Lago – Church Art, Strina and the Presepe

Location and cultural orientation

Lago lies in the Valle dell’Oliva on the ridge of Monte Verzi. The Fiume Licetto runs north of Lago, while the Torrente Acero lies to the south. Together, these details provide a simple north–south orientation and place the town between the valley and the ridge. For your travel plans, Lago offers cultural points of interest alongside its location: church architecture, musical traditions and recurring events.

Church architecture in detail

The interior of the Chiesa di San Nicola di Bari features late Baroque decorative design; later alterations are also part of the church’s history. The Chiesa della SS. Annunziata has a pointed-arch portal dating from the 19th century, above which is a rose window. A pointed arch comes to a point at the top; a rose window is a circular ornament. The architectural features are therefore found in different places: inside San Nicola and at the portal of the Annunziata. The comparison draws attention to two specific aspects of sacred architecture that can be distinguished without grouping both churches under a single style label.

The Presepe and Hocara

Since 1975, the Presepe di San Giuseppe has been dismantled every year and completely rebuilt the following year. Each edition depicts streets in Lago’s historic center as they looked in the early 1950s. The two dates refer to different things: 1975 marks the start of the annual dismantling and rebuilding, while the early 1950s are the period depicted. The traditional “Hocara” brings people together in the church square of San Giuseppe for the entire time the Presepe is open; during this gathering, “trincuni” are lit and burn throughout the night.

A recurring festival

Lago’s Carnevale Estivo has been held every year since 1981. Unlike the Presepe, which depicts a historic streetscape, this event is the focus here; its name evokes summer.

Strina and music

The Strina Laghitana combines verse form with musical performance. It consists of distinctive tercets with hendecasyllabic lines, traditionally composed by the people of Lago and sung to the slow accompaniment of guitars and mandolins. A tercet is a three-line stanza; the hendecasyllabic lines give each line a clearly defined meter. Together with the slow accompaniment, this creates a clearly structured combination of text form, performance and instruments. Historically, the “Strinari” walked the streets between Christmas and Candlemas. This earlier seasonal practice differs from the musical form: one refers to walking around in winter, the other to sung verses accompanied by instruments.

Bread and flavors

Another culinary point of interest is “Pane e cumpane”: this experience combines the old tradition of homemade bread with typical flavors of Italian gastronomy. Unlike the Strina, whose defining features are verse and instruments, the focus here is on bread and flavors.

Discover more destinations: Mirto, Terranova Da Sibari, Lupia, Rose, Castroregio, Rovito, Marcellina, Cittadella Del Capo

For the broader travel overview: Cosenza.