Civita, Italy
Encyclopedia
Civita is a hilltown and comune
in the province of Cosenza
in the Calabria
region of southern Italy
. Facing the Ionian Sea
, it is part of the Pollino National Park
.
It was founded in the 15th century by Albanian refugees from the Ottoman invasion. The Civitesi are in fact still part of an ethnic minority (Arbëreshë
) officially recognized by the Italian laws.
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
in the province of Cosenza
Province of Cosenza
The Province of Cosenza is a province in the Calabria region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Cosenza.It has an area of 6,650 km², and a total population of 733,797 . It is the biggest Calabrian Province...
in the Calabria
Calabria
Calabria , in antiquity known as Bruttium, is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of the Italian Peninsula. The capital city of Calabria is Catanzaro....
region of southern Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. Facing the Ionian Sea
Ionian Sea
The Ionian Sea , is an arm of the Mediterranean Sea, south of the Adriatic Sea. It is bounded by southern Italy including Calabria, Sicily and the Salento peninsula to the west, southern Albania to the north, and a large number of Greek islands, including Corfu, Zante, Kephalonia, Ithaka, and...
, it is part of the Pollino National Park
Pollino National Park
The Pollino National Park is a national park in Basilicata and Calabria, southern Italy. Comprised within the provinces of Cosenza, Matera and Potenza, with its 1,820 square kilometres it is the largest natural park in the country...
.
It was founded in the 15th century by Albanian refugees from the Ottoman invasion. The Civitesi are in fact still part of an ethnic minority (Arbëreshë
Arbëreshë
The Arbëreshë are a linguistic and ethnic Albanian minority community living in southern Italy, especially the regions of Apulia, Basilicata, Molise, Calabria and Sicily...
) officially recognized by the Italian laws.
Main sights
- Ponte del Diavolo (Devil's BridgeDevil's BridgeDevil’s Bridge is a term applied to dozens of ancient bridges, found primarily in Europe. Most of these bridges are stone or masonry arch bridges and represent a significant technological achievement...
). - Raganello Canyons.
- Church with Byzantine mosaics and a precious icon.
- Arbëreshë Ethnic Museum.