Settimo Giorno/Day 7
Serra San Bruno & Soriano
Breakfast / Colazione.
Today we travel by coach, in the highlands of the Calabrian Serre where our first destination is Serra San Bruno. This village is nestled in the mountains, surrounded by woodland and crowned by a serene monastery whose hermitage and grounds provide insights into the spiritual lives of the Carthusian monks. Serra San Bruno was originally inhabited by the builders and artisans involved in the construction of the monastery. Today, its quaint town centre and stone buildings seem untouched by time. Stanley Tucci, whose family is from Calabria, featured Serra’s traditional timpano in the movie Big Night.
Lunch / Pranzo in Serra San Bruno
In the afternoon, we continue to Soriano, located 300 meters above sea level. The village is believed to have ancient origins (as early as 700 years before Christ) and is thought to be founded by Syrians, hence its name. Here, we visit the Sanctuary of San Domenico, once one of the most important convents in Europe. Destroyed by the devastating earthquake of 1659, the convent was reconstructed in monumental forms by the Dominican friar Bonaventura Presti, a native of Bologna. During the Baroque period, this convent became one of the wealthiest and most renowned Dominican monasteries in Europe, attracting pilgrims from all over Italy.
Soriano is famous also for its mostaccioli, or more precisely in the Calabrian dialect, mostazzoli made of flour, orange blossom and chestnut honey. The name derives from “mustache,” an ancient wedding cake baked on laurel leaves. The biscuits take variety of beautiful shapes and are decorated with colored foil. The Hellenistic Greek poet Theocritus from Syracuse described these biscuits in the 3rd and 4th century BC! You will have an opportunity to try a variety made by the Antica Casa dei Torroni e Mostaccioli De Nardo founded in 1865.
In Soriano, there will also time to visit the Museum dei Marmi (a testament to the economic, cultural, and religious significance of the region during the 16th and 17th centuries) and the small shops of Soriano where skilled craftsmen work.
Dinner / Cena back at Popillia
