Cerchiara is the “village of bread”. The bread is traditionally made with starter and flour of ancient wheat (Majorca and Carosella), and cooked rigorously in wood ovens. In the Museum of Bread are on display ancient tools and machineries, including millers’ and bakers’ mannequins to illustrate this art of the past.
Cammino
Map and elevation profile
Further information
Guide of reference for the stage: Emanuele Pisarra +39 333 8732829
[Cerchiara di Calabria]
Info turistiche presso il comune tel. 0981.991007
Pro Loco Cerchiara di Calabria – tel. – web: www.cerchiaraperladellojonio.it
Comune Cerchiara di Calabria – tel. +39 0981 991007 – web: www.comune.cerchiara.cs.it/ mail: protocollo@pec.comune.cerchiara.cs.it
Where to sleep
[Cerchiara di Calabria]
B&B – La Casa Dell’escursionista – tel. +39 328 9127581
Extra: not verified
[Cerchiara di Calabria]
Guesthouses – Antica Dimora Palazzo Rovitti – tel. +39 339 4334343 – mail: filomenarago_2015@libero.it – info@palazzorovitti.it
Religious hospitality – Monastero Santuario Delle Armi – tel. +39 0981 991002 – n.b.: Located along the next stage Cerchiara – Civita , about 5 Km away from the village
Where to eat
[Cerchiara Di Calabria]
Farmhouse – Azienda Agricola Agrituristica Acampora – tel. +39 0981 991320 – mail: agriturismoacampora@tiscali.it
Extra: not verified
[Cerchiara Di Calabria]
Restaurant – Osteria Al Ponte – tel. +39 333 6797539 – mail: osteriaalponte1@gmail.com
Last update: 2024-10-15
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