Serra Pedace
Serra Pedace, a little gem in the Sila mountains
Town
Serra Pedace is a mountain village in the municipality of Casali del Manco, part of the Sila National Park and located on the ridge of the Cardone stream. The welcoming village is surrounded by green chestnut trees. Piazza Vittorio Veneto, where a large centuries-old poplar tree stands, is the meeting place for the people of Serra Pedace. All around, in the most hidden corners of the village, there are picturesque views, underpasses that pierce the houses, and winding stairways.
During the year, the feast of the patron saint and the chestnut festival, now in its 25th edition, take place in the territory of Serra Pedace.
A few kilometres from the centre of Serra Pedace is Silvana Mansio, a small enchanted village with little wooden houses that look like something out of a fairy tale.
Walking through the narrow streets of the village, you reach the Church of San Donato Vescovo e Martire, whose construction dates back to the 14th century. The three-nave building is in Romanesque style and has a Latin cross plan. The ceiling of the central nave of the church was frescoed in 1951 by Settimio Tancredi di Pietrafitta, while the right aisle has four altars dedicated to Saint Lucy, the Holy Family, Saint Francis of Paola and the Deposition, respectively. In the left aisle, there is a wooden baptismal font and a painting of St John baptising Jesus dated 1889. The marble high altar, above which hangs a large canvas depicting The Visit of the Magi, is reached by climbing four steps. Of great artistic value is the inlaid wooden choir, the work of Giuseppe Legnetti in 1871, who also created the screen at the entrance.
Serra Pedace is home to the Presila Ecological Museum, established in 2004, which includes sections on Palaeontology (approximately 96 fossils from all geological eras), Mineralogy (minerals and rocks from Calabria, some of which are very rare), Entomology (lepidoptera and various insects), Fauna (skulls of mammals that inhabit the Sila plateau) and a library containing books related to the various sections. The museum offers, especially to students, the opportunity to be involved and play an active role in positive change with a view to environmental sustainability.
The typical dish par excellence of Serra Pedace is Cuccia, which is prepared for the patron saint's festival. The wheat, of the 'carusa bianca' variety, is cleaned and then placed in a container filled with water and left to soak for at least 48 hours. It is then placed in a copper pot and boiled until cooked, while pork is cooked separately. At the end of the preparation, layers of meat and wheat are placed alternately in terracotta pots and then put in wood-fired ovens where they must remain for at least one night. Tradition dictates that this dish is eaten on Sundays, for breakfast and lunch.
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