Slow holidays in Calabria all year long
In the solemn setting of the Mother Church of Maria Santissima Addolorata di Soverato Superiore, along what is called the Costa degli Aranci (the Orange Coast), is a Renaissance masterpiece bearing the signature of Antonello Gagini, one of the greatest sculptors of southern Italy in this thriving artistic period.
We are talking about the Pietà, a marble sculpture inspired by the Pietà by the great Michelangelo Buonarroti, yet subject to a unique reinterpretation that confers its unique identity.
The work was commissioned on 26th September 1521 by Giovanni Martino D’Aquino, who asked Gagini to sculpt his most “beautiful and excellent” work. The artist was commissioned to create a white marble sculpture measuring 155 cm (6 palms), at the centre of which was San Tommaso D’Aquino overcoming Averroes (the most significant Arab philosopher of the Middle Ages). The result satisfied and exceeded expectations: the face of the Madonna expresses a more humane and intense suffering than Michelangelo’s representation, with the mother of Christ, bearing a decidedly younger face, revealing a restrained pain characterised by an aura of serenity.
Originally, the masterpiece was dedicated to the church of the Santa Maria della Pietà di Petrizzi convent, which however was impacted by the devastating earthquake that brought southern Italy to its knees in 1783. A cart pulled by oxen carried the damaged marble works to the Soverato Superiore, to be repainted, with the contribution of blood stains on the Christ.
Beginning in 1964, work began on the restoration of the Opificio delle Pietre Dure (the Workshop of Semi-precious Stones) in Florence, which provided the missing fragments and, in 1968, returned the work to the Mother Church, where it can be admired today.
Tours
La Calabria da visitare tutto l’anno
Naviga la mappa e scopri il nostro territorio
Badolato
Badolato, a quaint ancient village where time goes by slowly and the days are fulfilled with simple things and great emotions
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Guardavalle
Guardavalle is the green of the mountains and the blue of the sea. Guardavalle is a warm welcome, hospitality and smiles.Guardavalle è tradition and folklore. Guardavalle is a treat to yourself
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Santa Caterina dello Ionio
Santa Caterina dello Ionio, between earth and sea a quaint treasure trove that preserves unaltered influence of a rich past
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Stilo
Stilo is an ancient medieval village that preserves unaltered influences of a past rich in art and culture
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Sant'Andrea Apostolo dello Ionio
A town of warm hospitality, authentic food, ancient tradition and timeless culture stands on the iconic Calabrian slopes, between the blue Ionan Sea and green countryside
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San Floro
In San Floro, a village with a heart of hospitality along the evocative Costa degli Aranci, you can rediscover yourself and the value of time
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Monasterace
In Calabria, between the sea and the hills, between the deep blue and woody valleys, between the Magna Grecia and Medieval origins, stands a charming town called Monasterace, rich of remarkable artistic and cultural assets.
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Torre di Ruggiero
A journey through the picturesque village of Torre di Ruggiero to find the right peace of the senses, completely immersed in the pure nature of authentic Calabria
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Satriano
Satriano is the right location for those people who love enchanted walks through oak woods and mysterious hermits, sun-baths blinded by the glow of the blue waters of the Ionian Sea and its white beaches.
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Montepaone
White beaches and fun are the calling card of Montepaone in Europe. A destination also appreciated by those travelers who love authentic experiences
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Soverato
Soverato is a calabrian sea-town located by the Southern Ionian Coast. Known as “La Perla dell Ionio” it is also considered a sea-holiday capital, a gastronomic and cultural destination
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Borgia
A full real immersion in the history and culture of the destination of “Riviera e Borghi degli Angeli”.
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