Welcome to Cosenza
Cosenza epitomises the unkempt charm of southern Italy. It is a no-nonsense workaday town where tourists are incidental and local life, with all its petty dramas, takes centre stage. The modern city centre is a typically chaotic Italian metro area that serves as a transport hub for Calabria and a gateway to the nearby mountains of Sila National Park. The old town, stacked atop a steep hill, has a totally different atmosphere. Time-warped and romantically dishevelled, its dark weathered alleys are full of drying clothes on rusty balconies, old curiosity shops and the freshly planted shoots of an arty renaissance.
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Cosenza activities
5 day Calabria Tour from Rome
Day 1 ROME - MATERA Departure from Rome. Freeway route with comfortable stops to reach Matera: the "City of the Sassi" is known for the historic Sassi districts, recognized World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1993 and which make Matera one of the oldest cities in the world. Night in the hotel. Day 2 MATERA - CIVITA - PIZZO - REGGIO CALABRIA - B Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to Civita and visit of the "village among the rocks", an interesting village of medieval origin, guardian of the culture and traditions of the Albanian community (Arbëreshë) in Italy. Continue to Pizzo, the center of the famous "Costa degli Dei" known for being the "city of ice cream", where you will have time to visit the village and to delight yourself with the unmissable "Tartufo di Pizzo", a typical ice cream of the area. At the end, continue to Reggio Calabria and visit the famous Lungomare Falcomatà, known as "the most beautiful kilometer in Italy". Night in the hotel. Day 3 REGGIO CALABRIA - TROPEA - LE CASTELLA - COSENZA - BBreakfast at the hotel. In the morning transfer to Tropea, a famous tourist center that fascinates visitors with its picturesque alleys and its terraces more than fifty meters high above the crystalline sea. Transfer to Le Castella, a seaside village known mainly for its Aragonese fortress and its sandy beaches coasts with Greek-Roman archaeological remains still visible. After the visit continuation towards Cosenza. Accommodation in hotel and overnight.Day 4 - COSENZA - PRAIA A MARE - PAOLA - COSENZA - B Breakfast at the hotel. Departure towards Praia a Mare and boarding on private boat for an excursion off the coast where you can admire the Arcomagno, majestic rock arch that holds a dream bay, and the Dino Island, the largest of the Calabrian islands on the Tyrrhenian Sea, with its splendid caves full of stalagmites. At the end of the visit transfer to Diamante and free time for visiting this village, famous for the murals that adorn the historic center. Lunch at your own. Continue to Paola, an important center of the coast, and visit to the Sanctuary of San Francesco da Paola, dating back the 16th century, which guards the relics of the patron saint of Calabria on a hill surrounded by vegetation. At the end, return to Cosenza. Night in the hotel. Day 5 - COSENZA – SALERNO - ROME - B After breakfast departure in the morning for the return.Stop in the city of Salerno and visit of the historic center, an interesting center born from the ancient Roman "Salernum", whose origin dates back to the end of the 2nd century b. C. Lunch at your own.At the end continuation towards Rome. End of services.
8-day Apulia and Calabria from Rome
Day 1 ROME - LECCEDeparture to Lecce. Afternoon dedicated to discover this city, already defined as the capital of the Baroque of southern Italy; a cultural and historical center of almost 100,000 inhabitants which, in its case, hides ancient buildings of rare beauty, built in the centuries with the said "stone of Lecce". Day 2 SALENTO BFull day excursion through the said micro-region of Salento. Arrival in Otranto, a Norman center in antiquity. Free time for lunch on the way of the coast lt owns and finally arrival in Santa Maria di Leuca, the most renowned tourist center of the area. Visit and then return to Lecce. Day 3 LECCE–ALBEROBELLO–OSTUNI–BARI BDay dedicated to know the northeastern part of Apulia, beginning with one of the most picturesque places and known in the world for its characteristic houses: Alberobello. Visit and free time for lunch. In the afternoon, continue to Ostuni, the city of white houses, beautiful tourist center, already chosen for twenty years the place with the cleanest sea of Italy. Departure for Bari.Day 4 - BARI–CASTEL DEL MONTE–MATERA BDeparture for Matera with stop at the sensational hill where the famous Castle of Monte arises, an optagonal building built by the King of Sicily Federico II in the 13th century. Visit, free time for lunch and way to Matera. The city of the "Sassi" is also UNESCO World Heritage for its old quarter, example of prehistoric urbanization.Day 5 MATERA-CIVITA-PIZZO-REGGIO BTransfer to Civita and visit of the "village among the rocks", Continue to Pizzo, the center of the famous "Costa degli Dei" known for being the "city of ice cream". At the end, continue to Reggio Calabria and visit the famous Lungomare Falcomatà, known as "the most beautiful km in Italy". Day 6 REGGIO-TROPEA-LE CASTELLA-COSENZA BIn the morning transfer to Tropea, a famous tourist center that fascinates visitors with its picturesque alleys and its terraces more than fifty meters high above the crystalline sea. Visit of Le Castella. Continuation towards Cosenza. Day 7 - COSENZA-PRAIA A MARE-PAOLA-COSENZA BDeparture towards Praia a Mare and boarding on private boat for an excursion off the coast. Later, transfer to Diamante and free time for visiting this village, famous for the murals of the old town. Free time for lunch. Continue to Paola and visit to the Sanctuary of San Francesco da Paola. At the end, return to Cosenza. Day 8 - COSENZA–SALERNO-ROME B After breakfast departure in the morning for the return.Stop in the city of Salerno and visit of the historic center, an interesting center born from the ancient Roman "Salernum". Lunch at your own. At the end continuation towards Rome.
Cosenza Half-Day Private Walking Tour
- Meet the Guide at Piazza dei Bruzi, at the entrance of the Townhall (Municipio). - From Martyrs Bridge you will reach Corso Telesio, the heart of Cosenza. - Bernardino Telesio's statue stands in Piazza XV Marrzo to commemorate the revolts in 1844. - The Cathedral built in the 11th century, unfortunately the huge earthquake of 9th June 1184 destroyed the original church completely. The new building was consecrated in the presence of the famous Emperor Frederick II. - In the Chapel of Madonna del Pilerio you can see the Holy Virgin with a spot on her face as a sign of the historical event of the plague of 1576 - The Swabian Castle, built by the Saracens on the ruins of ancient Rocca Brutia around 1000. Frederick II added the octagonal tower. - Palazzo Arnone where the courthouse and prison were located. It now houses the National Picture Gallery of Pinacoteca - You won’t miss the he outdoor MAB Museum.