Acquaformosa
Discovering Acquaformosa, a small Calabrian town
Acquaformosa, also known as Firmoza in Arbëreshë language, is a town located in the province of Cosenza in Calabria. With its 965 inhabitants, it is a small village that sits at 756 meters above sea level in the upper basin of the Esaro River. Immersed in the greenery of the Pollino National Park, Acquaformosa offers an unparalleled natural environment, alternating between mountain and woodland landscapes.
An ancient and interesting history
The history of Acquaformosa dates back to 1140, when Count Ogerio (or Ruggero) and his wife Basilia, Lords of Brahalla (nowadays Altomonte), donated the Church of Santa Maria di San Leucio and the vast estates surrounding it to the Cistercian Order of the Abbey of Santa Maria della Sambucina in Luzzi. A small community of farmers in the service of the Abbey grew around it. The Abbey reached a significant prosperity that led it to expand throughout the area, through donations and possessions that extended to the borders with Viggianello, from the valley of the Lao River to that of the Sinni River up to the Tyrrhenian Sea with the island of Dino. However, the Abbey subsequently underwent a slow but inexorable decline.
Upon the death of Abbot Francesco di Carraria, the Abbey of Santa Maria di San Leucio was granted in commendation to the cleric Carlo de Cioffis, who was provided with a pontifical bull on April 3, 1490. In 1501, representatives of colonists who had arrived from the Balkans presented themselves to the commissary asking to settle in the territory or in the vicinity of the Abbey. An agreement was signed between the abbot and the colonists, establishing the construction of the hamlet in the district of "Arioso". This is how the hamlet of Acquaformosa was born. Subsequently, the town passed into the hands of the Sanseverino family and in 1564 was sold to Ottavio Papaleo di San Pietro in Galatina.
The Santa Maria del Monte air crash
1982 was a sad year for Acquaformosa. On March 25 of that year, an Italian Air Force Fiat G.91 belonging to the 32nd Squadron crashed on the mountains between Acquaformosa and Lungro, near the Sanctuary of Santa Maria del Monte. The aircraft was piloted by 24-year-old Lieutenant Giovanni Pinto. A shepherd witnessed the crash and realized that something terrible had just happened. After a while, he climbed the mountains to graze his flock and found the remains of the aircraft. The crash claimed the life of one person.
Conclusions
Acquaformosa represents a small gem of the Calabrian region, with an ancient and interesting history. The town is located in an uncontaminated natural environment that attracts many tourists every year. The 1982 air crash is a sad episode in its history, but it is also a fact that makes Acquaformosa an even more important tourist destination, where memory and nature are fundamental elements of a territory that looks to the future with serenity.
