The document provides information about the region of Calabria in Southern Italy. It notes that Calabria has over 800 km of coastline on the Ionian and Tyrrhenian Seas. The seas have played an important role in the region's history and economy. They have been used for trade, transportation, fishing and tourism. Underwater archaeology along the coast has also revealed many artifacts from Greek colonization in ancient times. The document highlights how the seas continue to be important for the region's communication, recreation, and receipt of immigrants arriving by boat from Africa and the Middle East.

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We come from the
South of Italy, we
could say we are “the
toe of the boot”.
Our Region is a
peninsula with about
800 kms of coast.
In our logo you can
see the blue of the
sea around our
emblem which
shows a column that
reminds us of Magna
Graecia and the
“Pino loricato”, a
rare species of tree
you can find on our
mountains.
(CS)
(CZ)
(RC)
(KR)
(VV)

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includes the schools of three towns:
Cerisano, Marano Marchesato, Marano Principato.
Its name “Istituto Comprensivo” refers to the fact
it’s made of 3 sections: pre-primary, primary and
middle school. There are about 200 pupils.
Students take a musical instrument lesson
once a week. The best of them have extra
lessons of musique d'ensemble to play in
our Orchestra, our icing on the cake.
There are Laboratories of
Science, Art and
Computer, in some classes
there are also Interactive
Whiteboards and I-Pads .
OUR SCHOOL

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Our orchestra won some important prizes in national
competitions, this urges us to always do our best.

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Cerisano, Marano Marchesato e Marano
Principato are close to each other and about 10
kms far from Cosenza, whose district they are part.
They are situated on the “Serre”, some mountains
around Cosenza, at about 30 kms far from the
Tyrrhenian coast. Their old town centres consist of
picturesque alleys with ancient churches and
buildings.
OUR VILLAGES

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is the ancient capital of the Brettii (IV BC); during the Roman Empire, it was
an important stop on the Popilia Road, linking Rome to Sicily.
COSENZA
The old inner city – with its Norman Castle, the Cathedral, the
narrow streets, the ancient buildings, the churches and the
cloisters - is an interesting example of a Medieval town.
Alaric, king of the Visigoths, died here in AD 412.
History tells us he was buried with his horse
and his treasure into the bed of the Busento River.

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The Cosenza’s “Duomo” is a fascinating
example of Romanesque architecture.
This Cathedral is now “Patrimony
witness of peace and culture”
protected by UNESCO.
It was unvelied by the Holy Roman
Emperor Frederick II in 1222.
In that occasion, the
emperor gave the city
of Cosenza the
“stauroteca”, a golden
cross with precious
stones. It keeps a
relic, a piece of the
Jesus’ cross.

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The
Rendano,
The RENDANO THEATRE

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Cosenza,
Mazzini Street

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The University of Calabria is
very close to Cosenza. It’s a
campus where students can
live and study. There are 22
laurea degree courses. The
state-of-the-art engineering
course is one of the most
important in Italy.

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O
U
R
R
E
G
I
O
N
CALABRIA
Mountains between two seas

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Calabria was inhabited
since Palaeolithic times. In the
province of Cosenza there’s a
cave where you can see a
graffito representing an ox
made about 11.000 years ago.
The Oenotrians were an
ancient population who settled
in the Cosenza surroundings. A
legendary king of them was
Italus, so that they were called
Italics and their land Italia;
later, when the Romans united
the various regions into a
whole, this name identified the
entire Italian Peninsula.
So our land gave the name to
our nation!
Bos primigenius graffito
Above you can
see the name
“Italia” on the
Calabrian territory

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The Greeks
founded colonies
during the VIII
century BC which
soon became so
rich and powerful
that the entire
Calabria became
known as “Magna
Graecia”.
Numerous populations and cultures have arrived in
Calabria from the Mediterranean Area for centuries
Column of Hera
Lacinia’s
temple, Crotone

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After Roman domination so many people came and occupied Calabria!
Byzantines, Saracens, Normans, Longobards, Goths, Arabs…
So our culture became richer and our attitude outgoing and open to the
new: we are people and a land of contrasts!
Norman
Castle, Cosenza

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CODEX PURPUREUS
- Rossano (CS) - a great
example of miniature
Byzantin art.
We have places whose names remind us of these people: e.g. the town
Longobardi (CS) or the territory in province of Cosenza called
Librandi from the name Liutprando, the ancient Longobardi’s king.
THE SARACEN TOWER - San
Nicola Arcella (CS)

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In Calabria there are some important ethnic-linguistic minorities, in
particular Albanian and Waldensian ones, which speak their ancient
languages and still have their traditions
From XV to XVIII century lots of
Albanians left their country and
came to the Cosenza area, where
still now there are some towns
who live following that culture.
In the XVI century a Waldensian
community came from South-France
to Calabria because of religious
reasons, settling on a hill facing the
sea near Cosenza.

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ALARICO,IMAGEFROMITSSEAL

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There are also some volcanoes, mainly
estinguished.
One is into the sea in front of our
Tyrrhenian coast: it is the Marsili, it’s 3000
metres high and it’s alive…

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In Calabria there are hot mineral
springs, particularly in the Cosenza
district. The most important is called “Terme
Luigiane”: its water has the highest grade of
precious minerals in Europe, so that people
come here to care of their health and beauty.
Nymphes Cavern – Cerchiara
(Cosenza, Pollino Park)

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We have 3 National Parks that represent
the largest mountainous area in the South of
Italy : Pollino, Sila, Aspromonte where you
can find lots of animal and flora species.
Our region is
not so rich
and there
aren’t so
many
industries.
So the
principal
source of our
economy is
the beauty of
our
landscapes.
Calabria
has lots of
hills and its
mountains
are quite
high until
about
2000
metres.

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Calabria
The wolf is the symbol of
Cosenza football team
because Sila was its habitat
in the past.
Sila is about 30 Kms from
Cosenza. There you can trek, fish
trouts, ski, go horse-riding…
Enjoy it all the year round!

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Because of
its long and
quite narrow
shape, no
place in
Calabria is
more than
50 Kms far
from the sea.

23. RESOURCE:
FISHING
HISTORY:
UNDERWATER ARCHEOLOGY
(GREEK COLONIZATION : MAGNA
GRAECIA)
COMMUNICATION
ROUTE:
TRAVELLING, COMMERCE
FUN &
TOURISM:
BEACHES
THE SEA FOR US
IS
SPORT:
SWIMMING, SCUBA
DIVING, SAILING
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24. HISTORY
Our seas – both
Tyrrhenian and
Ionian - are full of
ancient treasures.
The Greek ships -
that carried
statues, amphores, v
arious goods from
their islands to
Calabria, called
“Megàlē Hellàs” –
sunk with their
shipments.
Their wrecks still lie
at the bottom of the
sea .
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25. These two big bronze statues were casually found in
1972 by a diver at about 250 metres from Riace coast
(Reggio Calabria) at a depth of about 7 metres.
They date back to 480 BC and are
one of the most beautiful examples
of the Greek perfection in Classical
Art.
HISTORY
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26. Near Crotone, an ancient city founded
by the Greeks, there is THE LARGEST
ITALIAN PROTECTED MARINE AREA –
about 15000 hectares – , a real
archeological marine field where you
can see how our sea is rich of
priceless treasures.
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HISTORY
The Bretti and Sea
Museum of Cetraro
– 55 kms far from
Cosenza – contains
objects , such as
amphores found in
the wrecks lying in
the sea nearby.

27. COMMUNICATION ROUTE
We’ve always used the sea as a convenient way to move for
, travelling and yachting
In Calabria
there’s an
important
port
container in
Gioia Tauro
(Reggio
Calabria).
trading
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28. If you want to go from Calabria to Sicily you have to take a
ferryboat. Do you know it’s possible going by train? But there’s
no tunnel under the water level, you can enter the ship staying
in your coach train!
COMMUNICATION ROUTE
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29. Near to Cosenza, there’s
a little prize winning
shipyard, Mistral
Barche, that builds boats
from design to the
COMMUNICATION ROUTE
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Diamante (CS)

30. Fishing has always been an important activity for the
Calabrian people.
The Medi rranean sea
gi ves us a l ot of
seaf ood, most of al l
t he “LI TTLE BLUE FI SH”:
anchovi es, sardi ne, mac
kerel s...
I t i s al so pl ent y of
sea
breams, shri mps, mul l et
s and, i n part i cul ar i n
t he Sout h
Cal abri a, and
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31. LAMPARA
Their coloured stripes refer to their
owner and tell how many years they
are involved with the sea
PARANZA
The lamps are needed to lure fish
during the nocturnal fishing
SPATARA
It’s a very special boat, very tall and
long, used for fishing the swordfish
Anchovies
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32. The Sila’s forest has been giving
the wood used to build boats
since the ancient Greek and
Roman times. It gave also the
“pece brettia”, the tar for covering
and waterproof ships.

The “maestri d’ascia” (masters
in using axe), especially at the
Ionian seaside near
Cosenza, still build fishing
boats proceeding in an ancient
way. 32

33. Statue of San Francesco di
Paola, into the Tyrrhenian sea, in
front of Paola (Cosenza)
In Calabria there are Scuba
Diving centres
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34. An important diving centre is
in Paola, 35 kms from
Cosenza, where Piero Greco
founded an important
association for teaching
people with Down syndrome and
the blind people to dive. It’s
the only example in Europe of
such a significant activity.
34

35. Swimming, divi
ng, snorkelling
are pleasant
activities you can
enjoy in our seas
and especially in
the water of our
Marine Parks, like
that of Belmonte
Calabro, 60 kms far
from Cosenza:
the Regional
Around it, at a depth of about 56 metres , there’s the
black coral, (anthipatella subpinnata) a tropical species
very rare in the Mediterranean Sea; its name refers
to the colour of its skeleton which is black.
Marine Park of Isca Rocks
35

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Lots of immigrants
arrive to Italy from
Africa and the Middle
East using old boats
(called “carrette del
mare”) and facing a
dangerous and
difficult voyage of
Hope. They arrive
exhausted, thirsty and
hungry in very bad
hygenic conditions.
Some women give
birth to their babies
on the boat.
Sea: a means of hope, a travel for the change

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Calabria: a land which receives and helps .
Calabria is used to
accepting
strangers , so
there are lots of
volunteers and
important centres
to receive and
host them.
“Sant’Anna”, in
Crotone, was an
air force base
camp and now it is
the biggest
“Centro di
accoglienza” in
Europe.
The Italian
Integration Minister
Kyenge visiting the
Sant’Anna Centre.