Archi di Ciaccio
Piazza Archi di Ciaccio
The name recalls the lowered arches of the 15th-century palace of the Contestabile Ciaccio, a noble family of Cosenza. In the 16th century this corner of the old town was called Capopiazza.
The story
The name recalls the arches of the palace of the Contestabile Ciaccio, a noble Cosenza family. In the 1500s this corner of the old town was known as "Capopiazza", the head of the square. The Ministry of Culture's catalogue dates the palace to the fifteenth century and describes a three-storey building on a rectangular plan, with its main front on the square and a block-shaped body with four low, flattened arches.
A large entrance hall, covered by a timber ceiling, opens behind the main doorway; its river-pebble floor has a Maltese cross at the centre, which the catalogue reads as a sign that the family belonged to the Order of Jerusalem (the Order of Malta). A stone staircase leads to the upper floors, and at the back there are traces of arches and cornices, now walled up. The building is privately owned, and its ministry record was compiled in 2018.
What to look for
On the square, look at the flattened arches of the main front and the narrow continuous stone terrace with its plain balconies. The entrance hall with the Maltese cross is described in the catalogue, but the palace is private.
In the story
Urban Beauty. Alleys, portals, glimpses: the old town as it really is, not as a postcard.
Before you go
Opening hours and entrances can change: check on Google Maps or on the spot before you set off.
The old town is explored on foot and has a few climbs: how to get here and around.
Near here
Sources
Texts built on public sources. Where sources disagree we say so; if you spot a mistake or have an extra document, write to us.
- Palazzo del Contestabile Ciaccio - Catalogo generale dei beni culturali, scheda 1800157833 in Italian catalogo.beniculturali.it
- Cosenza (centro storico) - Wikipedia in Italian it.wikipedia.org
- Cosenza, otto secoli di piazza e Duomo - Il Quotidiano del Sud in Italian quotidianodelsud.it
- Corpus Domini: la tradizione dei drappi dal Palazzo del Sedile - Cosenza Post in Italian cosenzapost.it
- Note per servire allo studio della struttura urbana di Cosenza durante il Medioevo - Archivio Storico Crotone in Italian archiviostoricocrotone.it
- Archi di Ciaccio - Luogo FAI in Italian fondoambiente.it
- Famiglia Contestabile Ciaccio - Nobili napoletani in Italian nobili-napoletani.it
- B. Canonaco (a cura di), Il palazzo del Contestabile Ciaccio a Cosenza, Aracne 2012 - IRIS Unical (solo scheda bibliografica) in Italian iris.unical.it
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