Weekend in the Sibaritide between history, art and flavours

The proposal of a weekend in the Sibaritide, on the Cosentine Ionian Sea, makes it possible to spend two days enjoying the art, history and unique flavours that characterise the towns of the Sibari Plain.

We are in the centre of an ancient and luxuriant Ionian plain, where some of Calabria's agricultural and food excellence is produced (Sibari Rice, Clementines of Calabria PGI and Liquorice of Calabria PDO), surrounded by the archaeological scenery of Magna Graecia and the natural and thermal beauty of the sea and hills.

Let's discover together all the goodies of a sun-kissed land!

We open our weekend in the Sibaritide with a visit to the municipality of Cassano all'Ionio. An experience combining nature, archaeology and good food.

We find ourselves on the soil traversed first by the ancient Greeks and then by the Romans, who founded here respectively the Magna Graecia colony of Sybaris and the Roman city of Copiae. A walk through the ruins of the Archaeological Park of Sybaris is enough to discover its charms, to be combined with a visit to the adjacent National Archaeological Museum of the Sibaritide, which exhibits the finds discovered during excavations.

In today's Marina di Cassano, we immerse ourselves in the beauty of a unique ecosystem, the result of an avant-garde engineering project started in the 1970s: this is the Sibari Lakes Oasis, a series of artificial basins that combine a wide sandy beach with green Mediterranean scrub along the Crati river. The "lakes" are connected by a large canal parallel to the coastline, equipped with a marina.

A short distance away, wellness for the whole family at the Terme Sibarite, one of Calabria's thermal spas offering cosmetic and curative treatments for every need, and the Grotte di Sant'Angelo.

Moving into the historical centre of Cassano all'Ionio, you can admire the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin, of Byzantine origin with a Baroque façade. In the square opposite, the beautiful Fontana dei Leoni, an 18th-century work by Bartolomeo Grasso. The Sanctuary of the Madonna della Catena is the 10th-century monumental complex that houses the venerated image of the Virgin. Among noble palaces and alleyways, we visit the Museum of Sacred Art and the Diocesan Library. Finally, we reach the panoramic cliff where the remains of the Castle stand.

Has the walk whetted your appetite? Treat yourself to lunch or dinner in one of the local restaurants with the prized Sibari rice, one of the best varieties in Italy.

The second stop of the weekend in the Sibaritide is the municipality of Corigliano-Rossano.

Recently merged with Rossano, the historic centre of Corigliano Calabro appears in a panoramic position on the summit of Colle Serratore, around its Ducal Castle. The building, among the most beautiful castles in Calabria, was built at the behest of Robert Guiscard in 1073 and is today the architectural symbol of the town. With the Church of San Pietro attached and its towers (the circular keep and the octagonal turret serving as a belvedere), the Ducal Castle of Corigliano is embellished by a spiral staircase surrounded by frescoes that leads right to the panorama.

Not to be missed in the historical centre are the Chiesa Matrice di Santa Maria Maggiore, rich in works of art, the Chiesa Collegiata di San Pietro, the Convento di San Francesco di Paola and the Pinacoteca Civica.

Between the promenade and the beach, the beautiful Marina di Schiavonea is surrounded by native citrus groves that produce another Calabrian excellence: the Clementine di Calabria PGI.

We reach the historic centre of Rossano and we complete the weekend in style: some of Calabria's most precious gems await us.

Rossano is nationally known for the Codex Purpureus Rossanensis, the ancient UNESCO heritage gospel exhibited at the Diocesan Museum, and for the splendid Abbey of Santa Maria del Patire (or more simply Pathirion), an important example of Romanesque-Byzantine architecture in Calabria, founded in the 11th century by Bartolomeo di Simeri.

Not only art and culture! We are in the elective home of Liquorice of Calabria PDO, also known as "Black Gold of Calabria".

Obtained from the Cordara variety of the Glychirrhiza Glabra species, Calabrian liquorice is characterised by an intense aroma and is available in dried versions, in extract and in various formats (from sticks to broken, including flakes and raw roots). Rossano is home to the most famous liquorice factory, Fabbrica Amarelli, which houses the Liquorice Museum of the same name, one of the places you absolutely must visit during a weekend in the Sibaritide.

The museum, established in 2001, documents the history of the company and the industrial production of liquorice through archive materials (engravings, documents and period photos), tools, porcelain forms and bronze moulds.