San Demetrio Corone – Acri

This stage of the Cammino Basiliano leads to Sila: chestnut forests, wavy landscapes, pine woods, villages filled with history, records of great religious men. Two different worlds in a single territory, well integrated one with the other: San Demetrio Corone, arbëreshë village with origins strongly linked to the presence of Italo-Greek monks, and Acri, whose foundation is shrouded in mystery.

 S.S. Annunziata di Acri

Area

Sila

Difficulty

E – Also accessible via MTB

Distance

12,1 km

Travel time

4 – 6 hrs

Start

San Demetrio Corone – Piazza Monumento

Finish

Acri – Basilica del Beato Angelo

Difference in altitude

↑ 475m ↓ 229m

Accessible

All year round

Springs and fountainheads with waypoint

Yes

River/fiumare crossing (waypoint)

Yes

Route

Brief historical overview

San Demetrio Corone is an arbëreshë village looking onto the Piana di Sibari with a great view onto the entire Pollino Massif. Its origins are deeply connected with the presence of Italo-Greek monks (the name of the village recalls that of a Greek saint). In 955 Nilo da Rossano (Basilian monk, hermit and abbot, founder of the Abbey of Santa Maria di Grottaferrata) moved to San Demetrio and built here a monastery, the Abbey of Sant’Adriano. The word “Corone” was added in 1863, and it refers to the large migration of Greek families from Coron, Peloponnese, in 1534. It is the seat of the Italo-Albanian College, moved here in 1794 by San Benedetto Ullano.

Cascata lungo il cammino

The city of Acri extends over three hills. The old village is Padìa, with the civic tower, also known as “stronghold of the Bruttians”, and the main church of Santa Maria Maggiore. The quarter of the Picitti (Greek quarter) and Odivella reach up to the castle, a defensive fortress guarding the deep valley of the rivers Mucone and Calamo, main tributaries of the Crati. Most of Acri’s territory is part of the Sila Greca. The rest of it shrinks towards the crags of the Presila and along the valley of the Mucone and Calamo.
No sign of the ancient Bruttians’ settlements came to light despite all the transformations that took place over the course of the centuries. What we can see today along the roads (with regards to churches and remains of the fortress known by the name of Castel Vetere) dates back to Medieval times. The noble palaces date to the XVI-XIX centuries. Among the main places of interests is the church of San Francesco di Paola and convent, built thanks to the generous contribution of some of the most renowned families of the time: the Sanseverino, the Alimena of Montalto, the Sprovieri. In the chapel of San Francesco, on the left side, is a sculpted bust of the saint. It also hosts the tombs of the Princes of Bisignano and the relics of Beato Francesco Maria Greco. It is annexed to the “Casa Madre” church of the Piccole Operaie dei Sacri Cuori.
Typical dishes and produces: Acrese bread, taralli, fusilli with goat meat, buccunottu (which means “small mouth-full” in the local dialect; a one thousand years old dessert of Arab origins) and ncinetti (a dessert characterised by a particularly hard dough).

Panorama lungo il Cammino

​Map and elevation profile

Further information

Guide of reference for the stage: Emanuele Pisarra +39 333 8732829

[Acri]

Comune Acri – tel. +39 0984 921411 – web: www.comune.acri.cs.it – mail: attivitaproduttive@comuneacri.gov.it
Pro Loco Acri – tel. +39 327 637 7060 – web: www.prolocoacri.org – mail: prolocoacri1@gmail.com

Extra: not verified

[Acri]

Holiday home – Casa Vacanze Appartamenti Residence Panoramik – tel. +39 0984 954885 – mail: info@ristorantepanoramik.it

Last update: 2024-10-15