SIMBARIO
| Its a
small town, rich in multicoloured vegetation and whose houses-close to each other-
rise at the mountain foot. |
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Among
these small houses, surmounted by high trees, the bell tower comes out, in common with the
two twin-churches dedicated to the Vergine. River Ancinale forcefully flows in this
valley. |
| Its one
of Vibo Valentia municipality, in the high valley of River Ancinale, -760 mt. high- and
with a surface of 19,25 s. km.It borders on Brognaturo, Cardinale, Pizzoni, Sorianello,
Spadola, Torre di Ruggiero, Vallelonga e Vazzano. Its 45
km. far from Vibo Valentia. |
Mountain
Community: Delle Serre Calabre (sede a Serra San Bruno)
Strade Principali e
piazze: Via Giuseppe Bertucci, via Antonio Ceniti, via Francesco Ceniti, via Ceraso,
via Vittorio Veneto, piazza Fazzeri, piazza Campanella
Order force : Polizia Municipale, Carabinieri, Polizia di Stato, Guardia
Forestale Serra San Bruno, Guardia di Finanza (Vibo Valentia)
Sanitary Structure: Guardia
Medica. Pronto Soccorso Presso lOspedale di Serra San Bruno (km 4)
Farmacie:
Fabrizio (via Ceraso)
Public Istruction: Materna
ed elementare
Ufficio Postale: Viale
Ceniti
Turismo: Pro Loco
(via Ceniti)
Bar: Giuliano
anche pasticceria (piazza Vittorio Veneto)
Market: Venerdì
(località Agra)
Sport:
Structure:
campo di calcio
Squadre:
calcio - Società: A.C. Simbario |
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| - Vette: Colle
Morrone (m 962), Monte Cucco (m 958). - Corsi dacqua: Fiume Ancinale |
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- Population
(2000): 1130 abitanti di cui 546 maschi e 584 femmine. Le famiglie residenti sono 498.
Gli abitanti sono detti simbariani.
- How to arrive to Simbario
Highway A3: uscita Serre SS 182 fino a Serra S. Bruno
SS 501 fino a Simbario.
Railway: FS a lunga percorrenza e Ferrovie della Calabria stazione di Vibo
Pizzo.
Bus: da Vibo Valentia.
International airport: Lamezia Terme |
| Characters
Domenico Maria Martines Combattente rigorosamente The
legend
The legend tells
that some powerful oxen owners went to Soverato, to carry the statue of Madonna delle
Grazie to town. But any attempt to lift the statue was in vain. A certain Patoscia, two
heifers owner, succeded, leaving everybody filled with wonder.
Once back to
Simbario, he placed the statue where the perimeter of the future church of Madonna delle
Grazie had been traced out.
The day after, the perimetrical
lines were moved, including a wider area. Masons re-established everything. But the day
after, the strange event occurred again; so, it was decided to build a wider construction
. |
Cuisine:
Potatoes froth.
Ingredients:
potatoes, milk, eggs, yeast for rustici, butter, caciocavallo, sausage, grated pecorino
cheese, fried small meatballs, pepper and salt.
Preparation:
boil potatoes
and prepare meatballs; boil eggs as well and slice both sausage and caciocavallo. Peel
boiled potatoes and mix them with eggs, salt and black pepper. Add milk and yeast baking
powder. Pour grated cheese, small meatballs and a knob of butter. Melt, since you get a
soft mixture; add some more lukewarm milk, if necessary. Arrange in a greased
fire-resisting pan and cover with breadcrumbs and some more cheese. Bake at 200°.
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History
The name Zimbario
is certified in XVI c., also in the Latin formCymbarium, and the dialectal one
zimbarìu. From an etymologic point of view, the name is bound to the Calabrian word
zimba, pigsty, maybe coming from Greek cavity. It was a hamlet till the earthquake of
1783, when the town was completely destroyed. It was included in the wide Nicotera feud
again and later, it was sold to Santo Stefano del Bosco Monastery. The place was known
under the name of Zimbario for a long time. In 1807, became part of Serra government;
and in 1811, it became autonoumos municipality, finally.
Economy
In this rural
village, potatoes, wheat and forage are the main growings. Moreover, sheep farming is also
present, with a fairly good milk production, used for dairy products and cattle, swines
breeding. An important zootecnic factory is Bertuccis.
In the woods surrounding the town,
arboreous industry developped(wood cutting and selling). Many local people work in the
Forester, as seasonal workers or as building workers. Wood craftsmanship hardly survives |
Itineraries
The old town
streets are entirely porphyry-paved and illuminated by sodium lights. Squares are
decorated with coloured flower pot holders and artistical lanters.
The mother church is
embellished with deep-coloured baroque stuccos. Maria Santissima delle Grazie and Madonna
Immacolata churches are really particular, put in symmetrical way compared with the two
central bell towers, which serve as trait dunion
| Historical-religious
course |
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Church
of the Transfiguration of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
It was built by
Dominicans of Soriano, on Bernardo Morenas drawing, who was Vanvitellis
student.
It was destroyed
by the earthquake of 1783 and re-built in the immediately successive years. The façade
with tympanum is divided in two orders by a trabeation. In the lower part, there is the
mixtilinear portal in light stone, flanked with pilaster with capital and empty
dripstones.On the second order, motifs repeat themselves. On the left, a quadrangular base
bell tower ends in a balustraded balcony.
The internal is
divided in three naves, in archs resting on quadrangular- base columns, decorated with
pilaster and Corinthian capitals. On the triumphal arch, there are high reliefs, depicting
angels. The altar and the frontal are marmorean.
Polychrome
marbles ciborium is decorated with small French red-coloured columns.
The
iron ceiling is decorated with pure gold. |
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SS.Maria
delle Grazie
This
church has been built in XVI c. and presents a façade with a simple lines tympanum.
Pilasters flank the stony portal. In the upper part, there is a single lancet window with
coloured glasses. On the left, you can see a quadrangular base bell tower(in common with
the church of the Addolorata), which ends with a templed-structure with tympanum, where
bells can be noticed. The one-nave internal is decorated with a series of marble-stuccod
pilasters. The ceiling shows geometric designs. The altar-piece keeps a white marble
statue, depicting the Madonna with the Infant, maybe by gaginiana school. Another valuable
statue- a wooden one- is that of S.Francesco di Paola.
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Church of Madonna Addolorata
Its a
recent, symmetrical construction, compared to the church dedicated to S.Maria delle
Grazie, whose decorative motifs it repeats.
The one-nave internal is
embellished with a series of pilasters with Corinthian capitals. The wooden ceiling
paintings show holy life scenes. On the polychrome marbles altar-piece, there is the
statue of the Vergine.
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Bertuccis
Palace
Its placed in
Vittorio Veneto Square and it was built between the eighteenth-nineteenth centuries.
Granite staircases
flanked with marble columns are to be noticed
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Palazzo Coda
Its on two levels, with
terraced attic. On the façade, we see the portal with round arch resting on piers, with
voltaic arch decoration. On the second level, there are balustraded balconys and high
relief angels. On the right, you find a decorated double lancet window.
. |
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Bertuccis
villa
The gentilitial building stands on
three levels, with masonry balconys. In the upper part, the high balcony is balustraded
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Calvary
Its a
temple-structure with three-cornered tympanum, where three crosses stand out. The façade
is decorated with a portal with round arch, resting on piers.
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War
memorial
A bronze soldier stands
on a polychrome marble pyramid- frustum base.
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| -Percorso
Naturalistico |
Colle
Morrone
In the nearby
hill, rising almost 100 mt. high, its possible to follow natural paths, crossing a
blooming nature: beech, pine, oak and chestnut woods are along the streets. This zone is
also well-known for the abundance of mushrooms.
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Religious Feasts
San Rocco(patron)-
2nd Sunday of Aug. Mass and procession among the town streets. In the evening, there is
the feast in the square. According to the tradition, in this Sunday the believers go
around begging with a big basket and then, they donate the proceeds to the parish church.
Maria
SS. delle Grazie-1st Sunday of July |
Mass
and procession. Musical entertainment in the square.
Manifestations:
Estate Simbariana-Aug.-
Live
concerts and soccer (football) matches.
Festivals:
Festival of potatoes |
Bibliografia:
Archivio comunale - Gustavo Valente, Dizionario dei Luoghi della Calabria,
Edizioni Framas, Chiaravalle Centrale, 1973
Ringraziamenti: Bruno Tassone,
sindaco; Francesco Giuliano, impiegato comunale |