Pietrapaola, village of the Greek Sila

Pietrapaola, in the province of Cosenza, is a small village of about a thousand inhabitants in the heart of the Greek Sila. Located about 370 meters above sea level, its territory extends from the Sila to the sea, where today most of its inhabitants live. The locality is mentioned for the first time in a document dated 1269 during the Angevin domination in southern Italy. The Roman colonists and then the Byzantines were some of its historical inhabitants, who chose Pietrapaola for its strategic position, which allowed it to control an important route of production of olive oil, honey and wheat. Along the streets of the historic center you can admire medieval buildings, such as the arch of San Demetrio, several sixteenth-century buildings and the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie. Pietrapaola is perched around a cliff called Timpa del Castello, a huge rock where the population took refuge in case of Saracen raids. Since the end of the fifteenth century there have been numerous feudal lords to control the village.