5 things to do and see in Pazzano
Pazzano, 410 metres above sea level, nestles between Mount Consolino (701 m) and Mount Mammicomito (1,047 m). It is the smallest municipality in the Stilaro Valley: a seemingly modest village, yet one that guards precious treasures.
1 – The miners’ village: industrial archaeology
Pazzano’s mineral deposits had been known since the time of Magna Graecia. During the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, as many as 25 mines in Pazzano supplied ferrite and limonite to the foundries of Stilo, Mongiana and the whole of southern Italy. – In the 20th century, this golden age came to an end, and from the 1950s onwards the village rapidly lost population: many people from Pazzano emigrated in search of a better future. – The Museum of Ironworks and Foundries of Calabria, the miners’ district, the mine entrances and the Miners’ Fountain (1760) all stand as witnesses to that past.
Photo: Marcuscalabresus Source
2 – The Cunfrunta Rite: When the Whole Community Comes Together
The Church of Santa Maria Assunta in Cielo («Saint Mary Assumed into Heaven») is both the starting point and the final destination of the village’s most important celebration, the Feast of the Santissimo Salvatore («Most Holy Saviour»). – For the ritual of La Cunfrunta, in August,everyone returns to Pazzano, even from the most distant countries. The streets fill with people, the local band plays, and a long procession winds through the village, with the large wooden statue of the Santissimo Salvatore carried shoulder-high by a group of devotees. – The highlight of the festival is the meeting between the statue of the Saviour and the statues of Mary and Joseph — and “Cunfrunta” means precisely “meeting”: a brief, almost fleeting run that moves every heart.
3 – To the Madonna della Stella with the pilgrims
Climbing up to Mount Stella (832 m) is a deeply moving experience, not only for the view stretching across the entire Stilaro Valley, but also because this is a truly mystical place. – You enter a cave once visited by Basilian hermits and a sanctuary where the miraculous statue of the Madonna della Stella («Our Lady of the Star»)is venerated. – The sanctuary is reached by descending a steep stone stairway and is a meaningful stop for pilgrims walking to Stilo along the Cammino Basiliano, the Basilian Way.
Photo: SharryLand
4 – The Feast of the Assumption on Mount Stella
On 14 and 15 August the whole community celebrates the Feast of the Assumption («Festa dell’Assunta»). From across the Stilaro Valley, the faithful gather at the Fontana Vecchia in Pazzano and from there set off in procession, with songs and prayers, accompanied by the ever-present village band. – The route follows the steep path that winds its way up to the cave-sanctuary. The night before, there is a prayer vigil: a torchlight procession climbs up from the village, carrying a painting of the Virgin Mary.
Photo: Marcuscalabresus Source
5 – The Old Fountain, a symbol of the village
Six spouts from which fresh water still flows. In past centuries, the «Fontana Vecchia», the «Old Fountain», was a landmark for miners, who would stop here to drink and water the mules used to carry minerals to the foundries. – Women came here to fetch water and wash clothes. Today, it is the meeting point for pilgrims climbing up to Mount Stella, and for hikers in search of the area’s small hidden treasures, such as the Vrisa Mill.
Photo: Marcuscalabresus Source
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