The best traffic-free bike rides around San Floro

Chiesa Santa Maria delle Nevi, Girifalco Mother Church of Santa Maria delle Nevi The Mother Church of Santa Maria delle Nevi in Girifalco, in the province of Catanzaro, is the town's most important parish church. Its origins date back to the 16th century, when it was originally dedicated to the Madonna delle Nevi, a title inherited from the previous mother church in the Pioppi Vecchi district. After the devastating earthquake of 1783, the building was rebuilt on the site of the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, part of the old Dominican monastery founded by Bishop Lauro in 1548. The reconstruction was entrusted to the architect Ermenegildo Sintes, a pupil of Luigi Vanvitelli. However, the original design was modified and reduced in size during the construction phase. The facade of the church, originally built in the Baroque style, underwent several renovations, especially after the 1905 earthquake, giving it a more modern appearance. It has a large stone portal flanked by two niches and a double access staircase. The secondary entrance, framed by an ashlar portal, is located at the foot of the bell tower, which houses three bells and a clock. The interior of the church is characterized by the color white, a symbol of both the Marian title and the Dominican Order. The nave is decorated with arches with friezes and gilded capitals. On the left side is the Altar of Paradise, with an ancient sculptural group depicting the Ascension of Christ from the Convent of San Antonio of the Reformed. The presbytery is dominated by a large painting of the Madonna delle Nevi, protecting the snow-covered village of Girifalco from above, a work by Domenico Cefaly (1932-2003), a descendant of the painter Andrea Cefaly. Other works of art housed in the church include a 17th-century polychrome statue of Saint Rocco from Montpellier, a painting of the Madonna della Neve by Luciano Ricchetti, and the 17th-century Madonna del Garofano. The Mother Church of Santa Maria delle Nevi represents an important spiritual and cultural center for the community of Girifalco, testifying to centuries of history, art, and religious devotion. Text / Source: visitgirifalco.com / Municipality of Girifalco https://visitgirifalco.com/trip/chiesa-matrice-santa-maria-delle-nevi/

Girifalco lies in the center of the Isthmus of Catanzaro. Girifalco lies in the center of the Isthmus of Catanzaro, the narrowest point of the Italian peninsula, at the foot of Monte Covello (848 m above sea level), a subrange of Monte Serralta in the northern Serre region, at an altitude of 456 m above sea level. As some finds in the Caria district show, there were settlements in the upper reaches of the Alessi stream before Magna Graecia. In the early 17th century, Girifalco was a fief of the Caracciolo family and then belonged to the Ravaschieri family. After a few years, the fief returned to the Caracciolo family thanks to the marriage between Duchess Ravaschieri of Girifalco and a certain Annibale Caracciolo. From them was born Fabrizio Caracciolo, second Duke of Girifalco, the creator of a very prosperous period for the feud during his duchy, which lasted from 1634 to 1683 and consolidated the socioeconomic development of the city with the presence of the university and the feudal institution. Duke Caracciolo had the Reformed Convent built in 1635 and donated it to the Friars Minor, who erected a statue in his gratitude and placed it near the convent itself. Mayor Carlo Pacino commissioned important works such as the first municipal hall around the mid-1600s, the extension of the Church of San Rocco, and a few decades later, in 1663, the monumental Baroque fountain. In the 17th century, the inhabited center expanded more and more, and there were several churches (the ones of San Rocco and the matrix of the Pioppi district being the most important), two important monasteries, the Municipal House, the Ducal Palace (the Duke's residence), and even the city's coat of arms was built. At the end of the 18th century, another earthquake struck Calabria and the town of Girifalco, the one of March 28, 1783. The center was destroyed or severely damaged, as was the Pioppi district, including the mother church (already severely damaged in the 1638 earthquake and subsequently renovated), which would never be rebuilt. Its functions were transferred to the church of the Dominican convent, which thus became the new mother church. Text / Source: Comunicazione Girifalco https://unsic.it/comunicazione/girifalco/

The Village of Girifalco The village of Girifalco lies at the foot of Monte Covello, between the Gulf of Squillace and the Gulf of Sant'Eufemia, and in the heart of the Isthmus of Catanzaro, the narrowest point of the Italian peninsula. Girifalco owes its origins to the destruction of the two older villages of Toco and Caria by the Saracens in 836. The villagers sought refuge on the rock known as the "Pietra dei Monaci" ("Monk's Stone"). Text / Source: turiscalabria.it http://www.turiscalabria.it/website/?lang=de&categoria=/wo/paesi/&view_type=s&id=639&title=.html

A sanctuary, the destination of an annual pilgrimage linked to a legend. The Madonna is said to have appeared in a dream to a bandit, commanding him to build a chapel dedicated to her and to convert to a better life. The basilica was later built around this chapel.

The Sanctuary of the Madonna di Porto in Gimigliano, Calabria, is one of the most important Marian shrines in the region and a central site of popular piety. The origins of the shrine date back to 1626, when Calabria was struck by a plague epidemic and earthquakes. During this time, the painter Marcangione began a painting of the Madonna di Costantinopoli. According to legend, the image was miraculously completed overnight, which was interpreted as a divine sign. This image, considered "acheropit" (not made by human hands), became a center of veneration. Later, the Madonna appeared in a dream to a local brigand named Pietro Gatto. After his conversion, he built a small chapel, which formed the foundation stone of the present shrine.

Beautiful church, just above Girifalco

Beautiful church in the middle of Girifalco

They are by no means mere relics of a bygone era, the "Monumento dei' Caduti" found almost everywhere in villages and towns, commemorating the many victims of war and tyranny. Their design varies, but what they all have in common is that they constantly remind us of the need to preserve peace.