ART AND CULTURE
Churches, convents, monasteries and sanctuaries guard the largest part of the artistic heritage of the lands crossed by our cycling routes. This architectural and monumental heritage retraces all the stylistic influences - Romanesque, Gothic, baroque and classical styles - that have crossed the region over the centuries, from the Middle Ages onwards. The works of refined craftsmanship and the precious pictorial and sculptural works found in this area are totally worth seeing. Among them, the paintings by Mattia Preti, which are on display at the Civic Museum of Taverna, really stand out. The town of Taverna, which lies at the foot of the “Sila piccola” (Lesser Sila), gave birth to this 17th-century artist, who was defined by Vasari as second only to Caravaggio. In the sculptural field, the amazing Calabrian production by Antonello Gagini, defined as “the Renaissance in Aspromonte” and mainly related to the Virgin, really stands out. It’s well worth stopping in at the Aspermont church of S. Teodoro Martire of Bagaladi to see the “Annunciation”, made by the artist in 1504. The Aspromonte also keeps the artworks of an important family of artists, Francesco, Vincenzo and Gaetano Jerace from Polistena, well-known painters and sculptors in Naples between the 19th and early 20th centuries. Many of their artworks are exhibited at the Civic Museum.
Along our cycling routes, you’ll find many open-air museums to learn more about the history, art, sacred art, industry, landscape and traditions of this land.
Arte e cultura
Pollino national park
Archaeology, history and traditions
The Pollino National Park offers a wide choice of museums, including: the Civic Museum of Acquaformosa, the Diocesan Museum of Cassano allo Ionio, the permanent exhibition of sacred art on display at the Sanctuary of the Madonna delle Armi in Cerchiara, the Museum of Byzantine Icons in San Basile, the Civic Archaeological Museum of Castrovillari, the Museum and Ducal Castle of Corigliano Calabro and, last but not least, the Library and the "Artemis" Museum in San Sosti. The local peasant culture and traditions are on display in Civita, Frascineto, Morano Calabro and Orsomarso. The virtual museum of Aieta offers visitors an immersive experience to explore the rooms of the Renaissance palace where the museum is housed. You will uncover the fascinating world of prehistoric art in Romito’s cave, in Papasidero and take a journey back in time through the history of the ancient Italic tribes of the Bruttians and the Oenotrians, as well as the coastal towns of Sybaris, Thurii and Copia at the National Archaeological Museum of Sibaritide (located in Cassano allo Jonio, around the park limits).
Arte e Cultura
sila national park
Sacred art, crafts and ‘lab-museum’
Among the most important museums located in the Sila Park there is the Diocesan Museum of Rossano, which houses the precious Codex Purpureus Rossanensis, also known as the Rossano Gospels: an illuminated manuscript Gospel Book, declared UNESCO heritage and inscribed in the register of the memory of the world. It’s also worth mentioning the Craftsmanship Museum in Longobucco, the Agriculture and Forestry Museum and the Arts and Traditions Museum in Albi, the Museum of Olive Oil and Peasant Culture in Zagarise and the Multimedia Museum of Emigration in Camigliatello. For contemporary art lovers, the park offers the Pinacoteca Andrea Alfano di Saracena, which boasts artworks by 20th-century masters, and the innovative Mabos, an art ‘lab-museum’ located in Sorbo San Basile. You shouldn’t miss the "Giorgio Amarelli" Liquorice Museum in Rossano, which tells the story of a centuries-old production. This project was awarded the "Guggenheim Business & Culture Prize” in 2001.
serre regional natural park
Multimedia museums and industrial archaeology
The Charterhouse Museum of Serra San Bruno tells the story of a place of faith and spirituality, which really stands out against the wonderful Serre nature preserve. Here, the Carthusian monks’ life takes place. The culture of the resident communities is on display at the Multimedia Museum of the Serre Calabresi in Monterosso, set up in a historic spinning mill. Moreover, the town of Mongiana is home to the Museum of the Royal Bourbon Ironworks and the Weapons Factory, where the story of this extraordinary site of industrial archaeology is unveiled to visitors with the help of new technologies. The story is thematically linked to that of the Ecomuseum of Ironworks and Foundries of Calabria, located in the town of Bivongi.
art & culture
aspromonte national park
Art, science and peasant culture museums
The area of the Aspromonte Park and its surroundings offer a wide choice of museums. You shouldn’t miss the Oil Museum in Bagaladi, the Museum of Peasant Culture in the Greek-speaking area of Bova - which also houses the Civic Museum of Palaeontology and Natural Sciences of Aspromonte - and the Civic Museum of Natural History of Cittanova. The Diocesan Museum and the treasure of Gerace Cathedral, housed in a charming crypt, boast sacred works dating from the 12th to the 20th century. Also, it's well worth visiting the MusaBa, a contemporary art museum built on the ruins of the former monumental complex of Santa Barbara in Mammola, and the National Archaeological Museum of Locri, which also features the Pinacoteca and Museum of Arts.
Archaeology art history
City museums
The old towns and museums of the region’s capital cities will offer you an extraordinary journey through the art and culture of Calabria: the National Archaeological Museums of Lamezia Terme, Crotone, Vibo Valentia and Reggio Calabria are well worth a visit. The latter is among the most significant archaeological museums in Italy, as it keeps extraordinary relics from Magna Graecia, including the two large bronze statues of naked warriors known as the “Riace bronzes”. If you are interested in modern and contemporary art, you shouldn't miss the National Gallery of Cosenza, housed in the 16th-century Palazzo Arnone; the nearby MAON - Museum of 19th and 20th-century art, located in Palazzo Vitari, in Rende; the MARCA - Museum of Arts in Catanzaro and the Contemporary Art Museum in Crotone, set in Palazzo Barracco. Last but not least, the sacred art collections kept in the many museums and dioceses of the area are of great artistic significance.
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