Cosenza (; Cosentian: ''Cusenza'', ) is a city located in

Calabria Calabria is a Regions of Italy, region in Southern Italy. It is a peninsula bordered by the region Basilicata to the north, the Ionian Sea to the east, the Strait of Messina to the southwest, which separates it from Sicily, and the Tyrrhenian S ...

, Italy. The

city centre A city centre, also known as an urban core, is the Commerce, commercial, Culture, cultural and often the historical, Politics, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely e ...

has a population of approximately 70,000, while the

urban area An urban area is a human settlement with a high population density and an infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas originate through urbanization, and researchers categorize them as cities, towns, conurbations or suburbs. In urbani ...

counts more than 200,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the

province of Cosenza The province of Cosenza () is a province in the Calabria region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Cosenza. It contains 150 ''comuni'' (: ''comune''), listed at list of ''comuni'' of the province of Cosenza. The province of Cosenza contains ...

, which has a population of more than 700,000. The ancient town is the seat of the

Cosentian Academy The Accademia Cosentina ("Cosentian Academy" or "Telesian Academy" in English) is still an Italian ''accademia'' or learned society in Cosenza, Italy. It was founded in 1511–12 by Aulo Giano Parrasio and has a long and complex history, with s ...

, one of the oldest academies of philosophical and literary studies in Italy and

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

. To this day, Cosenza remains a cultural hub, with several museums, monuments, theatres and libraries. The modern city is the centre of an urban agglomeration including, among others, the municipality of

Rende Rende is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Cosenza, Calabria, Italy, home to the headquarters of the University of Calabria. It has a population of about 35,000, or more than 60,000 if the university students living there are taken ...

, where the

University of Calabria The University of Calabria () is a state-run university in Italy. Located in Arcavacata, a hamlet of Rende and a suburb of Cosenza, the university was founded in 1972. Among its founders there were Beniamino Andreatta, Giorgio Gagliani, Pietr ...

is located.

Geography

Situated at the confluence of two historical rivers, the

Busento The Busento () is a left tributary of the Crati river, which flows about in Calabria, southern Italy, from the Apennines to the Ionian Sea. The Busento joins the Crati in the center of Cosenza. The legend of Alaric and his burial in Busent ...

and the

Crati The Crati is a river in Calabria, southern Italy. It is the largest river of Calabria and the third largest river of southern Italy after the Volturno and the Sele. In classical antiquity it was known as the Crathis or Crater (Greek: ). Geograph ...

, Cosenza stands 238 m

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of a location's vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) in reference to a vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level. In geodesy, it is formalized as orthometric height. The zero level ...

in a valley between the Sila and the coastal range of mountains. The old town, overshadowed by its Swabian castle, descends to the river Crati. The modern city lies to the north, beyond the Busento, on level ground. Almost completely surrounded by mountains, Cosenza is subject to a microclimate scarcely influenced by the effects of the Mediterranean Sea. It experiences cold winters and hot summers.

History

Origins

The ancient Consentia (), capital of the Italic tribe of the Brettii, was a bulwark of the

Italic people The concept of Italic peoples is widely used in linguistics and historiography of ancient Italy. In a strict sense, commonly used in linguistics, it refers to the Osco-Umbrians and Latino-Faliscans, speakers of the Italic languages, a subgroup of ...

against the Hellenic influences of the Ionian colonies. It was in this province that the Battle of Pandosia was fought, in which a small Italic army composed of Brettii and

Lucanians The Lucanians () were an Italic tribe living in Lucania, in what is now southern Italy, who spoke the Oscan language, a member of the Italic languages. Today, the inhabitants of the Basilicata region are still called Lucani, and so is their d ...

defeated the uncle of

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon (; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), most commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip ...

, who was known as

Alexander of Epirus Alexander I of Epirus (; c. 370 BC – 331 BC), also known as Alexander Molossus (), was a king of Epirus (343/2–331 BC) of the Aeacid dynasty.Ellis, J. R., ''Philip II and Macedonian Imperialism'', Thames and Hudson, 1976, pp. ...

. Over the centuries, Cosenza maintained a distinctive character, that marked it out among the cities of the region. Under Emperor

Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...

, it became an important stopover on the Roman route via Popilia, which connected Calabria to

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

. During the Roman Empire, the town benefited from municipal privileges.

Alaric's legendary tomb

In 410 AD,

Alaric I Alaric I (; , 'ruler of all'; ; – 411 AD) was the first Germanic kingship, king of the Visigoths, from 395 to 410. He rose to leadership of the Goths who came to occupy Moesia—territory acquired a couple of decades earlier by a combine ...

, king of the

Visigoths The Visigoths (; ) were a Germanic people united under the rule of a king and living within the Roman Empire during late antiquity. The Visigoths first appeared in the Balkans, as a Roman-allied Barbarian kingdoms, barbarian military group unite ...

, sacked the city of Rome, becoming the first foreign enemy to capture the city in more than 800 years. Alaric amassed a great amount of treasure during his conquest of Rome. According to the historian

Jordanes Jordanes (; Greek language, Greek: Ιορδάνης), also written as Jordanis or Jornandes, was a 6th-century Eastern Roman bureaucrat, claimed to be of Goths, Gothic descent, who became a historian later in life. He wrote two works, one on R ...

,Jordanes, ''De origine actibusque Getarum'' (551), taken up by

Edward Gibbon Edward Gibbon (; 8 May 173716 January 1794) was an English essayist, historian, and politician. His most important work, ''The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'', published in six volumes between 1776 and 1789, is known for ...

, ''Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'', chapter 31. after sacking Rome Alaric headed south with his troops, advancing easily until reaching the area of Cosenza, where he died. No one is certain how this happened: Some believe he contracted a disease that took his life, while others feel that his death came from an attack by enemy forces. In any case, his troops honored their king by burying him in a tomb in Cosenza. His burial place is said to have been at the confluence of the

and Crathis rivers. A horde of slaves were used to divert the water from the Busento, allowing them to dig a tomb large enough for Alaric, his horse, and all of the treasure amassed from his conquests in Rome. Once the tomb was completed, the river was returned to its bed and the tomb covered with water. Then, to ensure that no one would reveal this location to anyone, Alaric's troops killed all of the slaves. In the centuries after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, several towns in the province of Cosenza, most notably

Rossano Rossano is a town and ''frazione'' of Corigliano-Rossano in the province of Cosenza, Calabria, southern Italy. The city is situated on an eminence from the Gulf of Taranto. The town is known for its marble and alabaster quarry, quarries. The to ...

, refused to acknowledge the new governments of the Ostrogoths. Instead, they used their good fortune of having strong city walls and small Roman garrisons to hold out for centuries as semi-independent enclaves of the still extant

Eastern Roman Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

in Italy.

Norman, Hohenstaufen, and Angevin period

Bitterly disputed between the

Saracens file:Erhard Reuwich Sarazenen 1486.png, upright 1.5, Late 15th-century History of Germany, German woodcut depicting Saracens ''Saracen'' ( ) was a term used both in Greek language, Greek and Latin writings between the 5th and 15th centuries to ...

and the

Lombards The Lombards () or Longobards () were a Germanic peoples, Germanic people who conquered most of the Italian Peninsula between 568 and 774. The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the ''History of the Lombards'' (written betwee ...

, the town was destroyed, then rebuilt around 988; only to be ravaged again in the early eleventh century. In the attempt to escape the devastation, the population left the town and sheltered on the surrounding hills where they built some small hamlets (still denominated as, ''casali''). By the first half of the eleventh century, Lombard Calabria became a feudal dukedom of the

Normans The Normans (Norman language, Norman: ''Normaunds''; ; ) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norsemen, Norse Viking settlers and locals of West Francia. The Norse settlements in West Franc ...

, with Cosenza as the capital. The town soon rebelled against the rule of Roger Guiscard and was recaptured only after a long siege. Subsequently, under the

Hohenstaufen The Hohenstaufen dynasty (, , ), also known as the Staufer, was a noble family of unclear origin that rose to rule the Duchy of Swabia from 1079, and to royal rule in the Holy Roman Empire during the Middle Ages from 1138 until 1254. The dynast ...

rule, the town became the seat of the Court of Calabria (''Curia Generale''). Emperor Frederick II had a particular interest in the town: he promoted construction and economic activities, organising an important annual fair. Subsequently, Cosenza fought bitterly against the Angevin domination, supported by the clergy. While the uprising spread through the valley of the Crathis, the town was involved in the see-sawing fight between Angevins and the

Crown of Aragon The Crown of Aragon (, ) ;, ; ; . was a composite monarchy ruled by one king, originated by the dynastic union of the Kingdom of Aragon and the County of Barcelona (later Principality of Catalonia) and ended as a consequence of the War of the Sp ...

. In 1432, King

Louis III of Anjou Louis III (25 September 1403 – 12 November 1434) was a claimant to the Kingdom of Naples from 1417 to 1426, as well as count of Provence, Forcalquier, Piedmont, and Maine and duke of Anjou from 1417 to 1434. As the heir designate to the thron ...

settled in the castle of Cosenza with his wife Margaret of Savoy. When he died untimely, in 1434, he was buried in the cathedral.

Spanish domination

In 1500, in spite of resistance, Cosenza was occupied by the Spanish army led by Captain

Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba (1 September 1453 – 2 December 1515) was a Spanish general and statesman. He led military campaigns during the Conquest of Granada and the Italian Wars, after which he served as Viceroy of Naples. For his e ...

. During the sixteenth century the town experienced a period of expansion as the seat of the Viceroy of Calabria. At the same time its cultural importance grew thanks to the foundation of the Accademia Cosentina; among its most renowned members were

Bernardino Telesio Bernardino Telesio (; 7 November 1509 – 2 October 1588) was an Italian philosopher and natural scientist. While his natural theories were later disproven, his emphasis on observation made him the "first of the moderns" who eventually deve ...

, Aulo Gianni Parrasio, the Martirano brothers,

Antonio Serra Antonio Serra was a late 16th-century Italian philosopher and economist in the mercantilist tradition. Biography Little is known about Serra's life. He was born in Cosenza in the late 16th century (the dates of his birth and death are unknown Al ...

, and others. In 1707, the Austrians succeeded the Spanish in the

Kingdom of Naples The Kingdom of Naples (; ; ), officially the Kingdom of Sicily, was a state that ruled the part of the Italian Peninsula south of the Papal States between 1282 and 1816. It was established by the War of the Sicilian Vespers (1282–1302). Until ...

, followed by the Bourbons. After the proclamation in 1799 of the short-lived

Parthenopean Republic The Parthenopean Republic (, ) or Neapolitan Republic () was a short-lived, semi-autonomous republic located within the Kingdom of Naples and supported by the French First Republic. The republic emerged during the French Revolutionary Wars after ...

and a vain resistance, the town was finally occupied for the Bourbons by Cardinal Fabrizio Ruffo's ''Lazzari''. Cardinal Ruffo was native of the province of Cosenza.

Modern age

From 1806 to 1815, Cosentians fought hard against French domination. Cruel suppressions characterised that period and it was a cradle of the

Carbonari The Carbonari () was an informal network of Secret society, secret revolutionary societies active in Italy from about 1800 to 1831. The Carbonari may have further influenced other revolutionary groups in France, Portugal, Spain, Brazil, Urugua ...

secret societies. In 1813, the town saw many rebels executed. The local riots of 1821 and 1837 heralded the

Risorgimento The unification of Italy ( ), also known as the Risorgimento (; ), was the 19th century political and social movement that in 1861 ended in the annexation of various states of the Italian peninsula and its outlying isles to the Kingdom of ...

. They were followed by the uprising of 15 March 1844, which reached its climax with the “noble folly” of the Bandiera Brothers, who were executed together with some of their followers in the Vallone di Rovito in Cosenza. In 1860, some months after the rapid and overwhelmingly heroic deeds of Garibaldi's troops, a plebiscite proclaimed the annexation of Calabria to the new Kingdom of Italy.

Government

Population

Climate

Main sights

Church of San Domenico

Founded in 1448, the Church of San Domenico combines Medieval and Renaissance architectural elements. Its most interesting feature is the rose window defined by 16 little

tuff Tuff is a type of rock made of volcanic ash ejected from a vent during a volcanic eruption. Following ejection and deposition, the ash is lithified into a solid rock. Rock that contains greater than 75% ash is considered tuff, while rock co ...

columns. The wooden portal (1614) is inlaid with floral motifs, figures of saints, and coats of arms. Inside the church are works by the sanfilese painter Antonio Granata, such as the canvas depicting the Madonna of the Rosary between Saints Dominic and Agnese da Montepulciano preserved in the ancient choir used today as a sacristy in the church (late eighteenth century). The high altar is made of polychrome marble (1767). In the transept, there is a ''Deposition'' and a ''San Vincenzo Ferreri'' (late eighteenth century, anonymous). The sacristy is noted for its ribbed vault, a double lancet window with a narrow arch, and a wooden choir installed in 1635.

The Cathedral

The exact origins of the

Duomo ''Duomo'' (, ) is an Italian term for a church with the features of, or having been built to serve as a cathedral, whether or not it currently plays this role. The Duomo of Monza, for example, has never been a diocesan seat and is by definitio ...

(''Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta'') are unknown; it was probably built during the first half of the eleventh century. An earthquake destroyed the cathedral on 9 June 1184, and rebuilding was completed by 1222, when the cathedral was consecrated by Emperor Frederick II. At some point during the first half of the eighteenth century the church was covered by a baroque superstructure that obliterated the original structure and its works of art. In the first half of the nineteenth century the façade was transformed in neo-gothic style, which completely changed its character. At the end of the nineteenth century, Archbishop Camillo Sorgente entrusted restoration work to Pisanti, who recovered the original old arches and the ancient structure of the church. In the 1940s the work was finally completed. The tomb of Isabella of Aragon, wife of king

Philip III of France Philip III (1 May 1245 – 5 October 1285), called the Bold (), was King of France from 1270 until his death in 1285. His father, Louis IX, died in Tunis during the Eighth Crusade. Philip, who was accompanying him, returned to France and wa ...

is in the transept. A long aisle links the Duomo to the palace of the archbishop, the ''Palazzo Arcivescovile'', which houses an ''Immacolata'' by

Luca Giordano Luca Giordano (18 October 1634 – 3 January 1705) was an Italian late-Baroque painter and printmaker in etching. Fluent and decorative, he worked successfully in Naples, Rome, Florence, and Venice, before spending a decade in Spain. Early l ...

. One can also see a rare and precious ''Stauroteca''. A Stauroteca is a relic containing fragments of wood from the cross of Christ. It generally has a rectangular and flat rectangular cross or rectangular tee with cruciform recipe used to guard the relic. It was a gift from Emperor Frederick II to the Duomo upon consecration. The work was produced in workshops of the royal goldsmiths, better known as "Tiraz", in a cultural environment blending Arabic, Byzantine, and Western cultural elements.

''Monastero delle Vergini''

The "Convent of the Virgins" stands in via Gaetano Argento. The external part of the main entrance is made of decorated tuff, while the internal part is carved of wood. The convent contains a sixteenth-century painting of the ''Annunciation''. In front of it, is the thirteenth-century ''Madonna del Pilerio'' attributed to Giovanni da Taranto, while on the walls are four other anonymous sixteenth-century paintings: the ''Visitation'', the ''Circumcision'', the ''Adoration of the Shepherds'', and the ''Adoration of the Magi''. In the apse is the altarpiece ''Transit of the Virgin'' (1570). The

cymatium Cymatium (from Greek κυμάτιον "small wave"), the uppermost molding at the top of the cornice in the classical order, is made of the s-shaped cyma molding (either ''cyma recta'' or ''cyma reversa''), combining a concave cavetto with a con ...

houses a painting portraying the ''Coronation of the Virgin'', while at the base of the two columns are paintings of two unidentified saints that are attributed to Michele Curia, the "Master of Montecalvario". The wooden choir dates to the seventeenth century.

''Giostra Vecchia''

In the fifteenth century, at Palazzo Falvo the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

was introduced at Cosenza, in the ''Giostra Vecchia''. Here are located the church and monastery of

Saint Francis of Assisi Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone ( 1181 – 3 October 1226), known as Francis of Assisi, was an Italian mystic, poet and Catholic friar who founded the religious order of the Franciscans. Inspired to lead a Christian life of poverty, he ...

. The Latin cross plan has a nave and two aisles. In the nave stands the impressive high wooden altar built in 1700. Above it is a painting by Daniele Russo representing the ''Perdono d’Assisi ''(1618). The left aisle is home to a wooden seventeenth-century crucifix, the altar of the ''Madonna della Febbre'' and the statue of the ''Madonna with Child'', in marble, dating to the sixteenth century. The sacristy has a painted wooden ceiling, a wooden ''armadio'' representing episodes from the Passion of Christ, and paintings of saints and Franciscan friars. The stone arch is characterized by the painting of St. Francis of Paola, while on the walls are some frescoes dating to the beginning of the fifteenth century.

Hohenstaufen Castle

The ''Castello Svevo'' ("Swabian" or

Castle) was originally built by the Saracens on the ruins of the ancient Rocca Brutia, around the year 1000. The castle was restored by Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, adding the octagonal tower to the original structure, in 1239. According to tradition, his son

Henry Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainmen ...

lived in this castle, as a prisoner at his father's command. Louis III of Naples and Margaret of Savoy married in the castle and they both settled there in 1432. All signs of the ancient Saracen structure have now disappeared. In the internal cloister, the modifications made by the

Bourbons The House of Bourbon (, also ; ) is a dynasty that originated in the Kingdom of France as a branch of the Capetian dynasty, the royal House of France. Bourbon kings first ruled France and Navarre in the 16th century. A branch descended from ...

in order to convert it into a prison can also be seen. The entrance-hall is covered by ogival arches with engraved brackets. A wide corridor is dominated by some

fleur-de-lis The ''fleur-de-lis'', also spelled ''fleur-de-lys'' (plural ''fleurs-de-lis'' or ''fleurs-de-lys''), is a common heraldic charge in the (stylized) shape of a lily (in French, and mean and respectively). Most notably, the ''fleur-de-lis'' ...

from the

House of Anjou Angevin or House of Anjou may refer to: *County of Anjou or Duchy of Anjou, a historical county, and later Duchy, in France **Angevin (language), the traditional langue d'oïl spoken in Anjou **Counts and Dukes of Anjou *House of Ingelger, a Franki ...

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

. They are engraved on the ribbed Hohenstaufen arches.

''Spirito Santo''

The church of ''Sant'Agostino'', also known as the ''Spirito Santo'', was built in 1507 by the

Augustinians Augustinians are members of several religious orders that follow the Rule of Saint Augustine, written about 400 A.D. by Augustine of Hippo. There are two distinct types of Augustinians in Catholic religious orders dating back to the 12th–13 ...

. The original portal has several inscriptions in Gothic characters. The interior has a series of paintings from the eighteenth century. Further on a narrow street leads to the so-called “Area of the Bandiera Brothers”, the ''Vallone di Rovito''. Here, the insurrectionist patriots of 1844 were executed by a firing squad.

''San Francesco di Paola''

In the Arenella, are the church and monastery of

Saint Francis of Paola Francis of Paola, O.M. (also known as Francis the Fire Handler; 27 March 1416 – 2 April 1507), was a Roman Catholic friar from the town of Paola in Calabria who founded the Order of Minims. Like his patron saint (Francis of Assisi), but unlik ...

(1510). The interior, with a single nave, houses the tomb of Ottavio Cesare Gaeta. On the right wall, are two eighteenth-century paintings: a ''Sacra Famiglia'' and ''Madonna con San Francesco e Sant’Agostino''. On an altar is a wooden statue of Saint Francis of Paola; while on the left side of the nave, on another altar, is a wooden statue of San Michele Arcangelo. The ''Madonna with Child in Glory and Saints Paul and Luke'' (1551) was painted by

Pietro Negroni Pietro Negroni, also called Il Giovane Zingaro (''the young gypsy'') and Lo zingarello di Cosenza (''the little gypsy from Cosenza'')Marisa Reale, Pietro Negroni - Lo zingarello di Cosenza, , FPE Franco Pangallo Editore, 2011 ( – 1565), was a ...

. In the apse, a sixteenth-century triptych made by Cristoforo Faffeo represents the ''Madonna and Child in glory with saints Catherine and Sebastian''. At the back of the altar is a wooden choir built in 1679 by M. Domenico Costanzo da Rogliano. On the wall of the sacristy are remains of frescoes dating back to 1550–1600. On the vault are some pastels representing scenes from the life of the Saint from Paola.

''San Salvatore''

The small church of San Salvatore serves the parish that professes the Byzantine-Albanian faith. Inside the nave are a wooden ceiling, some frescoes of the Apostoli, of the Salvatore, and of the Madonna, as well as a splendid

iconostasis In Eastern Christianity, an iconostasis () is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a Church (building), church. ''Iconostasis'' also refers to a portable icon stand that can be placed anywhere withi ...

Open Air Museum

In the modern part of Cosenza, in an area stretching from the pedestrianized Corso Mazzini to Piazza Bilotti, lies the open-air "Museo MAB" (''Museo all'aperto Bilotti''). The museum hosts a wide range of modern art sculptures that stand in the street for residents and tourists. The sculptures were donated to the city by the Italian-American entrepreneur and art collector, Carlo Bilotti. They include ''Saint George and the Dragon'' by

Salvador Dalí Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí of Púbol (11 May 190423 January 1989), known as Salvador Dalí ( ; ; ), was a Spanish Surrealism, surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, ...

, ''Hector and Andromache'' by

Giorgio de Chirico Giuseppe Maria Alberto Giorgio de Chirico ( ; ; 10 July 1888 – 20 November 1978) was an Italian artist and writer born in Greece. In the years before World War I, he founded the art movement, which profoundly influenced the surrealists. His ...

, "the Bronzes" by

Sacha Sosno Alexandre Joseph Sosnowsky (18 March 1937 – 3 December 2013), better known by the name Sacha Sosno, was an internationally renowned French sculptor and painter. Working most of the time in Nice, in his last decades Sosno achieved international ...

, ''The Bather'' by

Emilio Greco Emilio Greco (11 October 1913 – 4 April 1995) was an Italian sculptor, engraver, medallist, writer and poet. He is best known for his monumental bronze sculptures which are located around the world in museums such as - Tate Modern (London), Her ...

, ''The Cardinal'' by

Giacomo Manzù Giacomo Manzoni (22 December 1908 – 17 January 1991), known professionally as Giacomo Manzù, was an Italian sculptor. Biography Manzù was born in Bergamo. His father was a shoemaker and sacristan. Other than a few evening art classes ...

, and various marble sculptures by

Pietro Consagra Pietro Consagra (6 October 1920 – 16 July 2005) was an Italian sculptor. In 1947 he was among the founding members of the Forma 1 group of artists, who advocated both Marxism and structured abstraction. Life Consagra was born on 6 Octobe ...

Museums and cultural institutions

* National Gallery - Palazzo Arnone * Civic Archeological Museum * Remembrance Museum * Bilotti Open Air Museum * Rendano Theatre * Morelli Theatre * Acquario Theatre *

* Music Conservatoire * State Archive Library * Civic Library * National Library * District Library * Children's Library * Antonio Guarasci Foundation Library * Calabria Jazz Centre Recordings Archive * Theological Library (Seminario Cosentino) * Cultural and Ethno-Anthropological Heritage Archive

Sports

Cosenza is home to

Serie B The Serie B (), officially known as Serie BKT for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It has been operating for over ninety years since the 1929–30 season. It had b ...

football team

Cosenza Calcio Cosenza Calcio S.r.l. is an Italian football club, based in Cosenza, Calabria. Currently the team plays in . For the 2025/2026 season it shall play in the Serie C History Cosenza Calcio The club was founded in 1926 as "Cosenza Foot-Ball Club" ( ...

Events and festivals

*Fiera di S.Giuseppe - March *Festival delle Invasioni - July *Festa del Cioccolato (Chocolate Festival) - October *''La sagra dell'uva e del vino'' (Wine Festival) in Donnici - October

Notable people

Joachim of Fiore Joachim of Fiore, also known as Joachim of Flora (; ; 1135 – 30 March 1202), was an Italian Christian theologian, Catholic abbot, and the founder of the monastic order of San Giovanni in Fiore. According to theologian Bernard McGinn, "Joach ...

(c.1135–1202), theologian born in

Celico Celico () is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy. People *Joachim of Fiore (c.1135 – 1202), mystic, theologian and esoterist * Gioachino Greco Gioachino Greco ( – ), surnamed Cuse ...

* Aulo Giano Parrasio (1470–1521), humanist *

(1509–1588), philosopher *

(1505–1565), painter *

(late 1500s), economist * Sertorio Quattromani (1541–1607), philosopher * Niccolò Pasquali (1717/18–1757), musician * Francis Pasquali (fl.1743–1795), musician * Francesco Saverio Salfi (1759–1832), writer * Giovanni Antonio Palazzo (17th-century), writer * Nicola Misasi (1850–1923), writer * Alfonso Rendano (1853–1931), pianist born in Carolei * Alessandro Longo (1864–1945), composer born in

Amantea Amantea ( Calabrian: ; ) is a town, former bishopric, ''comune'' (municipality) and Latin Catholic titular see in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy. It is the twentieth municipality in the region by population, while ...

* Pietro Mancini (1876–1968), politician born in

Malito Malito () is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy. See also * Savuto river The Savuto is a river and valley in Calabria, Southern Italy, that lies at the intersection of the provinces of P ...

Tony Gaudio Gaetano (Tony) Gaudio, American Society of Cinematographers, A.S.C. (20 November 1883 – 10 August 1951) was a pioneer Italian-American cinematographer of more than 1000 films. Gaudio won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography for ''Anth ...

(1883–1951), cinematographer * Fausto Gullo (1887–1974), politician born in

Catanzaro Catanzaro (; or ; ), also known as the "City of the two Seas" (), is an Italian city of 86,183 inhabitants (2020), the capital of the Calabria region and of its province and the second most populated comune of the region, behind Reggio Calabr ...

* Giacomo Mancini (1916–2002), politician *

Stefano Rodotà Stefano Rodotà (30 May 1933 – 23 June 2017) was an Italian jurist and politician. Early life Born in 1933 in Cosenza, to a middle-class family of Arbëreshë origin from San Benedetto Ullano, he attended Liceo classico Bernardino Telesio in ...

(1933–2017), politician * Tony Parisi (1941–2000), wrestler * Sandra Savaglio (born 1967), astrophysicist * Mark Iuliano (born 1973), former football player, football manager * Maria Perrotta (born 1974), pianist *

Stefano Fiore Stefano Fiore (; born 17 April 1975) is an Italian Association football, football manager and former player, who played as an attacking midfielder or on the winger (association football), right wing. He was in charge as manager technical area of ...

(born 1975), former football player *

Simone Perrotta Simone Perrotta (; born 17 September 1977) is an Italian-British former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Throughout his career, he stood out for his work-rate, energy, and box-to-box play as a ball-winner in the midfield area ...

(born 1977), former football player born in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

* Brunori Sas (born 1977), singer *

Gennaro Gattuso Gennaro Ivan Gattuso (; born 9 January 1978) is an Italians, Italian professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who is currently the Manager (association football), head coach of the Italy na ...

(born 1978), former football player, football manager born in

Corigliano Calabro Corigliano Calabro is a town and a ''frazione'' of Corigliano-Rossano located in the province of Cosenza, c. 40 km northeast of the city of Cosenza, in Calabria, southern Italy. Geography It is situated near the mouth of a river of the sa ...

* Maria Perrusi (born 1991), model *

Domenico Berardi Domenico Berardi (; born 1 August 1994) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a forward or right winger for club Sassuolo and the Italy national team. Berardi began his club career with Sassuolo in 2012, helping the team win th ...

(born 1994), football player born in

Cariati Cariati is a town and (municipality) in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists o ...

Giovanni Tocci Giovanni Tocci (born 31 August 1994) is an Italian Diving (sport), diver. He competed in the Diving at the 2016 Summer Olympics – Men's synchronized 3 metre springboard, men's synchronized 3 metre springboard at the 2016 Summer Olympics, where h ...

(born 1994), diver *

Antonio Fuoco Antonio Fuoco (born 20 May 1996) is an Italian racing driver who is currently competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Ferrari AF Corse in the Ferrari 499P. He also serves as a development driver for the Scuderia Ferrari Formula One ...

(born 1996), racing driver born in Cariati

International relations

Twin towns – sister cities

Cosenza is twinned with: *

Kenosha, Wisconsin Kenosha () is a city in Kenosha County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Wisconsin, fourth-most populous city in Wisconsin, with a population of 99,986 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. S ...

, United States, since 1979 *

Lansing, Michigan Lansing () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Michigan. The most populous city in Ingham County, Michigan, Ingham County, parts of the city extend into Eaton County, Michigan, Eaton County and nort ...

, United States, since 2000 *

Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario Sault Ste. Marie ( ) is a city in northern Ontario, Canada, on the north shore of the St. Mary's River directly across from its "twin city," Sault Ste. Marie, in the state of Michigan. The city's population was 72,051 at the 2021 census, makin ...

, Canada, since 2010

Gallery

File:Ponte di San Francesco da Paola 1 - Cosenza.jpg, St Francis Bridge File:Panorama Cosenza notturno.jpg, Night View File:Cosenza20232.jpg, The River Crati File:VILLA RENDANO - Cosenza.jpg, Villa Rendano File:Old town2.jpg, The old town File:Viale Parco.jpg, The old town in the snow File:Old_town_view.jpg, Surrounding Hills File:Cosenza20236.jpg, View from the riverbank File:Piazza tommaso campanella 2 Cosenza.jpg, Piazza Campanella File:ARA_DEI_FRATELLI_BANDIERA_Cosenza.jpg, Altar to the Bandiera Brothers File:Complesso monumentale San'Agostino- Cosenza.jpg, St. Augustine Monument File:Museo all' aperto Cosenza centro storico.jpg, Open Air Museum File:BoCs Art Museum - Cosenza.jpg, Interior of the BoCs Art Museum File:Bagnante1 jpg.jpg, Open Air Museum File:Box_art_Cosenza.jpg, Box Art in the old town File:TEATRO RENDANO Cosenza.jpg, The Rendano Theatre File:Teatro_di_tradizione_A._Rendano.jpg, Interior of the Rendano Theatre File:Planetario Cosenza.jpg, Planetary File:SKYLINE COSENZA.jpg, Skyscraper File:FONTANA DI GIUGNO 1 COSENZA.JPG, June Fountain File:Statua italia cosenza.jpg, Statue in the Old Gardens File:COSENZA ANTICA SCORCIO.jpg, The River Busento

References

External links

Cosenza official website
* {{Authority control Cities and towns in Calabria