Belmonte Calabro, the Village of Alleys.

Belmonte Calabro is a beautiful tourist village facing on the Tyrrhenian Coastline in the Province of Cosenza.

 

 

 

Its name (litterally Calabrian Beautiful-mount) already describes it as an amazing place. We admired it more thanks to Antonello, travel guide and our partner. This hamlet can be base of  a weekend rich in experiences to spend along this coastline.

 

 

Its position was good for controlling and avoiding the dangers from the sea, especially the Saracens attacks which once endangered the Calabrian coasts. Nowadays it is an opportunity to enjoy breathtaking panoramas from its viewpoints.

 

 

Belmonte is called The Village of Alleys  for the urban planning of its historic center: the central main street divides into more alleys, probably with Arab inspiration. And they are all very tight!

 

 

Walking among those typical alleys, there are on the wall of the houses some ceramic signs with popular proverbs in dialect, evidences of folk wisdom.

 

 

Belmonte is also an example of widespread hospitality in the historic centre: in fact there are several Bed & breakfast which host travellers following the main rules of genuine hospitality. We met Mrs Patrizia, owner of La Casa della Filanda (the house of the spinning mill), a B&B which was once the headquarter of the silk production, rich business in the past in Calabria.

 

 

The thing that struck us the most is the Duomo, Santa Maria Assunta Church. It is unusual to see a Duomo facing on a square so small to compare it to a yard. Here we knew a man who lives there and who told us to be the Santa Claus of Belmonte Calabro and he showed some photos. This is an example of a typical welcoming of these villages! 

 

 

Belmonte is also famous for its gastronomy. The tomato is an excellence among its products: it has 2 species named Cuore di Bue (ox heart) and Gigante (giant). And among the alleys we found an ode dedicated to it. Sweet and succulent, it is ideal for tasty summer salads.

Her great grandparents, who were from Amalfi, felt in love this area so rich in orchards and decided to stay there and to start a new business:the production of dried figs filled, called crocette (small crosses). It is all handmade. At the beginning they were sold by the pound, then in wicker baskets.

 

The second generation, in addition, started to cover them by chocolate making the factory famous also for the chocolate processing. 

Beauty and taste in a Extraordinary Calabria!

Brunella Brusco