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Caulonian itineraries
Artistic and historical guide

Presentation
 
by Nicola Frammartino

  by Teresa Giamba
  by Gustavo Cannizzaro

From prehistoric...
 
by Maria Teresa Iannelli

Castelvetere
 
by M. P. Castagna

Caulonia
 
by Gustavo Cannizzaro


Itineraries

 Itinerary N. 1
  by Gustavo Cannizzaro

 The high area "Susu"
  Part one
  Part two

 Itinerary N. 2
  by Gustavo Cannizzaro

 The low area "Jusu"
  Part one
  Part two


 Itinerary N. 3
  by Gustavo Cannizzaro

 The Territory
  Part one
  Part two

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Itineraries – Itinerary I (second part)
by Gustavo Cannizzaro

Church of Santa Maria dei Minnati “Badia


Church of S. Maria dei Minniti: Cimasa

The church has an elegant facade in late Neapolitan Baroque style, on the granite entrance appears the date 1768 which is the construction year.  Until 1783 the church belonged to the monastery of Santa Maria di Valverde. Inside there is only the one nave with decorations in 1700’s stucco. Above the entrance is the choir, decorated with stuccos and with metal grilles covering the openings. On the right hand wall, under the median archway, there is a small window, now walled up. It was used for giving the nuns communion. The door, next to it, was led to the choir area. On the first altar of the left wall, the painting of Sant’Anna, the Virgin, San Carlo and other Saints is the work of a southern Italian painter of the XVIII century, influenced by Solimena. The main altar is of interest, built in blended marble and sculpted by local artists influenced by famous Neapolitan models. The date 1779 is inscribed in the frontal. Having left the Badia, one finds oneself in via Vincenzo Niutta, turning right, one reaches the Baglio. Number 40 is the entrance to the “old” palazzo Hyerace, built at the end of 1700’s following the schemes of XVIII century Neapolitan palaces with ample entrance in local granite, ashlar-worked with above it a balcony with coat of arms in wrought iron. The road leads into Piano del Baglio, the ancient trading area of the town. About the ancient importance of this area we refer to Prota’s words: “The impressive square which is revealed with the name of Baglio, used to be a kind of external courtyard destined for weapons, markets, fairs and horse trades, is now much smaller thanks to landslides, the new road, and new housing apartments. Baglio or Baglìo is known as a magistrate who judged crimes caused by the herds of people… this was the place where the weekly market was held and once a year the great fair, which began on San Nicola’s day and lasted eight days. Today the Baglio is an area at the service of the town. The recent works on it have redesigned the space which for years was diminished by the presence of a school fence. The elongation of via Niutta, now an area for children, and resting and from where one can look over the valley of the Allaro, give a new look to the Piano Baglio. The ruins of the castle are a part of the Baglio zone, but they are much more insignificant than they should be as oldest architectural testimonial of Castelvetere. The fortress was big as Pacichelli’s incision remembers. As to who built it, for whom and why, these are questions which are nearly impossible to answer. Probably the fortress gave its name to the town which, over the centuries must have been the dwelling place of the various feudal lords. The most antique scripture mentioning the existence of the fortress belongs to 1323, when Leone de Regio, a military man, was its owner (“le pergamene angioine dell’archivio Carafa di roccella” edited by V. Naymo).




From a description of the secon half of the XVI century (also edited by Naymo), the dimensions are recorded as covering so vast an area that it included four apartments able to hold four princes as guests. It is known that the fortress was home to the Carafa della Spina family Marquises of Castelvetere between 1479 and 1673. From the end of the 1600’s until 1783, year of the earthquake, it was home to trusted friends of the Carafa family, who ruled under the title of Vice-marquis. The documents also reveal that many alterations were made to it because of new military techniques and earthquake damage which repeatedly destroyed the buildings in Castelvetere. After the earthquake of 1783 which destroyed most of the castle, there began a period of total negligence. In 1842 all the ruins were catalogued by Ilariantonio Taranto, who also installed a spinning frame and a brick bridge which substituted the draw-bridge. Subsequently the castle, in passing through various new owners, was firstly used as a garden, then, new housing was made in it. Finally, in the 1960’s, part of the land was expropriated by the Prefettura di Reggio Calabria by request of the Cassa per il Mezzogiorno, with the extremely sad intention of building a massive cistern for supplying water to the town, on it.All that remains today of the ancient structure is the entrance gateway, two ramps of the great staircase and fragments of the perimeter curtain along with the square donjon on the northern side and the turret on the south side. Returning to the lower part of the Baglio, through the final part of via Vincenzo Niutta one reaches Via del Rosario which represents one of the most characteristic aspects of Caulonia: “i vinedi”. These lanes which end in small clearings and which wind among low and multi-floored houses, which all have balconies and are connected to eachother by archways and steep stone steps,  lead to the church of the SS. Rosario, home of the homonymous confraternity.


The SS. Rosario church


Church of SS. Rosario
Originally, the church belonged to the convent of the Dominican Fathers, founded in 1540 under the protection of Livia Spinelli, wife of Geronimo Carafa. It was damaged in the earthquake of 1783 and was reconstructed in 1788. Later, during the French occupation, the convent was suppressed and the arch-confraternity which used to have its home in the convent, inherited the church. It has only one nave and it underwent many changes during the embellishing work which ended in 1895. This date is inscribed in the pavement under the entrance doorway. The lacunar ceiling, the gold ceiling roses and the apse’s stuccos all belong to that period. The walnut pulpit is interesting, made by Reggian artisans between the end of the XIX century and the beginning of the XX century. There are two paintings depicting the Annunciation scene and the Miracle of San domenico in Soriano, by a local artist, Vincenzo Raschellà, in 1898; hangings from the XIX century; a monstrance by the Neapolitan silversmith G. Mercurio; some Neapolitan shepherds from 1700s and 1800s and a white marble tombstone on which a lying female figure wearing 1500s style clothing, is sculpted. The tombstone, of southern Italian manufacture of the XVI-XVII centuries, is traditionally known as the princess’s tomb, however it remains unclear which princess she was. Prota seems to think it could be the sepulchral slab of Giulia Tagliavia d’Aragona, wife of Fabrizio Carafa, who died on the 25th of November 1621. However, an inscription on the back of the slab suggests that the tombstone belongs to Livia Spinelli, whom we know was closely tied to the Dominican church. This church, however, was close to the hearts of all members of the house of Carafa. Carlo Maria Carafa and Branciforte, prince of Butera and Roccella, stated in his testament (part of which was quoted by F. Racco in his “Feudal Codification of 1600s Calabria”), that if he was to die in Calabria, his body was to be buried in the church of SS.ma Annunciata  dei P.P. Domenicani, as the church del Rosario was then called, in Castelvetere.The prince died in Sicily on the 1st of June 1695 in Mazzarino and was buried, again on his request, in the church of Santa Maria di Gesù. Leaving the church and descending the homonymous street, one joins via Vincenzo Niutta.

Via Vincenzo Niutta

This road, built in the second half of the XIX century and paved during the first years of the XX century, was created by demolishing the Santa Barbara, the San Felice and the Santa Maria alleys. This is a clear example of the gutting style politics of urban planning adopted by Umbertino Italy (which included Naples, Rome and Florence). The road divides the high area of the town from the low area and it snakes from Via Roma to the Baglio. Walking up the road again, one reaches Piazza Mese; on the left side, just before reaching the square, one can see the XIX century facade of the Hyerace palace.

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