The Path of St Francis of Paola: the Way of the Monasteries

The first stage of the ‘’Way of the Monasteries‘’ route starts at the Shrine of San Francesco di Paterno Calabro, the second after the one in Paola erected by the saint in 1472.

The stage is inspired by the friendship between St Francis and the nobleman Florio of Cosenza, who often visited Paterno Calabro while the construction work on the monastery was in progress.

The stage climbs from Paterno to the locality of Fiego, passing the remains of an ancient aqueduct with arches and a mill, to the ford of the Albicello stream.

Once past the watercourse, we cross the hills of Donnici, where the fine ‘’Terre di Cosenza‘’ DOC wines are grown, and reach the city of Cosenza.

We enter the historic centre from Colle Pancrazio, one of the city's seven foundation hills, on which stands the Norman-Swabian Castle, and continue downhill until we reach the square of the Rendano Theatre. Continuing along Corso Telesio and passing the Cathedral, among the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Calabria, we finally reach the Convent of San Francesco.

The Path of St Francis of Paola along the ‘’Way of the Monasteries‘’ starts out from Cosenza at Spezzano della Sila.

For the first 2 km it runs along the Crati river, then climbs up towards Borgo Partenope and the panoramic view of the Sila mountains.

The SP 226 reaches the picturesque Convent of San Francesco di Paola erected in 1617 on a rocky spur, on the outskirts of Pedace and Serra Pedace (a locality of the municipality of Casali del Manco) with a stop at the respective churches of Santi Pietro e Paolo and S. Maria di Monte Oliveto.

After reaching the hydroelectric power station on the Cardone river, we intersect the track of the Sentiero Italia (Calabria), one of the official Paths of the region, and reach the Acqua Coperta locality, the highest point of the stage (910 m); then we descend along a wooded path leading to the Shrine of Spezzano della Sila, the third convent founded by Francis, after those of Paola and Paterno.

The third stage on the Franciscan ‘’Way of the Monasteries‘’ starts behind the Shrine of St. Francis in Spezzano and reaches the upper part of Celico, the birthplace of Abbot Gioacchino da Fiore, near the Church of St. Sophia.

Here begins an unpaved stretch of almost 5 km, after which the route remains almost flat until it reaches the fir wood of Serra Rosole, the highest point of the stage (1135 m).

The descent then reaches the Silana-Rosole-Malonome road, crosses the Crati Valley and stops between the houses of Altavilla di Lappano to visit the Church of S. Maria dell'Assunta.

From here, continue along the SP 229 for 2 km, then reach the destination of San Pietro in Guarano.

On the fourth stage of the Path of St Francis of Paola we reach the municipality of Rose, home to the Augustinian Convent of the Reform.

From the Church of S. Maria in Gerusalemme we climb up towards the hamlet of Redipiano and stop in the small square where the lovely Church of the Holy Spirit stands. From here we continue uphill, skirting the Silana Railway and crossing fields that lead to Quadrivio Panza, where a statue of St. Francis awaits us.

When we reach the wide natural amphitheatre of the Arente river, we can opt for the ‘’walking variant‘’ or the ‘’cycling variant‘’.

Just outside the forest, we proceed to the hamlet of Foresta, Sovarette and finally to our destination of Rose.

The penultimate stage on the ‘’Way of the Monasteries‘’ takes us to one of the most beloved places of faith in the province of Cosenza, the town of Acri, birthplace of Blessed Angelo.

From Rose we take the dirt track that reaches Serra Femminamorta, enjoying a magnificent view of the mountains of the Pollino National Park. Passing through the village of Luzzi, where the traditional ‘’Pacchiàna calabrese‘’ was born, we visit the important Sambucina Abbey (11th century), ‘’mother‘’ of numerous abbeys in southern Italy and home of Abbot Gioacchino da Fiore.

Reaching the SP 248 and the hamlet of Serra Casino (963 m), the highest point of the stage, we cross the localities of Fruscetto, Cuta, Serricella and, finally, the great Lake Cecita, a naturalistic place of great charm.

Reaching the historic centre of Acri, we stop for a visit to discover its artistic-monumental beauties and, of course, the Church of San Francesco di Paola.

The finishing stage of the ‘’Way of the Monasteries‘’ is the town of Corigliano-Rossano, where St Francis of Paola helped to build the aqueduct.

When he arrived in Corigliano, the saint chose the place to build the church and invited workers to set up the brick kiln and build the aqueduct, a great work for the entire town.

Just outside the historic centre of Acri, near the Church of the Annunziata, we pass a crossroads and continue downhill to the hamlet of Pietremarine. Through woods and shrubs, we reach the slopes of Serra Crista d'Acri (1020 m), the highest point of the stage.

From the locality of Aria delle Donne one reaches the SP186, following it to Farna Rossa and the houses of Sant'Elena. Finally, fording the Coriglianeto Torrent, one finds oneself among the olive trees of Corigliano Calabro.

The historical centre, dominated by the marvellous Ducal Castle, is home to the Shrine of Corigliano, the final destination of the Path of St Francis of Paola and the fourth convent founded by the saint after those of Paola, Paterno Calabro and Spezzano della Sila.