Calabria
Calabria, formerly
Brutium, is a region in southern
Italy which occupies the "toe" of the Italian peninsula south of
Naples. It is bounded in the north by the region of
Basilicata, region of
Sicily in SW, to the west by the
Tyrrhenian Sea, and to the east by the
Ionian Sea. The region covers 15,080
km² and has a population of 2.05 million.
 |
NASA orbital photo of Calabria. |
The region is divided into five provinces:
Cosenza,
Crotone,
Reggio Calabria,
Vibo Valentia, and
Catanzaro. Catanzaro has been the regional capital since
1970, although the regional
Parliament is hosted in the former capital,
Reggio Calabria. The switchover to Catanzaro as capital of Calabria was the cause of riots in
1970.
Calabria was first settled by Italic tribes, Oscan-speaking "cousins" of the Latins, who inhabited the environs of Rome. Two of these tribes included the Oenotri (roughly translated into the "vine-cultivators") and the Itali. Greek contact with the latter resulted in the entire peninsula (modern Italy) taking the name of the tribe.
Greeks settled heavily along the coast at an early date and several of their settlements, including the first Italian settle called
Rhegion (
Reggio Calabria), and the next ones
Sybaris,
Kroton (
Crotone), and
Locri, were numbered among the leading cities of
Magna Graecia during the
6th and
5th centuries BC. Conquered by the Romans in the
3rd century BC, the region never regained its former prosperity.
The Greeks were conquered by the 3rd Century BC by roving Oscan (Italic) tribes from the North, including a branch of the
Samnites called the
Lucanians and an offshoot of the Lucanians called the
Bruttii. The Brutti established the main cities of Calabria, including the modern capital,
Cosenza (then called Consentia).
After the fall of the Roman Empire the inhabitants were in large part driven inland by the spread of malaria and, from the early Middle Ages until the XVII century, by pirate raids. Calabria was devastated during the
Gothic War before it came under the rule of a local
dux for the
Byzantine Empire. In the 9th and 10th centuries, Calabria, which had been the rich breadbasket of Rome before Egypt was conquered, was the borderland between Byzantine rule and the Arab emirs in
Sicily, subject to raids and skirmishes, depopulated and demoralized, with vibrant Greek monasteries providing fortresses of culture. In the 1060s,
Normans under the leadership of
Robert Guiscard's brother Roger established a presence in this
borderland, and organized a government along Byzantine lines that was run by the local Greek magnates of Calabria. In 1098, Pope
Urban II bestowed on Roger the equivalence of an apostolic legate and the Hauteville clan formed the precursors of the Kingdom of
Naples which in one form or another ruled Calabria until the unification of
Italy. This kingdom itself came under many rulers: the
Habsburg dynasties of both
Spain and
Austria; the French
Bourbon dynasty, and briefly
Napoleon's general
Joachim Murat, who was executed in the small town of
Pizzo.
Throughout all this Calabria remained a very rural and exploited region. The
Aspromonte, a mountainous region of southern Calabria, was the scene of a famous battle of the
Risorgimento (unification of Italy), in which
Garibaldi was wounded. Several important philosophers (namely,
Bernardino Telesio from
Cosenza,
Gioacchino da Fiore from
San Giovanni in Fiore,
Tommaso Campanella from
Stilo) came from Calabria, and famous Americans of Calabrian descent are almost too numerous to name. The seawater around Calabria is very clear, and there is a good level of tourist accommodation. The poet Gabriele
d'Annunzio called the Sicily-facing seafront at Reggio "The most beautiful kilometer in Italy".
The official national language (since 1861) is Italian. However, as a consequence of its deep and colorful history, other historical languages have been spoken in this region for centuries. The various
dialects are divided into two different language groups. In the northern sections, a dialect of the
Neapolitan language called "northern Calabrese" is spoken. In the southern part of the region, a dialect of the
Sicilian language called "southern Calabro" is spoken. In isolated pockets, a hybrid language that dates back to the 9th century, called
Griko, is spoken. A variety of
Franco-Provençal can also be found in certain communities. In several villages, the
Arbëresh dialect of the
Albanian language has been spoken since a wave of refugees settled there in the 15th century.
*
Pythagoras (non-native resident, mathematician and philosopher, founder of the pythagoreans)
*
Ibycus (lyric poet, included in the canonical list of nine greek lyric poets)
*
Henry Aristippus (ancient Greek scholar]]
*
Bernardino Telesio (philosopher, 1509-1588)
*
Tommaso Campanella (philosopher)
*
Renato Dulbecco (virologist)
*
Umberto Boccioni (painter and sculptor, main member of futuristic movement)
*
Gianni Versace (one of the most important italian fashion designers)
*
Santo Cilauro*
Gioacchino da Fiore (philosopher)
*
Saint Francis of Paola*
Frank Costello*
Albert Anastasia*
Francesco Cilea (opera composer)
*
Barlaam*
Salvatore Guarana AKA Harry Warren (Songwriter 1893-1981)
*
Gennaro Gattuso*
Silvio Dante*
Tito Minniti (war hero)
Airports
*
Aeroporto dello Stretto (
Reggio Calabria, Airport
IATA code: REG)
*
Aeroporto di Crotone-Sant'Anna (Airport
IATA code: CRV)
*
Aeroporto di Lamezia-Sant'Eufemia (Airport
IATA code: SUF)
Seaports
*
Crotone *
Gioia Tauro (
RC)
*
Reggio Calabria *
Vibo Valentia *
Villa San Giovanni (
RC)
*
Reggio Calabria, on the strait between Italy and Sicily, biggest and oldest city in Calabria, renowned for its fabulous panoramic
Seaside with botanic gardens between the
art nouveau buildings and the beautiful beaches, and its 3.000 years of history with the old
Aragonian Castle and the great
National Museum of Magna Grecia where are the famous
Riace Warriors (Bronzi di Riace).
*
Tropea, on the
Tyrrhenian Sea coast, is a beautiful town, with a nice seaside, and the S.Maria dell'Isola sanctuary. It is also renowned for its sweet red
onions (mainly produced in
Ricadi).
*
Siderno, on the
Ionian Sea coast, has good hotels.
*
Gerace, near
Locri, is a beautiful medieval city with a Norman castle and an ancient cathedral.
*
Squillace, a seaside resort and important archeological site
*
Stilo, the home of
Tommaso Campanella, with a Norman castle and a beautiful Byzantine church, the
Cattolica*
Cosenza, famous for its cultural institutions, the old quarter, a Romanesque Cathedral and a Swevian Castle.
*
Pizzo Calabro, on the
Tyrrhenian Sea coast, surely much more beautiful than Tropea, its town known for its famous ice cream called "Tartufo", a world specialty. Interesting places are Reppubblica Square, the Aragonian castle where Murat was killed, that points out in the Goulf of S.Eufemia.
*
Università della Calabria, hosted in
Rende,
Cosenza;
*
Università degli Studi Magna Grecia di Catanzaro, hosted in
Catanzaro;
*
Università degli Studi Mediterranea di Reggio Calabria, hosted in
Reggio Calabria;
*
Università per stranieri Dante Alighieri di Reggio Calabria, hosted in
Reggio Calabria;
*
Accademia di Belle Arti di Reggio Calabria, hosted in
Reggio Calabria;
*
Conservatorio Francesco Cilea, hosted in
Reggio Calabria.
*
Reggina from
Reggio di Calabria, playing in
Serie A.
*
Crotone, which plays in
Serie B.
*
Catanzaro, which plays in
Serie C1.
*
Cudduraci*
Frittole*
Lagane*
Morsello*
Nduja*
Nzudda*
Pignolata*
Scilatielli*
Swordfish*
Tomie dePaola's
Strega Nona books are set in this town.
*
Italian Travel Team (in English)*
Official Region homepage*
Tourism Guide of Cosenza*
Map of Calabria*
Dictionary with Calabrese - English Translations from *
Webster's Online Dictionary - the Rosetta Edition
*
ItalianVisits.Com: Calabria*
Tourism in Ionian Coast Calabria - Marina di Sibari
