is a town and
Comune in the
Calabria region of southern
Italy , on the
Crati River . It is the capital of
Cosenza Province .
The town stands 238 m. above sea level at the confluence of the Busento and Crati rivers in an intermontane valley between the Sila and the coastal range of mountains. The old town, overshadowed by its castle, descends to the River Crati, whereas the growing modern city lies to the north, beyond the Busento, on level ground. The historic city centre is crossed by the winding Corso Telesio.
Cosenza, the ancient capital of the Italic tribe of the Bruttii, was a bulwark of the Italicpeople against the Hellenic influences of the Ionians. Over the centuries Cosenza maintained a distinctive feature which marked it out among the inner cities of theregion.Later, under the Emperor Augustus (27 b.C. - 14 a.D.), Cosenza became animportant halting place along the via Popilia, the Roman route which connectedCalabria with Sicily. During the same period the town benefited some municipalprivileges, although it was a colony. Cosenza belonged to the III Region of theRoman Empire until its fall (476 a.D.), therefore its destiny was strictly connected withthe history of Rome.
.In 410 a.D. the town was besieged by Alaric, king of the Visigoths, but it escapeddevastation thanks to the king’s sudden death, probably caused by malaria. Thestory tells that, according to their habits, the invaders diverted the flow of the riverBusento, buried the king in its riverbed and later returned the river to its original path.Il fiume Busento e il complesso ecclessiastico di S. Domenico. This legendary event, which was also sung by the German poet August von Platen(and translated by the Italian poet Carducci), originated the myth of a fabuloustreasure, booty of Alaric's raids and buried along with him.
.Bitterly fought for by the Saracens and the Longobards the town was destroyed andthen rebuilt around 988; it was then ravaged once again at the beginning of the XIcentury. In the attempt to escape the devastation, the population left the town andtook shelter on the surrounding hills where they built some small suburbs (which arestill denominated Casali).During the first half of the same century Calabria became a dukedom of the Normansand Cosenza was its capital. The town soon rebelled against the domination ofRoger the Guiscard and it was then taken out after a long siege.The town took part in the conquest of the Holy Sepulchre with its crusaders led by theArchbishop Pietro. Cosenza's archdiocese was one of the most ancient of the region,its foundation dates back to the VI century a.D.; it maintained its importance over theages and counted more than 130 parishes. Subsequently,undertheSwabian domination, the townbecame the seat of the Court ofCalabria (Curia Generale). TheEmperor Frederick II had aparticular interest in the town;he continued major buildingwork in the town, promoted theplanning of new buildings andfostered economic activities,organising an important annualfair.
The Cathedral was rebuiltand then consecrated in1222; in 1242 his sonHenry was buried there.Subsequently, Cosenza bitterly fought against the Angevin domination supported bythe clergy. While the uprising spread through the valley of the Crati river, the townwas involved in the ups and downs of the fight between the Angevins and theAragonese.In 1432 the wise King Louis III of Anjou settled in the Castle with his wife Margaret ofSavoy. When she died untimely, in 1434, she was buried in the Cathedral.
.Once the Spanish conquered the reign, Cosenza was occupied by the Spanish armyled by the Great Captain Consalvo de Cordoba (1500). The town tried in vain to rebelagainst them. It was exactly during the XVI century that Cosenza experienced aperiod of great richness and expansion and it became seat of the Viceroy of Calabria.At the same time its cultural importance grew thanks to the foundation of theAccademia Cosentina; among its most renowned members there were BernardinoTelesio, Aulo Gianni Parrasio, the Martirano brothers, Antonio Serra and otheroutstanding talents who gave great contribution to the fertile intellectual activity of thetown.In 1707 the Austrian succeeded to the Spanish, and in 1799, after the proclamationof the republic - which was however short-lived - and a vain resistance, the town wasfinally occupied by Cardinal Ruffo’s Lazzari; Cardinal Ruffo was native of theprovince of Cosenza.
. From 1806 to 1815 the name of the town was often mentioned in the chronicles ofthe South of Italy thanks to the fierce, brave and unequal struggle against the Frenchdomination. Cruel suppressions characterised that gloomy period and in 1813 thetown, which was also cradle of the Carbonari secret societies, saw the bloodshed ofthe first martyrs of independence.The riots of 1821 and 1837 heralded the Risorgimento. They were followed by theuprising of 15th March 1844, which reached its climax with the “noble folly” of theBandiera Brothers, who were executed together with some of their followers in theVallone di Rovito in Cosenza. Some months after the rapid and overwhelming heroicdeeds of Garibaldi’s troops in Calabria, in 1860 the plebiscite proclaimed theannexation of Calabria to the new Kingdom of Italy.Nowadays Cosenza is a town of more than 76.000 inhabitants with a remarkableimportance from a cultural viewpoint. In the latest years - thanks to the renovationand better exploitation of the historical heritage - cultural activities have beenconsiderably enhanced. Consequently, Cosenza is now a reference point non onlyfor Calabria, but also for other regions.
The town's economy is still partly based on agricultural products from the surrounding countryside, for which it is an important market, though equally important are activities related to local administration and culture (University of Calabria). Industry is not a major factor, and the few manufacturing units, generally on a small scale, are engaged in the building materials, textile, paper and wood processing sectors. The most important economic impulse is given by trading and commerce. In fact, as it's the major city of a large area, it constitutes an important site for shopping and trading for neighbouring towns and villages.
The town consists of an old quarter on the slopes of Pancrazio Hill on the right side of the Busento River, characterized by a picturesque warren of streets, and a modern area, built to a regular plan, on the other side.
The most important monuments include: the Duomo (Romanesque, 12th century), with Isabella d'Aragona's fine tomb, the church of S. Domenico (15th century with 18th century additions), the church of S. Francesco di Paola (16th century, with later additions), the church and monastery of S. Francesco d'Assisi (13th-15th century), the castle on the top of Pancrazio Hill, originally a 10th century construction.
- Accademia Cosentina
- Biblioteca Civica
- Biblioteca Nazionale
- Museo Civico
- University of Calabria (located in Rende (CS)
- Teatro `A.Rendano'
- Galleria Nazionale - Palazzo Arnone
- Museo all'aperto "Bilotti" - Open air museums (Corso Mazzini - Piazza Bilotti)
- Fiera di S.Giuseppe - March
- S.Giuseppe Rock Festival - March
- Festival delle Invasioni - July
- Festa del Vino (Wine Festival in Donnici area) - October
- Aulo Giano Parrasio (humanist, 1470-1521)
- Bernardino Telesio (philosopher, 1509-1588)
- Francesco Saverio Salfi (philosopher, 1759-1832)
- Giuseppe Spiriti (economist and scientist, 1757-1799)
