Grand Tour of Calabria & the 5 Senses 2026-27

The Codex Purpureus Rossanensis
The Codex Purpureus Rossanensis is a New Testament manuscript measuring 200 x 307 mm, written on purple-dyed parchment—hence the name “Purpureus.” It is of exceptional importance not only from a biblical and religious perspective, but also in artistic, palaeographic, historical, and documentary terms.
The manuscript is unfortunately incomplete. Of the original estimated 400 leaves, only 188 survive. The remaining portion was likely destroyed in a fire during the 17th or 18th century, traces of which are still visible on the last ten leaves. The surviving text includes the complete Gospel of Matthew and almost all of the Gospel of Mark (up to verse 14 of the final chapter). The volume also contains part of a letter by Eusebius to Carpianus concerning the harmony of the Gospels.
The dark leather binding dates back to the 17th or 18th century. The manuscript is anonymous, meaning the identity of its author or authors remains unknown. It is written in uncial script—that is, in Greek capital letters—arranged in two columns of 20 lines each. The opening lines of the Gospels are written in gold, while the remainder of the text appears in silver. The text lacks accents, breathing marks, word separation, and punctuation, except for occasional points marking the end of sentences.
This is an illuminated Gospel book, featuring 15 surviving decorative miniatures that were once part of a larger iconographic cycle. These illustrations depict events, episodes, and parables from the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. With the exception of three (IX, X, and XV), the miniatures visually narrate Christ’s final week.
The images are derived from all four Gospels, including those of Luke and John, whose texts are now lost. Each miniature occupies a separate leaf, distinct from the text pages, and together they form a continuous visual sequence reminiscent of the painted or mosaic decoration of a church or basilica of the time—an arrangement that makes this manuscript truly unique among illuminated codices.
Ten of the miniatures share a similar composition: the upper section depicts a Gospel scene, separated by a thin blue line from the lower section, which features four half-length prophets. Each prophet is shown raising the right arm, with a halo; only David and Solomon also wear royal crowns. Beneath them are scrolls bearing their quotations, while their gestures point to the fulfilment of their prophecies in the scene above.
Also known simply as the “Rossanensis,” this codex is one of only seven surviving Eastern illuminated manuscripts in the world—three in Syriac and four in Greek. The Greek examples include the Cotton Genesis (Manuscript 5111), housed in the British Library in London (now reduced to a few damaged fragments following a 17th-century fire); the Vienna Genesis, preserved at the Austrian National Library (26 leaves, 24 of them illuminated); and the Codex Sinopensis, kept at the Bibliothèque nationale de France in Paris (43 leaves and 5 miniatures). With its 188 leaves (376 pages), the Codex Purpureus Rossanensis is the most extensive, valuable, and significant of them all. A fifth Greek manuscript, known as Codex “N,” containing a miniature of the Washing of the Feet, is believed to exist in Saint Petersburg (formerly Leningrad).

Roman Villa of Casignana, a spectacular archaeological site
The villa, located in the province of Reggio Calabria, is a Roman-era residence whose remains are found in Contrada Palazzi in the municipality of Casignana. The original layout dates back to the 1st century AD, and its most significant phase is represented by a major renovation carried out in the 4th century. It was later abandoned in the 5th century, but traces of occupation are visible until the 7th century. The villa was discovered only in 1963, following works for the construction of an aqueduct near the Ionian state road. After the discovery of this important Roman testimony, the villa was systematically investigated by the Superintendence for the Archaeological Heritage of Calabria around the 1980s. Since 1998 the site has been entirely managed by the Municipality of Casignana which, through the acquisition of adjacent land and with the contribution of the Eastern Aspromonte Mountain Community, has been able to considerably expand the investigated area. The villa stood on the ancient road linking Locri Epizefiri and Rhegion (Reggio Calabria). Thanks to the work carried out, the rooms of a large private thermal complex have been brought to light, accessible through a portico. The rooms are richly decorated with mosaics, among which the figurative one in the frigidarium (“Hall of the Nereids”), belonging to the 3rd century, stands out; it depicts, through the use of large white and green tesserae, a marine thiasos with four female figures riding a lion, a bull, a horse and a tiger, all ending in a fish tail. The room has an octagonal plan and includes four apsidal sides; it also features two basins for cold water. The calidarium, with its related hypocaust heating system, is also octagonal and has a mosaic floor made of small tesserae. The complex also contains a rectangular room paved with coloured marble slabs and a monumental nymphaeum with cisterns located uphill. On the opposite side of the road lies the residential area with numerous articulated rooms and a large courtyard. In this part of the villa too, mosaic floors can be admired, such as in the Hall of the Four Seasons and in the apsidal room.