Fiumefreddo Bruzio ( Calabrian: ) is a town and ''

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...

'' in the

province of Cosenza The province of Cosenza ( it, provincia di Cosenza) is a province in the Calabria region of southern Italy. Its capital is the city of Cosenza. It contains 150 '' comuni'', listed at list of communes of the Province of Cosenza. The province o ...

in the

Calabria , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

region of southern

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. In 2005, Fiumefreddo Bruzio was awarded as one of the ''

Borghi più belli d'italia Borghi ( rgn, I Béurch or ) is a '' comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Forlì-Cesena, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. It is located about southeast of Bologna and about southeast of Forlì. Borghi borders the following municipalities: Longi ...

'' (lit. one of the most beautiful villages in Italy).

Geography

Fiumefreddo Bruzio is located on the coast of

Tyrrhenian Sea The Tyrrhenian Sea (; it, Mar Tirreno , french: Mer Tyrrhénienne , sc, Mare Tirrenu, co, Mari Tirrenu, scn, Mari Tirrenu, nap, Mare Tirreno) is part of the Mediterranean Sea off the western coast of Italy. It is named for the Tyrrhenian pe ...

, in the south of the province of

Cosenza Cosenza (; :it:Dialetto cosentino, local dialect: ''Cusenza'', ) is a city in Calabria, Italy. The city centre has a population of approximately 70,000; the urban area counts more than 200,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the Province of Cosen ...

. It borders with

Falconara Albanese Falconara Albanese ( aae, Fallkunara) is an Arbëreshë town and ''comune'' in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in ...

(North) and Longobardi (South). The town covers a surface of about 30 square kilometers (11.58 square miles). Even though the territory is predominantly hilly, it is characterized by a strong morphological variety, in fact, starting from sea level, the altitude grows up to 1541m on the peak of Monte Cocuzzo, the highest mountain on the coastline.

Main sights

* Castello della Valle, founded in 1201. The entrance has a 16th-century

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ide ...

portal. It houses several works of local painter Salvatore Fiume. The castle was besieged in 1806-1807 by French troops, and nearly destroyed. *Mother Church, completed in 1674. *Palazzo Zupi (16th century) * Palazzo Pignatelli *Church of San Rocco: the dome of this church was also painted by Salvatore FIume. *Church of ''Madonna del Carmelo'' *''Fonte Laurato'' Abbey, located by the ''Fiume di mare'' river *Church of San Michele *Church of Santa Rita

Culture

Cuisine

The local gastronomy, as like as the gastronomy of southern Italy, is characterized by simple dishes, but very spicy (hot peppers, parsley, basil, rosemary, garlic and onions are the most used spices). The dishes that better represent the cuisine of Fiumefreddo Bruzio are mainly two: the ''Filiciata'' and the ''Frittata di patate''. The ''Filiciata'' is a soft cheese, placed in layers of ferns. It was usually served during the ''Assunzione di Maria Vergine'' holiday ('' Ferragosto'') on August 15. The ''Frittata di patate'' is a sort of fried ''omelette'' (even though it has the shape of a cake) made with potatoes from local farms. Even though it is called ''frittata (omelette)'', eggs are not needed to make it. Among the other dishes of the province of Cosenza there are Cuddrurieddri, grispeddre, calabrian eggplant meatballs, stuffed alices ad many more.

References

Cities and towns in Calabria {{Calabria-geo-stub