ART AND CULTURE

Churches, convents, monasteries and sanctuaries guard the largest part of the artistic heritage of the lands crossed by our cycling routes. This architectural and monumental heritage retraces all the stylistic influences - Romanesque, Gothic, baroque and classical styles - that have crossed the region over the centuries, from the Middle Ages onwards. The works of refined craftsmanship and the precious pictorial and sculptural works found in this area are totally worth seeing. Among them, the paintings by Mattia Preti, which are on display at the Civic Museum of Taverna, really stand out. The town of Taverna, which lies at the foot of the “Sila piccola” (Lesser Sila), gave birth to this 17th-century artist, who was defined by Vasari as second only to Caravaggio. In the sculptural field, the amazing Calabrian production by Antonello Gagini, defined as “the Renaissance in Aspromonte” and mainly related to the Virgin, really stands out. It’s well worth stopping in at the Aspermont church of S. Teodoro Martire of Bagaladi to see the “Annunciation”, made by the artist in 1504. The Aspromonte also keeps the artworks of an important family of artists, Francesco, Vincenzo and Gaetano Jerace from Polistena, well-known painters and sculptors in Naples between the 19th and early 20th centuries. Many of their artworks are exhibited at the Civic Museum. Along our cycling routes, you’ll find many open-air museums to learn more about the history, art, sacred art, industry, landscape and traditions of this land.