Rende: Art, History and Cityscape

Rende combines a historic old town with a range of art and history-related attractions. The city stretches along the Crati River to the Serre Cosentine. In the historic center, Rende preserves its medieval urban layout and the historic names of its streets and squares. In the Giudecca district, narrow lanes and arcades shape the character of the center. To understand the destination, it is worth looking at this combination of cityscape, sacred architecture and art: the cultural highlights range from rural culture to art collections and historic churches.

Museums with a range of specializations

The Museo Civico e Pinacoteca “Achille Capizzano” is housed in the historic Palazzo Zagarese. Its affiliated demo-ethno-anthropological section is named after Raffaele Lombardi Satriani and documents rural culture through clothing, objects and photographic records. Rural culture is the focus of this section; other institutions focus on art collections and exhibitions. MAON is located in the eighteenth-century Palazzo Vitari in the historic center of Rende. The Museo del Presente hosts exhibitions of Italian artists from the 20th and 21st centuries, as well as young artists from across Italy. It also has a permanent exhibition on the Calabrian Futurists, based on a donation from the Bilotti family. The Museo d’arte contemporanea “Roberto Bilotti Ruggi d’Aragona” has a collection of more than 400 works. Rende thus offers a range of perspectives: documentation of rural culture, exhibitions featuring artists from different generations, and extensive art collections.

Churches: architecture and furnishings

The churches also offer different points of historical interest. The Chiesa di Santa Maria Maggiore was built in the 12th century and houses paintings by Cristoforo Santanna, Giuseppe Pascaletti and Giuseppe Grana. The Chiesa del Rosario was built in 1679 by the brothers Raffaele and Giuseppe De Bortolo. It is designed in the Baroque and Rococo styles and has a three-part façade made of tuff from Mendicino. Inside, the church houses a nativity scene with Neapolitan figures from the 18th and 19th centuries, as well as an 18th-century organ. The churches’ construction dates, façade designs and historic furnishings can thus be distinguished as different aspects of their sacred architecture.

The castle and open-air art

The Castello in Rende, also known as the “Giant of Stone,” is another feature of the historic townscape. It was built on a hill in 1095. The hill lies between the Surdo and Emoli streams; from there, the Castello overlooks much of the Crati Valley. The atrium of the Castello displays the coats of arms of the Magdalone and Alarçon de Mendoza families. Its location, nickname and coats of arms provide distinct historical and geographical points of reference, setting it apart from the churches’ interiors and the museums’ themed collections. Another highlight of the cultural scene is the Museo all’Aperto (MAR), part of Rende’s Polo Culturale: as an open-air museum, it features art installations.

Discover more destinations: Pagania Vallonecupo, Villapiana Lido, Torricella, Diamante, Tortora, Tarsia, Mangone, Amendolara.

For the main travel overview: Cosenza.