Paola (Italy) - Paola (Italia)

Disambiguation - For toponyms of identical name, see Paola (disambiguation).

Paola is a city of Riviera of the Cedars.

To know

Geographical notes

The municipality of Paola borders along the coast to the north with the territory of Fuscaldo, south with San Lucido and inside with Montalto Uffugo is San Fili. It is 35 km from the provincial capital and 50 from the international airport of Lamezia Terme. The city has an important railway yard.

When to go

The city, given the presence of the sanctuary, lends itself well to being visited all year round; the periods to be considered high season are April, the month of the patronal feast, and summer, where the sea attracts many tourists and there is the return of many emigrants to the city of origin.

How to orient yourself

How to get

By plane

The nearest airport is that of Lamezia Terme; for destinations not covered by this you can use that of Capodichino and continue towards Paola by another means while it is not advisable to use that of Reggio Calabria both for the few destinations covered and for the distance from the city (Reggio - Paola can be covered by train in about 2 hours).

By car

The city is crossed by state road 18 along the north-south axis from which state road 107 branches off.

On the train

The city has a railway station, one of the most important in the region; here stop all types of trains that cross the Southern Tyrrhenian Railway and the Paola-Sibari and is the terminus of regional trains for Reggio Calabria, Cosenza, Sybaris, Sapri is Naples.

How to get around

In the city there are various means of transport such as taxis, scheduled buses and urban services, as well as a minibus service on call.

What see

• Sanctuary of San Francesco. The sanctuary of San Francesco di Paola is located in the upper and hilly part of the town, in a valley bordered by the Isca stream and rich in vegetation. It is a pilgrimage destination from all over the Southern Italy, especially from the Calabria, of which St. Francis is the patron saint. It houses part of the saint's remains (the rest are located in Tours, in France). In front of the sanctuary there is a large square, at the limit of which stands the main facade of the temple. To the right of the main entrance, there is an arch through which you enter the lateral part of the sanctuary, where there is the large modern basilica (inaugurated in 2000) and the source of the cucchiarella, from which pilgrims usually drink. Next to this there is an unexploded bomb, which fell into the stream next to the sanctuary during a bombing. Anglo-American in August 1943, which did not damage it. Continuing you enter the Devil's bridge and a path at the end of which there is a place that was the refuge of the saint in his youth. Entering the sanctuary through the main entrance, you enter two initial semi-open rooms. The first contains several tombstones, dated between the sixteenth and twentieth centuries, which recall various anniversaries and events concerning the sanctuary, while the second is the true pronaos of the ancient basilica: on the right is the entrance portal to the basilica, on the left there is a view of the stream and the adjacent convent, and ahead there is the entrance to the cloister and the hermitage of the saint and the cell of the blessed Nicola. The ancient basilica, in Romanesque style, dating back to the sixteenth century, is composed of a large rather bare main hall and a single aisle on the right, along which there are four chapels, which culminates in the sumptuous baroque chapel which houses the few relics of St. Francis that have come to Paola, including some of his clothes and fragments of bones. In the cloister of the sanctuary, closed to the outside with windows, is the rose garden of the saint, which today constitutes a thick garden, and houses along its internal walls frescoes depicting the main episodes in the life of the saint, many of which are linked to legends . Adjacent to it is the hermitage of San Francesco, a set of narrow underground spaces that formed the first nucleus of the monastery for the saint and his brothers. Between the cloister and the ancient basilica stands the bell tower of the temple.  
• Fountain of the seven canals. The monumental fountain of the seven canals rises at the foot of a long staircase, and is the work of local artisans; bears the date of 1636. The fountain opens like a large fan, to remember the peacock's tail, the symbol of Paola: originally it had 12 holes (Abate Pacichelli), today it is made up of two arms, whose walls have vaulted seven squares with seven lithic protomes, from which water emerges, which is then collected by a canal and poured into a semicircular basin. The stone shields, although worn by time, are still intact: they depict the symbol of the peacock and the coat of arms of the Spinelli, who bought Paola at the beginning of the sixteenth century, governing it for about three centuries. 
• Church of Sotterra.  
• Church of the Madonna del Carmine. 
• Church of San Michele. 
• Convent Badia. 
• Duomo. 
• Convent of Sant'Agostino. 
• Church of San Giacomo Maggiore. 
• Convent of the Capuchins. 
• Church of San Leonardo. 
• Church of the Immaculate Conception. 
• Convent of the Jesuits. 
• Church of the Rosary. 
• Church of San Francischiello. 
• Montevergine Church. 
• Church of the Madonna delle Grazie. 
• Church of the Addolorata. 
• Church of Santa Margherita. 
• Church of San Giuseppe. 
• Church of Santa Maria di Porto Salvo. 
• Church of Our Lady of the Angels. 
• Church of Sant'Anna. 
• Norman-Aragonese Castle. 
• Torre del Soffio. 
• Torre Badia. 
• Archaeological site C. da Cutura. 
• Archaeological site Via S. Agata. 
• War Memorial. 
• Gate of San Francesco. Entrance to the city 
• Pisciariddi, Piazza del Popolo. Monumental fountain 
• clock tower. 
• Birthplace of the patron saint. 
• Stairway. 
• Fountain of the seven spouts (Seven channels). 
• Rocchetta. District that presents itself with all its architectural characteristic, between alleys, open spaces, loggias, arches, buttresses and stone portals 
• Piazza del Popolo. 

Events and parties

• Celebrations in honor of San Francesco di Paola, March 27, April 2, May 1-4. On 27 March the birth of San Francesco di Paola is celebrated, while on 2 April (canonical feast of the Saint of Paola) his death. The solemn celebrations in honor of St. Francis are held from 1 to 4 May, with various processions on land and at sea of ​​the "bust" of the Saint and of the cloak. 

What to do

Shopping

How to have fun

Where to eat

Where stay

Safety

How to keep in touch

Around

It is quite easy to reach Cosenza from Paola and visit it; noteworthy are also Amantea, Diamond is Maritime Belvedere, all reachable also by train.

Useful information

The city is twinned with the municipalities of Barra do Piraí, Fréjus, San Giovanni in Fiore, Paola (Maltese municipality), Puerto Madryn, Susa, Assisi ed Otranto.

Other projects

• Wikipedia contains an entry concerning Paola (Italy)
• Commons contains images or other files on Paola (Italy)

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