SIMBARIO

It’s a small town, rich in multicoloured vegetation  and whose houses-close to each other- rise at the mountain foot.

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. 

It’s 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. It’s 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 l’Ospedale 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

- Vette: Colle Morrone (m 962), Monte Cucco (m 958).

- Corsi d’acqua: Fiume Ancinale

- 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

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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°.

 

History

The name Zimbario is certified in XVI c., also in the Latin form”Cymbarium”, 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 “Bertucci’s”.

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 d’union

Historical-religious course

Church of the Transfiguration of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

It was built by Dominicans of Soriano, on Bernardo Morena’s drawing, who was Vanvitelli’s 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.

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.

 

Church of Madonna Addolorata

It’s 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.

 

Bertucci’s Palace

It’s placed in Vittorio Veneto Square and it was built between the eighteenth-nineteenth centuries.

Granite staircases flanked with marble columns are to be noticed

 

Palazzo Coda

It’s 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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Bertucci’s villa

The gentilitial building stands on three levels, with masonry balconys. In the upper part, the high balcony is balustraded

 

Calvary

It’s 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.

 

War memorial

A bronze soldier stands on a polychrome marble pyramid- frustum base.

 

-Percorso Naturalistico

Colle Morrone

In the nearby hill, rising almost 100 mt. high, it’s 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.

 

  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 Frama’s, Chiaravalle Centrale, 1973
Ringraziamenti: Bruno Tassone, sindaco; Francesco Giuliano, impiegato comunale