Useful Information
The region of Calabria occupies the southern part of our Peninsula. Its coasts extend for over 780km, on the east on the Mar Tirreno and on the west and south on the Mar Ionio. The territory is made up of hills (49%), mountains (42%) and in a small part by plains (9%).
The sea surrounds most of the tip of Italy, which for the remaining part is occupied by the imposing mountains of the Sila, Aspromonte and Pollino.
Colonized in the VIII century B.C. by the Greeks, Calabria has undergone, thanks to them, a rapid urbanistic and commercial development. In Magna Graecia, many important artistic centres were born, such as Reggio Calabria, Sibari and Crotone.
In the first half of the IV century B.C., the region was invaded by the Bruzi, who gave it their name: "Brutium".
During the punic wars Calabria fought against Rome, but fell under the might of the Empire which, from 132 B.C., started founding colonies including Calabria in the III Augustean Region.
With the fall of the Roman Empire, the region passed a period of tranquility, which lasted until the VII century when the Byzantines gave the region its final name, Calabria.
Later on, it was conquered by the Longobardi who included it in the Ducato di Benevento.
Continually shaken by the sea raids from the Saracens, the region of Calabria only settled with the Norman dominion in 1060. The Angiò which followed implemented a feudal system, which ended up compromising the land. With the Spanish government, the local population was victim of repeated power abuse.
Then followed a strenous resistance to the French dominion in 1799, and to the Borboni.
Finally, with the fall of the Kingdom of Naples, the region of Calabria was annexed to the rest of Italy.
Today, a huge part of the economy is based on tourism, which can count on the mountain localities of Sila, but especially on the pictoresque coast of Tropea, whose city is built on a promontory, in front of a rocky mass which used to be an island.
Not to be missed is the Santuario Benedettino, built upon a rock, the Norman Cathedral and the Palazzo Cesareo, with its splendid decorated balcony.
An important artistic destination is the Cattolica di Stilo, a basilica built in pure Byzantine style, built in the X century from the Basilian Monks.
Rossano, in its Museo Diocesiano, holds the Codex Purureus Rossanensis, a rare greek piece of art with letters made of silver and carefully made miniatures.
As a witness of its Greek past, the region holds the archeological site of Locri Epizefiri, close to Gerace, and the Museo nazionale della Magna Grecia di Reggio Calabria, which keeps the famous Bronzi di Riace, of the IV and V century B.C., big statues depicting warriors which have been saved from the sea, close to Riace Marina in 1972. |
