Traditions - Comune di Pollica

PIOPPI
Pioppi
In ancient times, at the estuary of the river Mortelle, a little to the west of the present village,
there was a natural harbour for even quite large ships. This harbour was under the control of
Velia and was a working port until the 14th century as a possession of the Abbey of Cava.
It was here in 994 that a church called Sancta Maria de li Pluppi was built, around which a
fisherman’s village developed. Completely destroyed during the war of theVespers (1282-
1302), it was later rebuilt on the present site of Pioppi. The village is mentioned in numerous
books, among them A Pedestrian Tour in Calabria and Sicily by the Englishman John Arthur
Strutt (1842) and Journey to the South by the well-known Italian writer Giuseppe Ungaretti.
The Castello Vinciprova (Vinciprova Castle) was built in the 17th century by the Ripoli family,
who came from Spain but were originally from Pollica. In 1888 it belonged to the mayor Giuseppe
Sodano, who ceded it to the Vinciprova family in Omignano. A member of this family was Leone
Vinciprova who was one of the Thousand in Garibaldi’s famous expedition. Recently the castle
was donated by the heirs of the Vinciprova to the comune who have housed the Living
Sea Museum in the palace.
The Chiesa della Madonna del Carmine was founded in the early 17th century and was from the
beginning a centre of cult worship as there was a picture of the Madonna believed to be
miraculous. The streams of pilgrims determined the rise of a little fair at the time of the annual
festa, which, as was the custom in other places, was celebrated on 16th July. The little church,
seriously damaged in the earthquake in 1980, was reopened for worship a few years ago.
Festival
16th July
Festa della Madonna
del Carmine.
To celebrate the festa, on 15th
and 16th July there is a
fair with the same name.