Nestled between the mountains of the Sila and the Ionian coast, the town of Rossano overlooks the surrounding area from a position that has always made it of one Calabria’s important strategic locations.
This is a fascinating place of ancient origins, in an area rich in contrasts between rugged mountains inland facing a coastline of fine white sand.
The X century was Rossano's golden age, when it became Calabria's most important urban centre, the headquarters of the Stratego, Vescovado, and of administrative offices as well as artisan workshops, art shops.
This rich and stimulating environment was the birthplace of countless leading personalities in the Middle Ages, among which the Popes Zosimo, John VII, Zechariah, Antipope John XVI.
These roots have allowed the collection of many treasures, first among all, the Codex Purpureus Rossanensis: the ancient gospel recognised as documentary human heritage and listed by Unesco. It is preserved in the Museo Diocesano (Diocesan Museum), which also includes ancient manuscripts, paintings, silver and rare and precious objects.
