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00 Alessandria Del Carretto
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Calabria · Cosenza

Alessandria del Carretto

The highest village in the Pollino at 1,043 meters, the only Italian commune carrying its founder's full name, with a fir-tree ritual every 3 May.

Best time
Jun–Sep, Dec–Mar
By car
2 h 56 min from Salerno
Population
357

Known for

  • FESTA DELLA PITA

    One of the oldest Mediterranean nature-rebirth rituals, a twenty-meter fir cut in April, hauled by hand and climbed on 3 May.

  • HISTORICAL CARNIVAL

    Beautiful and ugly Polëcënellë masks dramatise the struggle of order and disorder, death and rebirth, one of Calabria's most important historical carnivals.

  • TALLEST POLLINO

    Highest inhabited village in Pollino National Park at 1,043 meters, with 357 residents and the only commune named for its founder.

When to visit

Best · Jun–Sep, Dec–Mar

  • J7°
  • F10°
  • M10°
  • A13°
  • M19°
  • J24°
  • J28°
  • A27°
  • S22°
  • O18°
  • N13°
  • D9°
  • Best
  • Hot or crowded
  • Quiet
  • Mostly closed

Daytime averages, 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.

The festa: papa Alessandro I, 3 May

Why come

Alessandria del Carretto is the highest inhabited village in the Pollino National Park, perched at 1,043 meters in the eastern range of Italy's largest protected area. It is the only commune in Italy that bears the full name and surname of its founder, the marchese Alessandro Pignone del Carretto, who established it in 1639. Population today is around 357, declining for decades, with traditions kept alive against depopulation.

The signature is the Festa della Pita, on 3 May for the feast of Saint Alexander, one of the oldest nature-rebirth rituals in the Mediterranean: in mid-April the community cuts a twenty-meter fir tree in the Pollino woods, on the last Sunday of April carries it by hand to the village to accordion and bagpipe, then on 3 May runs the climb of the fir for the gifts tied to its top. The historical carnival, with masks of the beautiful and ugly Polëcënellë, marks the other end of the ritual year.

The Sunday letter

Alessandria del Carretto is on our list. Its letter is still to come.

We are writing about all 1,000 of these towns, one at a time, in a free letter every Sunday: the photo, the food, the festa. That is our mission. Sign up and you will be there when Alessandria del Carretto comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Pietrasanta.

Read on

Alessandria del Carretto in our articles

How to get there

From Lamezia / Reggio (SUF), about 2h 50m by car.

Bari / Brindisi (BRI) is about 3h 10m away.

By car from the centre of Salerno 3 hours, Bari 3 hours or Naples 3h 40m.

Alessandria del Carretto, photo 1
Alessandria del Carretto, photo 2

What to see

  • Centro storico di Alessandria del Carretto

    Stone village at 1,043 meters in the Pollino, founded in 1639 by Alessandro Pignone del Carretto, the only Italian commune named for its founder.

  • Pollino National Park

    Highest village in Italy's largest national park, surrounded by Bosnian pine forest and the slopes that climb toward Serra del Prete.

  • Chiesa di Sant'Alessandro Papa

    Mother church of the village, dedicated to the patron saint whose feast on 3 May coincides with the climax of the Festa della Pita.

  • Belvedere sul Pollino

    Viewpoint on the upper ridge over the Pollino massif and the Ionian plain below, on clear days reaching the Basilicata coast.

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Living here

  • Population 357
  • Very remotei
  • Pharmacy: none mapped
  • Nearest high school over ~30 minutes away
  • Nearest airport Lamezia / Reggio, 2 h 50 min drive
  • Regional capital Catanzaro, 3 h 5 min drive

Common questions

What is Alessandria del Carretto known for?
Alessandria del Carretto is the highest village in the Pollino at 1,043 meters, the only Italian commune carrying its founder's full name, with a fir-tree ritual every 3 May.
Where is Alessandria del Carretto?
Alessandria del Carretto is a comune in the province of Cosenza, in Calabria, at 1043 meters above sea level.
What is the nearest airport to Alessandria del Carretto?
Lamezia / Reggio (SUF), about 2h 50m by car.
How long is the drive from Salerno to Alessandria del Carretto?
About 3 hours by car.
When is the best time to visit Alessandria del Carretto?
Best in Jun–Sep, Dec–Mar. July is the warmest month, averaging 28 degrees, and November the wettest, with about 14 rain days.
Is there a sagra or a festival in Alessandria del Carretto?
The town keeps its patron saint's day: papa Alessandro I, 3 May.
Which other towns are like Alessandria del Carretto?
Scontrone, Sauris and Barrea.
How many people live in Alessandria del Carretto?
357 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources

The numbers

  • Elevation: 1043 m
  • Population: 357
  • Surface area: 41.12 km²

These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.

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