San Pietro di Caridà - San Pietro di Caridà

San Pietro di Caridà is a municipality of the Calabria.

To know

The town of San Pietro di Caridà is a typical hilly town in the hinterland Reggio, rising on a very irregular territory, characterized by many ditches and crossed by many streams. The municipal territory includes both lowland areas, at low altitude, in which the cultivation of grapes and citrus fruit prevails, as well as forage. Going up in altitude, in the hilly area that surrounds the inhabited center, the olive groves are the masters. The mountainous part of the territory is characterized by thick wooded areas, where there is no shortage of flat open spaces exploited for the breeding of sheep, pigs and goats.

The origins of the inhabited center are prior to the year 1000; already recognized as universitas in the 1600s, it became a municipality in 1811, merging with that of nearby San Pietro (today S. Pierfedele) in 1928.

The municipality includes five hamlets: the nearby San Pierfedele and Garopoli, Corruttò and the mountain resorts of Misimizzi and Prateria.

How to orient yourself

How to get

By car

San Pietro di Caridà is crossed by the provincial road 4 (ex SS 536), which connects Sant'Angelo di Gerocarne with Taurianova, passing through various inhabited centers: Dasa, Aquaro, Dynami, St. Peter of Caridà, Serrata, Candidoni, Laureana di Borrello, Feroleto of the Church, and then get to Maropati, Cinquefrondi is Polistena.

To reach Caridà from the north, you can exit at the motorway junction A3 Salerno-Reggio Calabria di Serre, turning left and continuing on the SS 182 to Sant'Angelo, where, after 2.5 kilometers, you will turn right onto the SP4, possibly following the road signs for Dinami. After about six kilometers you will leave the SP 4, turning right at the crossroads onto the SP 74 and, at the next crossroads, after 5 km left onto the SP 10, always in the direction of Dinami. At the end of the climb of about 4.5 km, you will turn right, returning to the SP 4, crossing Dinami and then reaching the nearby San Pierfedele and Caridà.

From the south, on the other hand, you can exit at the motorway junction of Rosarno, immediately leaving the provincial road that continues to the port and then taking, then turning left, into the SS 682 towards Laureana, Galatro, Cinquefrondi. At the roundabout, after a couple of kilometers, turn left, always in the direction of Laureana. After a straight of 1.5 km, turn left and, a few tens of meters later, immediately at the first intersection on the right. A new straight line of just over 1 km will take you to the SP 60, where you will turn left towards Laureana. After about a kilometer and a half you reach a roundabout where you can choose whether to continue straight on the SP 60, then following a road lacking signs and at times rough, or turn right onto the SP 52 which connects Rosarno with Laureana.

Going straight on, ignoring an intersection on the right, after just under 3 km you will reach the SP 58, where you will turn right; from here on you will ignore various uphill intersections on the right, continuing on the flat road for about 7.2 km, after which you will turn right, arriving, after just over 4 km, in the town of Caridà. If, on the other hand, at the roundabout you turn right, after three kilometers of ascent you will reach Laureana; at the roundabout, keep to the right in Via Roma / SP 52, at the top of which, after 500 m, you will turn left towards Candidoni / Serrata, onto the SP 4. After about 11 km and having passed through the centers of Candidoni and Serrata , we will reach Caridà.

How to get to Prateria

The mountain resort of Prateria can be reached from Caridà along the SP 4 towards Dinami; once in Dinami, follow the appropriate directions for Monsoreto, turning right onto the SP 62 and climbing towards the mountain area. After crossing the center of Monsoreto, you need to continue on the SP 62, which veers to the right of the town, also touching Corruttò. A couple of kilometers later you arrive at a crossroads where you need to turn left onto the SP 9 and immediately right. If you continue straight you go towards Mongiana and the Reserves. Going towards Prairie, having also crossed this small town, you can instead reach a path that leads to the dam.

By bus

• The firm Lirosi Autoservizi connects the country both with the nearest centers in the province of Reggio Calabria (Laureana di Borrello, Polistena, Rosarno, Gioia Tauro, Palmi, etc.), and, through indirect connections, with the main Calabrian cities, including airports, port and university of Villa San Giovanni, Reggio Calabria, Lamezia Terme, Cosenza is Catanzaro. From Gioia Tauro, Lirosi also runs with various other cities in central and northern Italy (Rome, Perugia, Genoa, Ventimiglia, Milan, Turin, etc.)
• The GBV company instead connects Caridà and the nearby Dinami with Vibo Valentia.

On the train

The nearest railway station, about 20 kilometers away, is that of Rosarno, reachable by car or by bus.

By plane

As well as by car, it is possible to reach Caridà from the airports of Reggio Calabria is Lamezia Terme through bus services, or by train to the nearest railway station and then continue by bus.

• L'Lamezia Terme airport, about 65 kilometers away, reachable along the A3 motorway, connects Calabria with various Italian and foreign locations. Flights are operated by Ryanair, EasyJet, Alitalia is TAP.
• L'Reggio Calabria airport, about 90 kilometers away, also reachable along the A3 motorway, has flights to and from Rome, Milan, Turin is Venice, through the companies Alitalia, Blue Express is Volotea.

How to get around

From Caridà you can travel by car or bus, with the companies listed above. The small size of the inhabited center means that no urban transfer services are necessary, however for the elderly there is a social taxi service operated by the Auser voluntary association.

What see

Churches

• Mother Church of Santa Maria Assunta. with three naves, containing ancient frescoes and various statues of saints, including the patron saint San Sebastiano and the Madonna delle Grazie, as well as neoclassical stuccos by the artist Francesco Morani, made in the second half of the 19th century. 
• Church of the Carmine. containing the statue of the Madonna del Carmine, crowned in 2008, and a fresco. Its ancient bell dating back to the seventeenth century and the nineteenth-century ossuaries found during the 1990s are of particular importance. The church stands on the ruins of an ancient convent, a two-storey structure with over 60 rooms which was destroyed in the earthquake of 1783. 
• Church of San Nicola. in the hamlet of Garopoli, it houses a precious 18th century painting dedicated to the Madonna del Carmine. 
• Church of San Pietro Apostolo. in the hamlet of San Pierfedele, the patron saint of the hamlet, San Placido, is venerated there. 
• Small church in the hamlet of Prateria. Dating back to the early 1900s, the year in which the town was founded. 

Historic buildings, ruins and statues

In the historic center of Caridà the following are considered of artistic importance:

• Prostimo Palace. 
• Merigliano Palace. 
• Rosia Palace. 
• Moricca Palace. 
• Cavallari Palace. Today the municipal seat, the stone structure was renovated in the 2000s. 

In Largo dei Nobili, the oldest area of ​​the town, there is an ancient fountain. Not far from this area there are the ruins of a Norman castle. Outside the inhabited center there is no shortage of ancient oil mills and mills.

In addition to the classic war memorial, along the main road, it is possible to notice the presence of a statue of Padre Pio and one dedicated to Santa Maria Immacolata, both installed in the 2000s, which testify to the religiosity of the population and the mysticism of the territory, in the which before the destroyed earthquake of 1783 there were also two convents.

The dam

Designed in the 1970s and still not completely completed, at the canalization level, the Metramo dam rises on the border between the municipalities of San Pietro di Caridà and Galatro. It is an imposing work, initially conceived for what must have been a steel center in the plain of Gioia Tauro, never born, and later therefore destined for more agricultural than industrial use. It has a capacity of about 25 million cubic meters and is framed by a thick wooded area of ​​high naturalistic interest.

Natural areas

The municipality of San Pietro di Caridà is close to the Serre regional natural park. They fall within the municipal area:

• The area from the upper valley of the Metramo river to the Calcinara (or Castagnara) plain, characterized by beech and pine trees, with holly undergrowth, framed by holm oak vegetation with heather and broom undergrowth. It is located in the area of ​​the hamlet of Prateria and the dam, on the border with the municipal territory of Galatro, at an altitude between 870 and 950 m.
• The Marchesale Biogenetic Nature Reserve (southern side), which also affects the municipal area of ​​Dinami, is close to the tourist area of Mongiana, at about 1,130 m of altitude. Less important than the western and eastern sides of the reserve, the vegetation is made up of a dense beetle with holly undergrowth.

The municipality also falls within the Anthropic Park of Galatro.

Events and parties

• Feast of the Patron Saint San Sebastiano. 20 th January. The patron saint is celebrated with a solemn mass and a procession through the streets of the town. 
• Holy Easter. In addition to the traditional rites of Holy Week, including the Via Crucis through the streets of the town, Sunday is celebrated with a procession that culminates with the so-called rushed. Occasionally a living passion is also organized. 
• Feast in honor of the Madonna delle Grazie and the Madonna del Carmine. second Sunday of August (in the odd years the Madonna delle Grazie is celebrated, in the even years that of the Carmine). In addition to masses and processions, musical or theatrical groups of local importance are invited to perform. 
• Feast in honor of San Rocco. August 16. 
• Summer festival. Occasionally, during the summer, gastronomic festivals are organized in celebration of typical products. 
• Feast of San Placido (patron saint of San Pierfedele). second Sunday of October. During the celebrations for the patronal feast, the statue of the saint is carried in procession through the streets of the hamlet. For the occasion, it is traditional to organize, at the end of the celebrations, very popular fireworks, lasting no less than 15-20 minutes. 
• Commemoration of the dead. November 2. With masses celebrated in the cemeteries of Caridà and San Pierfedele. 
• Feast of St. Nicholas. December 6. The feast is celebrated in the hamlet of Garopoli, whose ancient church is not used in the rest of the year. 
• Feast of Santa Maria Immacolata. December 8. 
• Saint Christmas. During the Christmas period, in the past, it was customary to hear the music of bagpipes in the streets of the town, as well as the scents of typical dishes, still cooked today, starting with zeppole and cururicchie. Occasionally a living nativity scene is also organized. 

What to do

In the capital of San Pietro di Caridà you can visit the historic center, whose streets were renovated in the 2010s, paved in stone and equipped with characteristic retro lights. Here you can appreciate the artistic details of the historic buildings listed above, from the outside, and, for the municipal seat of Palazzo Cavallari, also inside on weekdays. In the center there is also the mother church of Santa Maria Assunta with three naves, open daily, where you can appreciate the many statues of saints, made between the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries by local artists, as well as some interesting frescoes and many neoclassical stucco reliefs that adorn the interior and exterior. On opening days, the Chiesa del Carmine, located on the main road, is also worth visiting.

In the surroundings of the inhabited center, you can go for walks in the woods, appreciating the scents and the quiet. The territory is also a hunting area, a destination for hunters from all over the province, as well as for mushroom picking.

In the hamlet of San Pierfedele, you can see some ancient buildings in the center; in the nearby Garopoli instead you can see the ancient church and various ancient buildings, including some ruins, which characterize the small settlement today mostly uninhabited.

In the hamlet of Prateria, in addition to the local church, you can visit some farms that with traditional methods produce cold cuts and cheeses with a unique flavor. From here it is easy to reach the natural areas listed above, as well as the dam.

Shopping

In Caridà there are bars, small food shops, florists and hardware stores. There are no large supermarkets or clothing stores.

How to have fun

The few shows for the public are organized in the summer, close to the religious holidays indicated above. Given the lack of financial resources, modest musical or theatrical performances are organized. In October, for the feast of San Placido, an interesting fireworks display is traditionally organized in San Pierfedele.

In addition to the bars, there are no other meeting or entertainment points.

Where to eat

Average prices

• Il Piccolo Mondo hotel-restaurant. Elegant and refined structure in the hamlet of Prateria which also serves as a hotel. 
• La Torre farmhouse (in the hamlet of Prateria). 

Where stay

There are no other facilities other than the hotel-restaurant mentioned in the previous section.

Safety

The reference carabinieri station is the one located in Serrata, tel. 0966-994003.

The medical guard is located in via G. Pascoli, tel. 0966-904350. The hospitals serving the area are located in Polistena, Gioia Tauro, Vibo Valentia and Soriano Calabro.

How to keep in touch

Post office

In Caridà there is a regularly functioning post office, while the area is covered by shipping services by couriers.

Keep informed

In the capital there is a newsstand; the area is regularly covered by national and local radio and television signals.

Around

From San Pietro di Caridà it is possible to reach the nearby seaside resort of Nicotera Marina, located about 25 km. The center of Caridà is about 20 km from the Marchesale State Riseva and about 25 from the Cropani-Micone Reserve and Mongiana, mountainous areas ideal to visit in spring and summer.

The neighbor Dynamimoreover, it becomes a pilgrimage destination on the occasion of the celebrations of Santa Maria della Catena, celebrated on the second Sunday of July.

Useful information

• Parish site^{[link not working]}
• In-depth site on the territory^{[link not working]}
• San Pietro di Caridà in the memories of Antonio Rachele

Other projects

• Wikipedia contains an entry concerning San Pietro di Caridà
• Commons contains images or other files on San Pietro di Caridà

Usable : the article respects the characteristics of a draft but in addition it contains enough information to allow a short visit to the city. Use i correctly listing (the right type in the right sections).