Holiday apartment in Capistrano – Culture, mountain forest and mills on the Condò

Capistrano combines sacred art, wooded heights and the history of water along the Condò stream. The town’s history also includes the abandoned village of Nicastrello in the Fellà forest and the annual celebration of Saint Helena Empress. In the surrounding region, Lago dell'Angitola adds the history of an artificially created lake to the local themes. The connection between sacred art and the natural landscape extends from Chiesa Madonna della Montagna to Monte Coppari and the Angitola Valley.

Church art between the Baroque period and the 19th century

Chiesa Madonna della Montagna is a late Baroque parish church. It contains valuable polychrome wooden statues from the 18th and 19th centuries. It also features the fresco “Battesimo di Gesù nel fiume Giordano”. The fresco, depicting the biblical motif of the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan, was created in 1881; it is attributed to Pierre Auguste Renoir. The fresco’s title explicitly refers to the baptism of Jesus in the Giordano River. Capistrano is also home to a white marble tomb monument from 1770. The material descriptions range from polychrome wood for the statues to white marble for the tomb monument. The church thus combines architecture, sculpture and painting.

Mills on the Condò stream

All eight watermills in Capistrano were located on the Condò stream, locally called “u Vajiuni”.

Nicastrello and the annual celebration

Nicastrello is an abandoned village in the Fellà forest. Its origins are dated to around the end of the 17th century. The feast of Saint Helena Empress is celebrated annually in Nicastrello.

Beech forest and Cristo Redentore

The Faggeta is a wooded mountain area on Monte Coppari. The Statua Cristo Redentore stands on a promontory overlooking the Angitola Valley. It is located outdoors at the edge of the municipal road “Montagna”. There are no architectural barriers at the statue; a ramp for people with disabilities is available.

Getting there by road and bus

Capistrano can be reached by car via the A2 motorway, taking the Pizzo Calabro exit. From there, the SS 110 and the SP 47 lead to the town. Line 247 B serves Capistrano on a route between Mileto, San Costantino Calabro, Capistrano, Pizzo, Francavilla Angitola, Lamezia Terme, Cosenza and Rende. Thus, both the road sequence from Pizzo Calabro and line 247 B lead into Capistrano when travelling to the town.

Lago dell'Angitola in the surrounding region

The protected Lago dell'Angitola nature oasis is located in the surrounding region. The lake was artificially created in 1966 in the old riverbed of the Angitola, whose river rises near Capistrano. The name Angitola thus refers both to the lake and to the river.

Other destinations in the surrounding area

More travel destinations: Mongiana, San Nicolò Di Ricadi, Tropea, Mandaradoni, Vallelonga, Acquaro, Sant'onofrio, Parghelia

More about Vibo Valentia: Vibo Valentia.