What to do and see in Province of Cosenza, Calabria: The Best Things to do Good for Kids

Guided tours on reservation Visite guidate su prenotazione Hour/ Orari di visita 10 oppure 11 di mattina 15 oppure 16 di pomeriggio

Spend a day enjoying yourself… visit AcquaPark Odissea 2000! Water Park Odissea 2000 is located in Rossano, just a few meters from the beautiful Ionian coast of Calabria. Odissea 2000 is established in the major Nausicaa Tourist Village and it is one of the largest water parks in Italy. Enjoy the slow-moving river in a tube or explore a wide variety of attractions going down slides like the fast Omero Jump or the Big Olimpo, the one and only water roller coaster; challenging the Titan Roller, the longest slide in Europe or going upside down with Chimera and for the most fearless Skyron Rocket, a leap into the unknown to get everywhere... And for our younger guests, there is “l’isola di Galatea”, dedicated to families and their children, a whole playground nestled in the magnificent scenery of waterfalls, rocks and splashes of water, enlivened by performances at the Island’s Satyrs Theatre. Odissea 2000 offers everything you could wish for… you can take part in the games, or, more simply, just hang out in one of the chill-out areas. Throughout the entire day in the park there are live shows and animations for children and adults. For delicious Italian meal and snacks, restaurants are available in the park.

The Park includes the 3 areas denominated “Sila Grande”, “Sila Piccola” and “Sila Greca”for a total of 73.695 hectares. Tourism within the National Park Of the Sila, is in continuous development through the touristic activities mainly bounded to the winter season and the fruition of the ski lifts . Many qualified services were born bounded to the vacation activities (trekking, orienteering, etc.).In the National Park of the Sila, there are two visiting centers functioning: the Visiting Center of “Cupone”, within the municipal of Spezzano della Sila (CS) and the Visiting Center of “Monaco”, within the municipal of Taverna (CZ).

The Diocesan Museum and of the Codex contains the well-known greek illuminated gospel (one of the three illuminated gospels in the world), recognized world Heritage by the UNESCO on October 2015. It also contains countless artworks of different periods belonging to the Rossano-Cariati Diocese. It containts an interesting archeological find, known as the Greek mirror dating V Century B.C. The Museum is open everyday, except Monday, from 09.30 AM to 12.30 AM (in summer until 13.00 PM) and from 15.00 PM to 18.00 PM (in summer 16.30-20.30). On bank holidays and Sundays in winter times from 10-12 AM and 16-18 PM.

THE DUCAL CASTLE OF CORIGLIANO CALABRO Built as a military fortress in 1073, the castle underwent a series of transformations through time. The princes Sanseverino, the dukes Saluzzo and the barons Compagna changed and enlarged the original structure to make it safe from attacks and adapt it to a noble residence. Between 1487 and 1495 it became a military base owned by the Royal Administration. In this period by royal command, as testified by the stone tablet on the main entrance, were built the four towers. They were probably built by Antonio Marchesi from Settignano, pupil of Francesco di Giorgio Martini, royal military architect in Naples, renown throughout European Courts. Between 1515 and 1516 count Bernardino Sanseverino promoted further enlargements and brand new constructions such as the towers, the residence, the defensive assets, the pond and the dungeons. Between 1650 and 1720 the dukes Saluzzo, the new owners, ordered the construction of the octagonal tower on the Mastio, the Chapel of Saint Augustine and completed the general coverings of the building. In 1828 the Manor was purchased by Giuseppe Compagna. His second son, Luigi commissioned to the Florentine painter Girolamo Varni the frescoes in the Chapel of St Augustine and in the Mastio tower. The hall of mirrors was beautifully decorated by Maestro Ignazio Perricci from Monopoli. In 1872 the great XIX c. Neapolitan painter Domenico Morelli painted the trittico 'Madonna of the Roses' with Saint Anthony the Abbott and Saint Augustine on each side. In 1971 Francesco Compagna sold, for a symbolic amount, the castle to the Archbishop of Rossano. In 1979, it was finally purchased by the municipality of Corigliano, between 1988 and 2003 massive restoration works interested the Manor Today the ducal castle of Corigliano is a one of a kind museum where you can visit: *The middle floor , where you can visit the dungeons, the XIX kitchen in pig iron and the Santa Barbara. *The noble floor where you will see the beautifully decorated rooms with original furniture . *The dining Room, richly set with old pottery and cutlery underneath a beautiful cast-iron chandelier. *The hall of mirrors owing its name to the big mirrors on the walls, framed by gilded stuccos and rich tapestry . The room is enriched by chandeliers in bohemian crystal and by the ceiling decorated with unbelievable trompe-l'oeil effects. *The tower Mastio , made up of five floors, four of which connected by a cast iron staircase, the vaults here are decorated by Girolamo Varni with scenes inspired by Ancient Rome and crusaders. The visit will take you back in time while walking through richly decorated rooms , recreating atmospheres gone for good. Administration of the Castle White Castle Associazione culturale Opening time. Every day Winter: 9:30-13:00/15:00-18:30 Summer: 10:00-13:00/16:30-20-30 Closed on Monday From July 1 to August 31 it's possible to book evening guided tours starting from 21:00 to 00:00 on Monday and Wednesday. The ducal castle offers the following services : Ticket point- guided tours - snack point - Conferences- shuttle service. It's also possible to reserve the interiors and external spaces of the castle for art exhibitions, weddings, events, photo shoots, TV shoots and film industry.