Paola – Sanctuary, Old Town and Sea

Paola offers different starting points for a trip: the story of Saint Francesco, the historic centre’s buildings and the coast. The town sits on a terrace at the foot of the Catena Costiera, overlooking the sea. If you’re looking for a hotel in Paola, you can first consider whether the sanctuary, the historic townscape or the coast should be the focus of your stay.

Santuario di San Francesco di Paola

The Santuario di San Francesco di Paola is a pilgrimage destination set in a lush gorge of the Torrente Isca. The sanctuary’s history dates back to the 15th century, roughly between 1435 and 1452. The basilica church still has a Gothic floor plan and houses the saint’s relics. The grounds also include the Devil’s Bridge and the Fonte della Cucchiarella. Pilgrims draw water from this spring. Below the sanctuary lie two rocks, one above the other, known as the Pietre del Miracolo. Another cave below the sanctuary served as a place of retreat for Francesco, where he meditated and prayed. The term “zona dei prodigi” encompasses places associated with miracles attributed to San Francesco di Paola.

Historic Sites and Buildings

The monumental San Francesco di Paola Gate opens onto the historic centre and leads directly to Piazza del Popolo. The Birthplace of St Francis of Paola is now a chapel in the town centre. The Pisciarieddi Fountain stands in front of the Church of the Madonna di Montevergine. The Church of the SS. Rosario has an elaborately decorated Baroque interior. Beneath the main altar of the Chapel of San Francesco stands an urn containing five bone fragments. The Percorso turistico in Paola connects historic monuments, cobbled streets and local traditions. If you’d rather take in the townscape than focus on a single building, this route offers a fitting thematic framework.

Festival and Walking Route

Paola’s Festa del 4 maggio is celebrated in the first days of May and ends on 4 May. On that day, the silver bust of Paola’s patron saint is carried on people’s shoulders through the town’s streets. The Cammino di San Francesco di Paola covers a different timescale: it consists of four routes totalling 318.3 kilometres and 15 days of walking. The paths run mainly along municipal roads and local side roads, with short sections on state and provincial roads. A festival tied to a specific date and a route requiring 15 days of walking therefore suit different travel plans.

Coast, Tower and Other Themes

Marina di Paola has a long sandy beach. Above the Tyrrhenian coastal strip stands the Castle Tower, perched on a sloping rock formation. Its cylindrical structure rests on a square bastion; the contrast between the tower’s rounded shape and its angular base defines its appearance.

The Museo Multimediale San Francesco di Paola presents the life and character of the saint through virtual simulation, abstraction and fiction. Alongside the buildings and religious memorial sites, different ways of presenting the story are also a focus.

The Menù di San Francesco project is based on recipes from the “strettissimo magro” style of cooking. These recipes come from a book published in 1880 by Gaspare Stanislao Delle Piane, a Minim friar from the monastery in Genoa. The dishes contain no meat, eggs, dairy products or their derivatives; instead, they use vegetables, fish, molluscs and crustaceans. “Magro” therefore does not mean exclusively plant-based ingredients: fish and seafood are explicitly included as well.

Discover more destinations: Alessandria del Carretto, Pietrafitta, Roggiano Gravina, Mormanno, Cutura, Fiumefreddo Bruzio, Marina di Santa Maria del Cedro, Longobardi.

For the broader travel overview: Cosenza.