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 Introduction
Arrival Plane
Airport Lamezia Terme is the closest international airport. From here, travelers can take a taxi, rent a car, or take the railway to reach the town.
Train
Rossano has a railways station on the secondary branch starting from Sibari, on the line to Crotone.
Car
Take the SS. 106 Ionica Route which carries travelers directly through the town.
History and Culture
The Rossanesi eventually came under the rule of the Byzantine Empire. Attempts by the Saracens to overtake the town were unsuccessful. In 982 Otto II had more luck and briefly took control of the town from the Byzantines. The town's Greek character was preserved and the town was able to attain notable privileges under the subsequent Hohenstaufen and Angevine dominations. Unfortunately, feudalization in 1417, led to the town's decay.
In 1558 the town was incorporated into the Kingdom of Naples. Slowly the town was rebuilt by Isabella of Naples and became a center of literary culture. Under Spanish rule the town declined again. In 1612, the crown sold the lordship to the Aldobrandini and in 1637 it passed to the Borghese. The Unification of Italy finally allowed the town to be ruled by a stable hand and has since flourished.
Churches and Museums
The cathedral was constructed in the 11th century and underwent a massive restoration in the 18th-19th centuries. It has a nave with two aisles, and three apses. The bell tower and the baptismal font are from the 14th century, while the remaining decorations are from the 17th and 18th centuries. The church is famous for the ancient image of the Madonna acheropita (“Madonna not made by hands”), now located in the Diocesan Museum. In 1879, the famous “Codex Rossanensis” was discovered in the sacristy. It is a Greek parchment manuscript of Matthew and Mark, written in silver on purple-stained parchment, and is one of the oldest pictorial Gospels known. Scholars date the codex from the end of the fifth to the eighth or ninth century; it is probably of Alexandrian origin.
St. Mark Oratory
From the 10th century, this building is dedicated to St. Anastasia. It is one of the most ancient monuments of the city and one of the best preserved Byzantine churches in Italy. It was built by St. Nilus the Younger in the tenth century for the ascetic retreat of monks living in the tufa grottos underneath. It is a Byzantine-style edifice with rectangular Greek-cross plan, with five domes on cylindrical drums. Traces of the original wall frescoes remain.
Church of San Marco
On a crag to the southeast of the town is a church of Byzantine type on a centralized plan with five domes dating from the Norman period.
The Museo Diocesano
This museum contains a valuable 6th century Gospel manuscript. From the terrace half-way along Via Garibaldi there is a very fine view of Monte Pollino and the Apulian plain.
Festivals and Events
Rossano is home of the internationally renowned annual, free, three-day open air blues/jazz festival. Named after a native son, Fiume tragically died too young to reach his full potential. The festival occurs in July and is linked to the Cognac Blues Festival in France.
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Rossano Travel Guide
Double room - From 85€