Castrovillari is a town and comune

Comune

In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...

in the province of Cosenza

Cosenza

Cosenza is a city in southern Italy, located at the confluence of two historic rivers: the Busento and the Crathis. The municipal population is of around 70,000; the urban area, however, counts over 260,000 inhabitants...

 in the Calabria

Calabria

Calabria , in antiquity known as Bruttium, is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of the Italian Peninsula. The capital city of Calabria is Catanzaro....

 region of southern Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

. As of 2010 its population was of 22,586..

History

The name derives probably from the medieval Latin

Medieval Latin

Medieval Latin was the form of Latin used in the Middle Ages, primarily as a medium of scholarly exchange and as the liturgical language of the medieval Roman Catholic Church, but also as a language of science, literature, law, and administration. Despite the clerical origin of many of its authors,...

 castrum villarum, meaning "fortress of the villas". The city was founded under the Crown of Aragon

Crown of Aragon

The Crown of Aragon Corona d'Aragón Corona d'Aragó Corona Aragonum controlling a large portion of the present-day eastern Spain and southeastern France, as well as some of the major islands and mainland possessions stretching across the Mediterranean as far as Greece...

, which built the famous Castle.
The town is situated in the middle of a huge arena shaped by big mountains, like Pollino (2248) and Dolcedorme (2273). This is the area of Pollino natural park, one of the biggest in Europe.

Geography

Castrovillari lies in north of Calabria, close to the borders with Basilicata

Basilicata

Basilicata , also known as Lucania, is a region in the south of Italy, bordering on Campania to the west, Apulia to the north and east, and Calabria to the south, having one short southwestern coastline on the Tyrrhenian Sea between Campania in the northwest and Calabria in the southwest, and a...

 and within the Pollino National Park

Pollino National Park

The Pollino National Park is a national park in Basilicata and Calabria, southern Italy. Comprised within the provinces of Cosenza, Matera and Potenza, with its 1,820 square kilometres it is the largest natural park in the country...

. It counts 3 civil parishes (frazioni

Frazione

A frazione , in Italy, is the name given in administrative law to a type of territorial subdivision of a comune; for other administrative divisions, see municipio, circoscrizione, quartiere...

): Cammarata, Ciminito and Vigne.

The town borders with the municipalities of Altomonte

Altomonte

Altomonte is a town and comune in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy....

, Cassano allo Ionio

Cassano allo Ionio

Cassano allo Ionio is a small town and comune in province of Cosenza of Calabria, southern Italy, known in Roman times as Cassanum. It lies in fertile region in the concave recess of a steep mountain, 60 km NE from the town of Cosenza, 10 km W of the archaeological site of...

, Cerchiara di Calabria

Cerchiara di Calabria

Cerchiara di Calabria is a town and comune in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy.Cercharia occupies the ancient site of Arponium in Magna Graecia, under the Byzantine name of Circlarium...

, Chiaromonte

Chiaromonte

Chiaromonte is a town and comune in the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata....

 (PZ

Province of Potenza

The Province of Potenza is a province in the Basilicata region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Potenza.-Geography:It has an area of 6,545 km² and a total population of 387,107 . There are 100 comuni in the province .-History:In 272 B.C. the province was conquered by the Greek army...

), Civita, Frascineto

Frascineto

Frascinetto is a town and comune in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy.It is home to an Arbëresh minority.- External links :* * on http://www.telecosenza.it...

, Morano Calabro

Morano Calabro

Morano Calabro is a town and comune in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy.-Geography:The municipality borders with Castrovillari , Mormanno, Rotonda, San Basile, Saracena, Terranova di Pollino and Viggianello.-Campotenese:Its frazione , the village of Campotenese, is...

, San Basile

San Basile

San Basile is a town and comune in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy.-Overview:Language/s: Italian and Albanian....

, San Lorenzo Bellizzi

San Lorenzo Bellizzi

San Lorenzo Bellizzi is a village and comune in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy.-Geography:The village is bordered by Castrovillari, Cerchiara di Calabria, Civita and Terranova di Pollino....

, San Lorenzo del Vallo

San Lorenzo del Vallo

San Lorenzo del Vallo is a town and comune in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy.-References:...

, Saracena

Saracena

Saracena is a town and comune in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy. The town is bordered by Altomonte, Castrovillari, Firmo, Lungro, Morano Calabro, Mormanno, Orsomarso and San Basile. The town's patron is San Leone di Catania, who is celebrated twice a year, once in...

, Spezzano Albanese

Spezzano Albanese

Spezzano Albanese is an Italian comune in the Province of Cosenza, Calabria. It has 7,036 inhabitants as of 2001.As the name implies, Spezzano Albanese is an Arbëreshë community, and is called Spixan in the dialect of Albanian spoken by many of its inhabitants.-External links:...

, Viggianello

Viggianello

Viggianello is a town and comune in the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. It has a population of 3,489....

 and Terranova di Pollino

Terranova di Pollino

Terranova di Pollino is a town and comune in the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata....

 (PZ).

Demgraphics

Main sights

• Castello Aragonese
• Ponte della Catena (Bridge of the Chain), connecting the two halves of the city
• church of San Giuliano
• Franciscan protoconvent
  Convent
  A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion...
  
  
• church of Madonna del Castello

Transport

The town was served, until 1978, by a railway station on the abandoned narrow gauge line Lagonegro-Lauria-Castrovillari-Spezzano Albanese, owned by the regional company Ferrovie della Calabria (FC). It is crossed by the A3 motorway (Naples

Naples

Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...

-Salerno

Salerno

Salerno is a city and comune in Campania and is the capital of the province of the same name. It is located on the Gulf of Salerno on the Tyrrhenian Sea....

-Cosenza

Cosenza

Cosenza is a city in southern Italy, located at the confluence of two historic rivers: the Busento and the Crathis. The municipal population is of around 70,000; the urban area, however, counts over 260,000 inhabitants...

-Reggio Calabria

Reggio Calabria

Reggio di Calabria , commonly known as Reggio Calabria or Reggio, is the biggest city and the most populated comune of Calabria, southern Italy, and is the capital of the Province of Reggio Calabria and seat of the Council of Calabrian government.Reggio is located on the "toe" of the Italian...

) and served by two exits: "Castrovillari-Morano Calabro" and "Castrovillari-Frascineto".

Sport

The most representative team, regaurding the association football

Football in Italy

Football is the most popular sport in Italy. The Italian national football team has won the FIFA World Cup 4 times , trailing only Brazil . Italy's club sides have won 27 major European trophies, making them the most successful European nation in the subject of football...

, is the U.S. Castrovillari Calcio

U.S. Castrovillari Calcio

Unione Sportiva Castrovillari Calcio is an Italian association football club located in Castrovillari, Calabria.It currently plays in Eccellenza Calabria.Its colors are red and black.-2009–2010 squad:-External links:* *...

, commonly known as Castrovillary. The team played for several seasons in the Serie C2, the fourth highest football league in Italy and the lowest with a professional status. Its home ground is the "Mimmo Rende Stadium".

External links

Castrovillari official website Castrovillari.info Castrovillari.biz Castrovillari OnLine The diary of Castrovillari