We do not have much historical information about
the town of Cosenza. That is the reason why we cannot still
reconstruct its origins. The first historical events about Cosenza
date back to just before the IV century B.C. when the town of
Cosentia became the “tactical pivot” in the history of Calabria,
originally called Brettia.
When Normans invaded Cosenza, the town submitted
to their domination. This does not only mean to pay a tax but also
to provide the army with soldiers, and that is the reason why the
hostilities between Cosenza and its invaders continued for a long
time.
The Castle and the Cathedral
It was Ruggero Borsa who decided to fortify the
town to protect it from rebellions. This fortification system
culminated with the construction of a magnificent castle on the
town’s highest hill: the Pancrazio.
The Cathedral of Cosenza is certainly one of the
most interesting and well-preserved buildings of the south of Italy.
We thought it was built around the middle of the XIth century. After
the devastating earthquake in 1184, the cathedral was consecrated in
1222 in the presence of the emperor Fredrick II.
The village of Papasidero and its findings
The village of Papasidero is one of the many mountain
villages of Calabria.
It particularly distinguishes itself for its archaeological
discoveries, which were made in 1961 when the
Cave of Romito, and its graffiti representing cattle images,
was discovered.
The ruins of the Papasidero castle
Other local places of interest are
the ruins of the Papasidero castle, which was built between
the 11th and 13th century.
The cave of Romito, rock-engraving and burials
The cave of Romito today
The cave of Romito dates back to the Upper Palaeolithic age and
is located at about 16 Km from Papasidero.
The cave of Romito is made up of two rooms of about 20 meters each
and it extends for 34 meters from the shelter.
The Palaeolithic rock-engraving and burials
Inside the cave there are some rock engravings, which were
discovered in 1961. That is the reason why it is still possible to
see some of the carvings, very difficult to interpret, made on two
rocks, which also represent three bovine animals, one of which
measuring 1.20 m.
Three buried couples, together with both lithic and bone
findings, were discovered during the excavations.
