Population: 34,906 (2003)
Official site: Rossano
Wikipedia: n/a
Map: MapQuest

Rossano (population 35,000) lies 6KM inland from the highway.  The little town offers visitors more than 50 churches to explore dating to the Byzantine era.  The town is also the birthplace of St. Nilus (910-1001), founder of the convents of Grotaferrata, near Rome and Patire. 

The main cathedral, which the town is nationally famous for, has a Baroque altar, attached to a pillar on the north side of the nave, which encloses a Byazantine Madonna of the 8C or 9C; and a wooden celing. 

In the archbishop's palace is the Museo Diocesano (open daily 09:00-13:00) in which you can see the celebrated Codex Purpureus Rossanensis, an extremely rare work of the 6C.  The Codex is one of the oldest illustrated manuscripts in the world, featuring 15 miniature pages which are among the earliest - and best - examples of early Byzantine art.

Bring walking shoes and prepare for blistering heat in the summer, particularly in late July and August.  Your walk can include any or all of the fifty or so churches scattered throughout the City (there is a guide at the information office located near to the town's main cathedral).  If you need refreshment, or a meal along the way, there are numerous bars, cafés and restaurants throughout the town, but most close during siesta hours (1:00PM until 4:00 PM).