| Rossano | |
|---|---|
| — Comune — | |
| Comune di Rossano | |
| Church of Santa Maria del Patire. | |
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Rossano
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Italy |
| Region | Calabria |
| Province | Cosenza (CS) |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Giuseppe Antoniotti |
| Area | |
| • Total | 149 km2 (57.5 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 270 m (886 ft) |
| Population (31 March 2010) | |
| • Total | 38,229 |
| • Density | 256.6/km2 (664.5/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Rossanesi |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) |
| Postal code | 87067, 87068 |
| Dialing code | 0983 |
| Patron saint | St. Nilus the Younger |
| Saint day | September 26 |
| Website | portal.comune.rossano.cs.it |
Rossano is a town and comune in Southern Italy, in the province of Cosenza (Calabria). The city is situated on an eminence c. 3. km from the Gulf of Taranto. The town is known for its marble and alabaster quarries.
The town is the seat of a Catholic archbishop and has a notable cathedral and castle. Two Popes have been born in the town, along with Saint Nilus the Younger.
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Roscianum was the original name of the town under the Roman Empire. In the 2nd century AD, emperor Hadrian built or rebuilt a port here, which could accommodate up to 300 ships. It was mentioned in the Antonine itineraries, as one of the important fortresses of Calabria. The Goths of Alaric I and, in the following century, Totila, were unable to take it.
The Rossanesi showed great attachment to the Byzantine Empire, whose local strategos had his seat here. The Rossano Gospels, a 6th Century illuminated manuscript of great historical and artistic value, is a tangible relic of that period.
The Saracens failed to conquer Rossano, while in 982 Otto II captured it temporarily from the Byzantines. Its Greek character was preserved long after its conquest by the Normans, as noted by its long retention of the Greek Rite over the Latin Rite. The city in fact maintained notable privileges under the subsequent Hohenstaufen and Angevine dominations, but subsequently decayed after the feudalization in 1417.
Passing to the Sforza, and thus to Sigismund of Poland, it was united in 1558 to the crown of Naples by Philip II of Spain in virtue of a doubtful will by Bona Sforza, queen of Poland in favor of Giovanni Lorenzo Pappacoda. Under Isabella of Naples and Bona, the town had been a centre of literary culture; but under the Spaniards it declined.
In 1612, the crown sold the lordship to the Aldobrandini, and in 1637, it passed to the Borghese who retained it until 1806. The city was part of the Neapolitan Republic of 1799, but its conditions did not improve after the Unification of Italy, and much of the population emigrated.
Rossano was the birthplace of Pope John VII and Pope Urban VII. Rossano is also the birthplace of Saint Nilus the Younger, who founded the Abbey of Grottaferrata, and whose "Life" is a valuable source of information about southern Italy in the Tenth Century.
Outside the city are:
Rossano can be reached from the airports of Crotone, Lamezia Terme or Reggio Calabria through SS. 106 Ionica Route. Rossano has a railway station on the secondary branch starting from Sibari, on the line to Crotone.