Santa Domenica Talao

Santa Domenica Talao (Santa Duminica in the local dialect) is a town of about 1,130 inhabitants in the province of Cosenza, on the Upper Tyrrhenian Cosentino coast. The village stands at 304 metres on a hill at the foot of the Serra La Limpida and overlooks the final stretch of the Lao valley, with a view that runs from the Orsomarso Mountains to the Riviera dei Cedri, from Capo Cirella to Scalea. The name Talao recalls the Lao itself, the river the Greeks called Laos, which gave its name to the ancient Sybarite colony; one hypothesis derives it from katà Lâos, “by the Lao”.

Geography

The territory climbs from the hill belt, with Mediterranean scrub and olive groves, up to the heights of the Serra La Limpida, over 1,000 metres, on the Tyrrhenian side of the Pollino massif; a significant part lies within the Pollino National Park. The rocks are Mesozoic limestones and dolomites, with karst features, gorges and sinkholes; higher up grow chestnut and oak woods and forests of beech and silver fir; the Pollino park’s protected wildlife includes roe deer, wolves and golden eagles. The municipality borders Orsomarso to the south-east, Papasidero to the north-east, Scalea to the west and San Nicola Arcella and Praia a Mare to the north-west.

History

The name Santa Domenica already appears in 1563 in a list of the lands of the Kingdom of Naples, but the village arose as an organised community in the first half of the 17th century, when the Spinelli princes of Scalea began colonising the land along the Lao. In the 1620s the prince encouraged families from Mormanno and nearby towns to settle and turn pastures and woods into fields: he had the first houses built, granted plots and supported the village with festivities and concessions. In 1651 a document of the Regia Camera della Sommaria records the hamlet with about sixty taxable households. The church of San Giuseppe became a parish in 1662, and soon after the village was recognised as a feudal Università; with new arrivals from Orsomarso, Papasidero and Lauria an economy of wheat, vines, figs and later olives grew up. In the 18th century the town reached about 3,000 inhabitants and the old town took on much of its present look, with palazzi and chapels; in 1799 it was divided between republicans and Bourbon loyalists. After Italian unification it became an independent municipality and in 1864 took the name Santa Domenica Talao, to distinguish itself from towns of the same name. The 20th century was the century of emigration: besides the Americas, many santadomenicani settled in the Dominican Republic, in Puerto Plata, Santiago and La Vega, where in 1917 the Società Pro-Santa Domenica Talao was founded to support the home town. In 2022 the town was twinned with Santo Domingo.

What to see

The mother church of San Giuseppe, from the second half of the 17th century, was enlarged in 1701 with a transept and apse; its façade has a two-arched loggia, the bell tower and a sinuous stone staircase, and inside are Baroque stuccoes, a polychrome marble high altar from 1774, a wooden choir and a Holy Family canvas of the Neapolitan school. In front opens Piazza Italia, with the ancient wild olive tree that symbolises the village and a panoramic terrace over the rooftops, the coast and the Lao valley. The old town keeps noble palazzi: Palazzo Campagna of 1774, with arcaded loggias and a rusticated portal with little lions, Palazzo Perrone with over sixty rooms, Palazzo Schiffino, birthplace of the Jesuit philosopher Sante Schiffino, Palazzo La Greca and Palazzo Longo. The route is completed by the chapel of the Madonna del Rosario of 1725, the chapel of San Giovanni Evangelista in the upper town, and the Museo della Terra, devoted to rural culture.

Feasts and quarters

The main feast is that of the patron saint San Giuseppe, on the first Sunday after 20 July, with a week of preparation, the solemn procession and the fair in the upper town, ’A Codda, hence its popular name Fera ’a Codda. The neighbourhood games between ’A Codda, U’ Chianu and Girone/Mezzacosta have traditionally been held for the feast, though more occasionally today: the most awaited is the Cursa du Pannu, a foot race that awards the winning quarter the blessed banner, later carried in the procession. On the first Sunday of May comes San Giuseppe all’Accovata, with the procession to the chapel of that district; the Madonna del Rosario, co-patron, is tied to the feast known as Fera ’u Chianu, in the lower town.

The bond with the Dominican Republic

Santa Domenica Talao has a particular bond with the Caribbean. In the 20th century many santadomenicani emigrated to the Dominican Republic, to Puerto Plata, Santiago and La Vega, where they started businesses and built an Italian-Dominican community that keeps its ties with Calabria. In 1917 the Società Pro-Santa Domenica Talao was founded in Puerto Plata to send remittances and support charitable projects; in the 1920s and 1930s the emigrants’ contributions also helped enlarge Piazza Italia. In 2022 the twinning with Santo Domingo recognised this contribution.

Getting there

Santa Domenica Talao borders Scalea to the west, where Scalea-Santa Domenica Talao station lies on the Tyrrhenian line; from the coast you climb to the village on its hill. By car from the A2 “del Mediterraneo” motorway, you reach the coast from the north via the Lagonegro nord exit and the SS585 Fondo Valle del Noce, then the SS18 southwards; from the south via the Falerna exit and the SS18 northwards. The region’s nearest airport is Lamezia Terme.