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At 342 meters above sea level, located on a hill, stands the village of Casignana overlooking the Aspromonte on one side and the Ionian Sea on the other.
There are no reliable sources on the origins of the country, some would like to link them to the events of the ancient village Potamìa, founded between the ninth and the tenth century by populations of the coast who escaped the incursions of the Saracens. Around the mid-fourteenth century, following a violent earthquake, part of the population of the village gave birth to the village of Casignano, whose name later changed to Casignana.
It belonged to the fief of Bianco, of which he shared the historical events, first with the Marullo family and then with the Carafa family, who ruled it until 1806, the date of the subversion of feudalism. During the administrative reform of 1811 it was recognized as an autonomous municipality, included in the Bianco District. A century later and more precisely in 1927 it was incorporated, together with the neighboring countries, in the newly born municipality of Samo and remained there until 1946, when it regained its administrative autonomy.
The earthquake of 1349 was not the only one to hit this village, in fact there were two other equally violent one in 1783 and one in 1908 that caused considerable damage in the small town.
In the ancient village there are the ruins of the old matrix church of San Giovanni Battista, with a Greek cross plan, probably built in the fourteenth century. Today we can observe what remains of the altar and the crypt that was first used for the celebration of sacred rites and then until 1820, was the burial place of the faithful people. Nearby is Palazzo Moscatello, characterized by its wrought iron balconies and subject to restructuring and redevelopment that has interested also other structures of the village to use them for tourist receptive purpose.
Continuing the route you reach the San Rocco church, Saint patron of Casignana, a building dating back to 1773 that was seriously damaged by the earthquake of 1783. It was then damaged again by the earthquake of 1908 and rehabilitated to worship only in 1914. The church has a Romanesque facade on which open the three entrance doors, inside there are three naves. The high altar in polychrome marble occupies the semicircular apse and is surmounted by a statue of the Virgin and Child surrounded by two orders of Corinthian columns. The church houses two paintings, one of which is attributed to Antonello da Messina, depicting the deposition of Christ and Saint Joseph. There are also various sacred furnishings, a wooden statue of San Giuseppe and a wooden statue of San Rocco, Neapolitan School, dating back to 1756.
A little more than eight km from the village, in Palazzi, there are the remains of the Roman Villa that was built in its original nucleus in the first century AD. and subsequently reached its maximum splendour in the fourth century AD.. The archaeological site is considered by scholars as one of the most important of the Roman era of southern Italy and houses the largest nucleus of mosaics known so far in Calabria. The villa, whose remains came to light almost accidentally in 1963 during the construction of an aqueduct, now looks like a grandiose complex extended over about 6000 square meters that is divided into residential, thermal and service environments. The entire archaeological area occupies an area of about 15 hectares and certainly still preserves other wonders to be discovered.
The village of Casignana, suspended between sea and mountains, also offers visitors beautiful natural landscapes such as the area of Mount Varet where you can enjoy a beautiful panoramic view and discover traces of an ancient past. There are, in fact, some millstones carved into the rock that were used for wine making. These tanks were usually carved out in at least two entities having different functions: in the upper basin the grapes were pressed and the pomace was fermented, while in the lower one the must was collected. The millstones are evidence of the production of wine already in ancient times.
The Greco Bianco vineyard (White Greek wine variety), whose origins could date back to the arrival of Greek settlers in the seventh century B.C. which brought the first vine shoots, continues today to be cultivated in this territory obtaining an excellent passito (raisin wine) with unique characteristics that in 1980 obtained the D.O.C..
Casignana, with its history, ancient witnesses and the surrounding natural scenery, offers visitors an unforgettable experience. A trip to this village is a dip in the past, enriched by the warm welcome of its community and the beauty of its landscapes.
