THE BORGO ITINERARY
Our itinerary starts with a visit to the suggestive Church of Saint Mary of the Audience (Chiesa di Santa Maria dell’Udienza), which many faithful from all over the province of Crotone believed could work miracles. Above the door you can see the coat of arms of the founders of the church, the Pignatelli family: three pots under a three-pronged rake.
Continue along the streets of the old quarter to the Church of Saint Francis of Paola (Chiesa di San Francesco di Paola), built in the 19th century. This splendid building houses a wooden sculpture dating back to 185 AD and the statue of the Madonna of the Holy Rosary of Pompeii (Madonna del Santissimo Rosario di Pompei).
After the visit, head towards the Church of Saint James the Apostle (Chiesa di San Giacomo Apostolo), the oldest in the old quarter of Melissa. The door bears the coat of arms of the Campitelli family: a deep blue shield with an argent band in an azure field, a lion passant and three five-petal red roses. This church is famous for a legend concerning Count Campitelli that is very dear to the inhabitants of the Borgo. After admiring the beauty of this fascinating building, you can go to the Old Olive Oil Mill (Vecchio Frantoio): inside you can see the old millstone which pressed the olives in the cold extraction process for the oil.
Are you a food and wine enthusiast? Then you must absolutely visit the Wine Museum (Museo del Vino "Palazzo Ferraro")! On display are the tools and utensils used for processing grapes and for producing the famous wine "Melissa DOC".
Next stage of our tour is the Mother Church of Saint Nicholas the Bishop (Chiesa Madre di San Nicola Vescovo), situated in the centre of the town. It was the seat of the two lay brotherhoods of the Holy Sacrament and the Holy Rosary. All the clergy of the town would gather here to celebrate religious functions. It is considered the most important church of the Borgo of Melissa.
The farming tradition is an integral part of the culture and history of Melissa as well as of its economy. That is why we recommend visiting the Research Centre for the Peasant Struggles (Centro di Ricerca delle Lotte Contadine), which has a standing photo exhibition "Melissa 1949 -1979 - trent'anni di rilevazione fotografica sulla condizione e la cultura delle classi subalterne" ("Melissa 1949-1979: thirty years of photographic surveys on the condition and culture of the lower classes"). The exhibition offers various perspectives of the economic and social history of the peasant farmers of Melissa through photographs made by famous artists like Ernesto Treccani.
You complete the itinerary by visiting the Monument to the Fallen of Fragalà (Monumento ai Caduti di Fragalà), donated by Treccani himself in honor of those who died in clashes with the police in the Fragalà area in 1949.
Continue along the streets of the old quarter to the Church of Saint Francis of Paola (Chiesa di San Francesco di Paola), built in the 19th century. This splendid building houses a wooden sculpture dating back to 185 AD and the statue of the Madonna of the Holy Rosary of Pompeii (Madonna del Santissimo Rosario di Pompei).
After the visit, head towards the Church of Saint James the Apostle (Chiesa di San Giacomo Apostolo), the oldest in the old quarter of Melissa. The door bears the coat of arms of the Campitelli family: a deep blue shield with an argent band in an azure field, a lion passant and three five-petal red roses. This church is famous for a legend concerning Count Campitelli that is very dear to the inhabitants of the Borgo. After admiring the beauty of this fascinating building, you can go to the Old Olive Oil Mill (Vecchio Frantoio): inside you can see the old millstone which pressed the olives in the cold extraction process for the oil.
Are you a food and wine enthusiast? Then you must absolutely visit the Wine Museum (Museo del Vino "Palazzo Ferraro")! On display are the tools and utensils used for processing grapes and for producing the famous wine "Melissa DOC".
Next stage of our tour is the Mother Church of Saint Nicholas the Bishop (Chiesa Madre di San Nicola Vescovo), situated in the centre of the town. It was the seat of the two lay brotherhoods of the Holy Sacrament and the Holy Rosary. All the clergy of the town would gather here to celebrate religious functions. It is considered the most important church of the Borgo of Melissa.
The farming tradition is an integral part of the culture and history of Melissa as well as of its economy. That is why we recommend visiting the Research Centre for the Peasant Struggles (Centro di Ricerca delle Lotte Contadine), which has a standing photo exhibition "Melissa 1949 -1979 - trent'anni di rilevazione fotografica sulla condizione e la cultura delle classi subalterne" ("Melissa 1949-1979: thirty years of photographic surveys on the condition and culture of the lower classes"). The exhibition offers various perspectives of the economic and social history of the peasant farmers of Melissa through photographs made by famous artists like Ernesto Treccani.
You complete the itinerary by visiting the Monument to the Fallen of Fragalà (Monumento ai Caduti di Fragalà), donated by Treccani himself in honor of those who died in clashes with the police in the Fragalà area in 1949.
