The first half of the name comes from the laure, that is from the cells of the Basilian monks around which the first settlement gathered: two local scholars, Giambattista Marzano and Fedele Fonte, read Laureana as «land where the laure abound», or laures-ana, «above the laure» — though people have always preferred to tell of a giant laurel tree. The second half, on the other hand, is the name of a town that no longer exists. Borrello was the capital of the fief, and as early as a report of 1612 monsignor Felice Centini described it as a castle almost empty of inhabitants; by 1637 it was no longer the capital but a hamlet of Laureana, and the earthquakes of 1638, 1659 and 1783 wiped it out. In 1863 Laureana took its name to keep it alive.
From the earthquake of 5 February 1783 there survives an unusual statistic too. In the fief of Laureana and Borrello 259 deaths were counted; but the striking thing is that in the following months the number of wills doubled, and in some cases tripled. People had felt they were facing an apocalypse and wanted their affairs in order: at Stelletanone the notaries set up their offices inside huts, in the vegetable gardens of Domenico Riniti and Antonio Argirò, and there people dictated their last wishes, leaving substantial sums to the Church for the salvation of their souls.
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📅 Every year, on 17 November; the feast of Saint Roch at Stelletanone is also deeply felt
Laureana di Borrello celebrates Saint Gregory Thaumaturgus on 17 November. Among its most cherished religious traditions, the feast of Saint Roch in the hamlet of Stelletanone draws hundreds of pilgrims from across Calabria every year.
📅 Every year, on 16 July
Laureana di Borrello celebrates Mary Most Holy of Mount Carmel on 16 July. The town's other patron, Saint Gregory Thaumaturgus, is celebrated on 17 November.
Straight-line distances from the town centre. Tap a point to open its page.
The closest destinations covered by our editors, with straight-line distance.
Outside Laureana di Borrello, but an easy day trip away.
