Saracena () is a town and '' comune'' in the

province of Cosenza The province of Cosenza ( it, provincia di Cosenza) is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Calabria region of southern Italy. Its capital is the city of Cosenza. It contains 150 ''comuni'', listed at list of communes of the Province of Cosenza ...

in the

Calabria , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

region of southern Italy. The town is bordered by Altomonte,

Castrovillari Castrovillari ( Calabrian: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy. Geography Castrovillari lies in the north of Calabria, close to the border with Basilicata and within the Pollino National ...

Firmo Firmo ( aae, Ferme; Calabrian: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europ ...

Lungro Lungro ( aae, Ungra) is a town and (municipality) in the Province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of Italy. Lungro is one of the most prominent centers of the Arbëreshë people and the seat of the Eparchy of Lungro. This jurisdiction of the C ...

Morano Calabro Morano Calabro ( Moranese: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy. It was the birthplace of mathematician Gaetano Scorza. Geography The municipality borders with Castrovillari (the nea ...

, Mormanno, Orsomarso and

San Basile San Basile ( aae, Shën Vasili) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy. Both Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** I ...

and is home to the Church of San Leone, a 12th-century Byzantine church. The town's patron is San Leone di Catania, who is celebrated twice a year, once in the spring, then again in late summer. Like Palermo and Tropea, Saracena was renowned for its souk (or street market) during the period of Arab Sicily from the ninth century until the Norman era. Arab-Sicilian influence remained strong until the 13th century.

Wines

The village of Saracena is noted for the specialty dessert wine produced in the area, ''Moscato di Saracena'', made in a ''

passito Straw wine, or raisin wine, is a wine made from grapes that have been dried to concentrate their juice. The result is similar to that of the ice wine process, but is a much older process and suitable for warm climates. The technique dates back ...

'' (straw wine) style from a blend of several white

Italian grape varieties References Supplemental references used for chart *J. Robinson, J. Harding and J. Vouillamoz ''Wine Grapes - A complete guide to 1,368 vine varieties, including their origins and flavours'' pgs XXVIII-XXX Allen Lane 2012 {{DEFAULTSORT:Itali ...

including

Coda di Volpe bianca Coda di Volpe is a white Italian wine grape variety that has been historically grown in the Campania region around the town of Naples. It is often confused with another white Italian wine grape, Emilia, that share many of the same synonyms as Cod ...

(known locally as Guarnaccia bianca),

Malvasia bianca di Candia Malvasia (, also known as Malvazia) is a group of wine grape varieties grown historically in the Mediterranean region, Balearic Islands, Canary Islands and the island of Madeira, but now grown in many of the winemaking regions of the world ...

Addoraca Addoraca is a white Italian wine grape variety that is grown in the Calabria region of southern Italy where it is blended with Coda di Volpe bianca, Malvasia bianca di Candia and Muscat blanc à Petits Grains in the ''passito'' dessert wine ''Mosc ...

and Muscat blanc à Petits Grains (known locally as Moscatello d Saracena).J. Robinson, J. Harding and J. Vouillamoz ''Wine Grapes - A complete guide to 1,368 vine varieties, including their origins and flavours'' pg 8 Allen Lane 2012

References

Jevollela, M. 2005, Le radici islamiche dell’Europa, Boroli Editore, Milano. Cities and towns in Calabria {{Calabria-geo-stub