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Longobucco - Cosenza
Agricultural centre of the upper Trionto valley in the province of Cosenza, Longobucco rises in the heart of the Sila Greca, about 30 km from Lake Cecita. It is 784 Mt. above sea level.Tommaso Bartoli, 19th century local chronicler, referring to the theory of some Calabrian historians of the 16th and 17th century, identifies Longobucco with the ancient pre-Hellenic town of Témesa, but there is not enough evidence in support of this thesis. Silver deposits are to be found in the territory of Longobucco which were exploited at least from the 12th century until the end of the 18th century. These deposits had been known since ancient times and were probably used by the Sybarites to mint their coins. The municipal history of Longobucco can be traced back to the Middle Ages. In 13th and 14th century maps the village is called Terre Longobucti and Longobucto. It belonged to the State of Rossano and was a fief of the Marzano family (from 1445 to 1464), of the Sforza family (from 1487 to 1499), of the Aragona family (from 1499 to 1524), of the Sforza family again (from 1524 to 1559), of the Aldobrandini family and, eventually, of the Borghese family from 1681 to 1806. Textile handicraft has always been thriving at Longobucco. Noteworthy are the hand-made blankets and carpets decorated with traditional patterns and imaginative drawings. Monumental and historical heritage. The most outstanding monument of Longobucco is the Mother Church, dedicated to S. Maria Assunta, whose existence has been documented since the 12th century. Noteworthy, inside, is a black stone font resting on three lions, a Romanesque-Norman sculpture. Of great interest, inside the same church, is a precious 15th century wooden sculpture portraying a Virgin with Child, by some Silan handicraftsmen. There are also two paintings by Onofrio Ferri of Paludi, Baroque church ornaments, two 17th century statues, 18th century altars, confessionals and silverware. Severely damaged by the 1743 and 1783 earthquakes, the Mother Church was rebuilt in its present Baroque style at the end of the 18th century. Opposite the Mother Church rises the beautiful Belfry, a Romanesque-Norman work, with a quadrangular body, made of rough tufaceous square slabs, resting on a large granite pebble bed cemented together by lime. The central block of the Tower consists of three large dice placed one on top of the other, the first two having the same perimeter and the third a little smaller. On the first die, on the side facing north, is the main entrance; in the second die are two windows with one light, one of which facing east and the other facing south. The third die is surmounted by an octagonal base of a cupola on which rises a pyramidal spire ending with a conic section element. Other churches worth visiting at Longobucco are: a) The 16th century church of S. Maria Maddalena, once part of a Reformed Franciscan Friary, housing a beautiful wooden crucifix, a full relief sculpture by a southern artist of the Neo-classical Age (1826); b) The Church of S. Domenico, housing the fine wooden statue representing the Saint, an example of 18th century craft work; c) The Church of the Guardian Angels, dating back to the 17th century, where, among other valuable works, an exquisite statue of Our lady of Sorrows of 1757 can be admired, along with two paintings set above the side altars portraying the Pentecost and the Madonna del Carmine. Textile handicraft. Not to be missed, at Longobucco, the Permanent Exhibition of Local Fabrics (Mostra permanente dei tessuti tipici). The art of weaving has very old origins and the complex techniques still in use are the same as in ancient times: a manufacturing process halfway between embroidery and hand-weaving in which the drawings and the background are simultaneously made. The loom is rudimentary, very similar to Penelopes; it requires synchronized movements of hands and feet to make the basic cloth, while the embroidery is made by the skilful and patient running of coloured threads through the cloth, by the use of the hands alone. The ancient drawings, depicting some characteristic features of country life, have a charm and fascination which may only be accounted for with their symbolic and rather mysterious meanings: justice, Athe kings head, the vineyard. But besides traditional ornamental motifs, craftsmen, at Longobucco, don’t disdain drawing from modern figurative art. Among other modern works which have been reproduced here, is, in fact, the forchettone (the big fork), which made the painter Capogrossi famous. The raw materials employed vary from rough broom, once commonly used and of which very few specimen have survived, to cotton, silk, and sheep’s s wool employed in their natural colours. A great variety of items are produced: the blanket, representing the most symbolic piece, being the main element in a bride’s trousseau; the tapestries, which may well compare to famous paintings, fabrics for haute couture clothes, shawls, carpets and finally a wide range of household linen. Hotel B&B Longobucco
Official website: http://www.comune.longobucco.cs.it |
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