Holiday apartment in Malito: Hills, history and living traditions

Holiday apartment in Malito between forest and history

Malito combines an almost entirely hilly and mountainous landscape with a distinctive historic town centre. The area is covered in forests, making it particularly appealing to travellers who want to combine nature, regional culture and long-established traditions. The historic centre stretches along the ridge of a hill and runs exactly from north to south. This gives you different focal points when choosing a holiday apartment in Malito: you can focus on the town’s history, its landscape, or its culinary and festive traditions.

Noble palaces and the Chiesa di Sant’Elia Profeta

In the historic centre, numerous noble palaces stand alongside simple residential buildings. Their ornate portals, corbels and apotropaic masks add distinctive details to the townscape. The craftsmanship of these elements points to the nearby master stonemasons from Rogliano. Malito therefore appears not only as a town set in a wooded hilly landscape, but also as a village with a clearly recognisable architectural tradition.

The Chiesa di Sant’Elia Profeta is part of the town’s religious history. It dates back to the 15th century and was remodelled in the 18th and 19th centuries. The processional statue of Sant’Elia Profeta in the church is made of wood and completely gilded. Together, the church and historic town centre form a cultural theme that is directly connected with the character of Malito during a stay there.

Festivals, customs and traces of history

The festivals and customs also make Malito a varied destination. The patronal feast in honour of Sant’Elia takes place on the last Sunday in July and includes a procession, musical performances and traditional games. During the Carnevale of Malito, masked processions make their way through the town’s streets; there are also performances in the Malitese dialect in the main squares.

Among the traditional features are the Focare, fires of cathartic origin that are lit in Malito’s various districts. The Strine are ancient customs from the classical world that have been handed down to the present day and are sung at the end of the year: on 30 December by young people, and on 31 December by adults and older residents. Historically, the Via Popilia passed through the Campi di Malito. In the hamlet of Conicella, part of this Roman road still remains, although it has been almost completely destroyed by time and people.

Traditional cuisine and Origano di Malito

The cuisine complements the town’s cultural profile with hearty, traditional dishes. Traditional specialities from Malito include tagliolini with chickpeas or meat sauce, gnocchi with sauce, and turnip greens with liver sausage. Festive pastries include honey turdilli, scalille, nociata, chinulille with ricotta or mostarda, cuculi and cuddura. The latter was formerly made mainly from bread dough.

Origano di Malito has particular culinary significance. It is regarded as a product that reflects the identity of the Malito area and bears the municipal De.Co. designation, which stands for Denominazione Comunale. As part of the event “Si scrive Malito, si legge Origano”, nature excursions are offered to places where oregano grows wild. This directly connects the local cuisine with the landscape and its characteristic plants.

The right accommodation idea for your trip

When deciding on a holiday apartment or holiday home in Malito, the town’s different facets can help you find the right focus for your trip. Travellers interested in historic buildings will have different priorities from those who want to focus on festivals, customs, regional dishes or the wooded hilly landscape. The documented themes range from the Chiesa di Sant’Elia Profeta to Origano di Malito, offering various ways to shape your days around your interests.

For further travel planning, you can also explore Cerisano, Croce di Magara, Cariati, Fiumefreddo Bruzio, Cerchiara Di Calabria, Rossano Stazione, Carolei and Altomonte.

For the broader travel overview: Cosenza.