Upper Tyrrhenian Cosentino · Riviera dei Cedri
Tortora
A hilly, mountainous town within the Pollino National Park, heir to the ancient city of Blanda.
Tortora is a town of about 5,900 inhabitants in the province of Cosenza, at the northern end of the Upper Tyrrhenian Cosentino coast.
Geography
The territory, about 58 km², is mostly hilly and mountainous and largely within the Pollino National Park; notable features are Monte Serramale (1,274 m) and the Noce river, which marks the northern border. The settlement has three cores: the hilltop old centre, the mountain hamlets and the Marina on the coast.
History
Its origins are very ancient: at Rosaneto there is a Lower Palaeolithic site with about a thousand stone tools. The Oenotrians and then the Lucanians fortified Blanda, conquered in 214 BC by the Roman consul Quintus Fabius Maximus and later named Blanda Julia. The name “Turtura” appears in a papal bull of 1079. Garibaldi stopped here on 3 September 1860; the municipality, suppressed in 1928, regained autonomy on 18 July 1937.
What to see
The old centre preserves fine stone portals. The Museum of Blanda gathers finds from the ancient Italic city, including those from the San Brancato necropolis. Among the churches are the mother church of San Pietro Apostolo and the Chiesa dell’Annunziata.
Getting there
By car via the A2 “del Mediterraneo” motorway; by train on the Tyrrhenian railway line; the nearest airport is Lamezia Terme.
Places
What to see around here.
Itineraries through here
-
3 daysTowns & historyTowns & history
Three days among old towns, castles and the only Occitan language island in southern Italy.
6 stops5 townsAll year roundSee the stops - 2 daysTowns & history
Weekend in the old towns
Two days among museum, stone village and murals: history and art without a devotional focus.
4 stops3 townsAll year roundSee the stops -
4 daysTowns & historyFour days among old towns
Four days among castles, Norman towns, sacred art and the Occitan language island.
8 stops5 townsAll year roundSee the stops
Frequently asked questions
- At the northern end of the Upper Tyrrhenian Cosentino coast; much of its territory lies within the Pollino National Park.
- An ancient Italic city fortified by the Lucanians, conquered by the Romans in 214 BC; its finds are in the Museum of Blanda.
Where is Tortora?
What was Blanda?
Discover locally
Live, up-to-date results with real reviews, on external platforms. We don’t hand-pick individual businesses we can’t verify.