What to see in Paola, list of the most significant places in the city where San Francesco was born, including Piazza del Popolo, Birthplace of the Saint, Fountain of the Seven Channels and Sanctuary.
Tourist information
A city known above all for having given birth to San Francesco di Paola in 1416, the town developed from that time, first remaining within the defensive walls while, later, from the late 1800s onwards, it began to expand towards the coast.
The tourist itinerary to visit Paola starts from Porta San Francesco, which leads to Piazza del Popolo, which includes a beautiful fountain from the 1600s, the Clock Tower and the fifteenth-century church of the Madonna di Montevergine.
Taking the road to the right of the church and continuing to walk, you reach the birthplace of San Francesco, currently used as an oratory.
What see
Among the places in the historic center worth a visit, include the church of the Santissimo Rosario, the fountain of the seven canals and the church of the Santissima Annunziata dating back to 1200.
A short distance from the town is the Sanctuary of San Francesco di Paola, where the relics of the Saint are kept and, in the sixteenth-century chapel at the bottom of the right nave, a panel depicting San Francesco d'Assisi together with San Francesco di Paola and a fifteenth-century fresco of the Madonna degli Angeli.
Among the most important events are the feast of San Francesco di Paola, which takes place around mid-April, and the exhibition of nativity scenes, set up during the Christmas period.
