centro storico, collinare, difensivo, Contursi Terme, Contursi (denominazione storica)

Atika

Contursi Terme, Centro Storico

The historic core of Contursi Terme, once simply Contursi, clings to a defensive hilltop in a layout that is essentially Norman, though the site’s thermal waters were known long before. Originally walled, the medieval _Cittadella_ is the oldest part of the town, its dense, low houses woven together by a close network of narrow pedestrian alleys. Three key nodes anchor this fabric: the castle (now Casa Mirra, its massive enclosing walls still very much present), the church of Santa Maria degli Angeli (perhaps built in the 12th century, though the date is uncertain), and the church of San Giovanni Evangelista, which stands by one of the old gates. Other notable religious buildings include the 17th-century church of the Carmine and the church of San Vito, built around 1607. But the real pleasure here is in the minor architecture: stone portals, reverse-sill windows, squared corner stones, wooden fixtures, and the distinctive ‘romanelle’ roof corbels that give the streets their quiet, cumulative character.

Description via source. Coordinates and heritage data from the Atika atlas.