Theprovince of Cosenza (Italian:provincia di Cosenza) is aprovince in the region ofCalabria inItaly. Its capital is the city ofCosenza. It has a population of 669,239 across its 150 municipalities.[2]
The province of Cosenza contains a community ofOccitan language (also known as Langue d'oc) speakers inGuardia Piemontese: it was formed by Vaudoi orWaldensian movement members, who moved to Cosenza to avoid religious persecution, in the 13th and 14th centuries.[4] Many of theArbëreshë Albanians of Italy live in the province, since arriving in the 16th century to flee the religious persecution undertaken by theOttoman Empire.
The first traces of human settlement in the area date from the earlyPalaeolithic period. These sites include theRomito Cave atPapasidero, including wall paintings ofbovidae.[5]
Cosenza began as a settlement of the ItalicBruttii tribe, and became their capital before the Romans invaded the area. The town was conquered by theRomans in 204 BC and was named Cosentia. Starting from the 8th century BC, the current provincial area became part of the so-calledGreater Greece. Greek cities, includingSibari andPandosia, were mostly located on the coastal area and at the foot of thePollino massif.
King of theVisigothsAlaric I conquered the region during the later stages of theWestern Roman Empire and according to legend, Alaric I is buried in Cosenza along with a large treasure hoard. Later Cosenza fell under the rule of the Byzantine Empire for a brief period of time, before being conquered by theLombards, as part of theDuchy of Benevento.Roger II of Sicily made it the capital of Terra Giordana in the 12th century.
In Modern times, as part of theKingdom of Naples and later of theKingdom of Two Sicilies, the province remained mostly a rural area devoted to agriculture and animal husbandry.Feudalism was abolished only in the 19th century. The area was also seat to several forms ofbrigandage during the centuries.
As of 2025, the province has a population of 669,239, of whom 49.2% are male and 50.8% are female. Minors make up 14.7% of the population, and seniors make up 24.8%, compared to the Italian average of 14.9% and 24.7% respectively.[2]
As of 2024, the foreign-born population is 57,208, equal to 8.5% of the population. The 5 largest foreign nationalities areRomanians (9,870),Germans (7,870),Moroccans (3,602),Argentinians (3,182) andSwiss (3,026).[8]
