Calabria · Cosenza
San Benedetto Ullano
An Arbëreshë villagein the hills west of Cosenza, where the Byzantine rite is still sung and the 1723 Italo-Albanian college trained generations of priests.
212 km / 132 mi
Nearest hub (Reggio Calabria)
1,370
Population
Apr–Oct
Best time to visit
Why come
San Benedetto Ullano (Shën Benedhiti in Arbëreshë) sits at about 460 meters in the hills west of Cosenza, twenty kilometers from the city, on the inland slope of the Catena Costiera. It's one of the twenty-seven Arbëreshë communes of Calabria, founded by Albanian refugees who arrived between the fifteenth and eighteenth centuries fleeing the Ottoman advance. The Byzantine rite is still celebrated in the parish church, and the language is still spoken at home. In 1723, Pope Clement XII, born Lorenzo Corsini, founded the Italo-Albanian Corsini College here to train clergy for the Greek-Albanian rite. The college became a centre of Albanian culture in Italy and produced prominent figures of the Arbëreshë intellectual revival before being moved in 1794 to San Demetrio Corone. The village stayed a frazione of Montalto Uffugo until 1937, when it became an autonomous commune. The festa of Sant'Antonio in June draws Arbëreshë families back from across Italy.
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Gallery
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Known for
Chiesa di San Pietro e Paolo
Parish church of the Byzantine rite, with iconostasis and frescoes following the Arbëreshë liturgical tradition.
Sede storica del Collegio Corsini
Building that housed the 1723 Italo-Albanian college founded by Pope Clement XII to train Greek-Albanian clergy.
Centro storico
Compact Arbëreshë centre of stone houses, with the original Albanian street names and the small square in front of the church.
Riserva Naturale Valle del Crati
Protected wooded valley below the village, part of the regional reserve along the Crati river basin.
When to visit
Best months · Apr–Oct
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
April through October is the working season for the hill villages west of Cosenza. Spring brings broom and orchids on the slopes; June is when Sant'Antonio fills the square with Arbëreshë families. July and August are hot but more bearable than down on the coast, and 460 meters means the evenings cool quickly. September and October close the year with chestnut and olive harvests. November through March is quiet, with snow possible on the higher slopes of the Catena Costiera above the village; the church keeps its calendar of Byzantine feasts year-round and the small bars on the central square stay open through winter.
How to get there
From Reggio Calabria, San Benedetto Ullano is roughly 212 km by road. Allow about 182–254 minutes depending on traffic and route choice (autostrada vs scenic).
Drive time to the nearest gateway airports
- Lamezia / Reggio1h 30m
- Naples / Salerno3h 37m
- Bari / Brindisi3h 41m
Elevation 460 m
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