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rossano |
| Twelve kilometres away from the Monastery of Pathirion, the resort
of ROSSANO SCALO has far outstripped its parent-town of ROSSANO in terms
of size and bustle, and most of the holiday-makers who frequent its
beaches never even get round to visiting the hilltop town, 7km up an
awkward winding road - something that has helped to preserve the old
centre from excessive development. The foremost Byzantine centre in the
south, Rossano was the focus of a veritable renaissance of literature,
theology and art between the eighth and eleventh centuries, a period to
which the town's greatest treasures belong. Its majolica-tiled
Cattedrale is an Angevin construction largely rebuilt after the 1836
earthquake but has a much-venerated ninth-century Byzantine fresco,
Madonna Achiropita , whose Greek epithet, meaning "not painted by hand",
refers to its divine authorship. The over-decorated interior boasts a
wooden ceiling and a mosaic floor near the altar, though most of the
artworks here suffer from neglect. Next to the cathedral, the Museo
Diocesano (July to mid-Sept daily 9am-1pm & 4.30-8.30pm; mid-Sept to
June Tues-Sat 9.30am-12.30pm & 4-7pm, Sun 10am-noon & 4.30-6.30pm;
L4000/2.07) contains the famed codex purpureus Rossanensis , or Purple
Codex, a unique sixth-century manuscript on reddish-purple parchment
illustrating the life of Christ. The book, which was brought from
Palestine by monks fleeing the Muslim invasions, is open at one page,
but you can leaf through a good copy and see, among other things, how
the Last Supper was originally depicted, with Christ and his disciples
not seated but reclining on cushions round the table, and all eating
from the same plate. Other items in this tiny museum include a fifteenth-century
icon painted on both sides and formerly at Pathirion, and several pieces
of silverware of superb artistry. In contrast to the duomo's grandiosity,
the diminutive church of San Marco , at the end of Corso Garibaldi on
the edge of town, retains a primitive spirituality. The five cupolas of
the tenth- or eleventh-century construction, surrounded by palms on a
terrace that looks out over the gorge below, impart an almost Middle
Eastern flavour; to see the stark white interior, enlivened only by six
frail columns and a poorly maintained fresco, ask at the Cooperativa
Neilos at their office at Piazza Duomo 25 (tel 0983.525.263). They are
also equipped to supply information on the area. Hotels are few and far between, all in the lower town, and they aren't cheap. Try the Murano , right by the sea on Lido Sant'Angelo (tel 0983.511.788; L90,000-120,000/46.48-61.98), or, 50m up from the level crossing, the Scigliano (tel 0983.511.846; L150,000-200,000/77.47-103.29), though if you have transport you'll find a better deal at the President (tel 0983.511.375; L120,000-150,000/61.98-77.47), a couple of kilometres north up the SS106. All are rather characterless modern places but prices should include breakfast. Alternatively, a kilometre north from Rossano Scalo on the seafront road, you'll find chalets for rent at the local campsite , Torino (tel 0983.512.394). Back in the old town, the best trattoria lies just off Piazza Anargiri, La Villa , in Via San Bartolomeo, with alfresco eating in summer (closed lunchtimes & Tues); there's another, more casual evenings-only place, La Bizantina , right outside San Marco, or try Le Arcate near the cathedral. All of these places also serve pizzas. |