Reggio Calabria

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Reggio Calabria
established_title = Founded
established_date = 720 BC [cite book | last = Foulke | first = Robert| title =The Sea Voyage Narrative| publisher =Routledge| url =http://books.google.com/books?id=cwpdkrGMS38C&pg=PA45&lpg=PA45&dq=%22reggio+calabria+founded+by+chalcis+and+messenia+ca+720+bc%22&source=web&ots=odjWOYr1A0&sig=aPQjWmBlQKDqnza9D0iB5k4aIPA&hl=en| isbn = 0415938945]
nickname =
motto =
website = http://www.reggiocal.it

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image_

seal_size = 85px


mapsize = 215px
map_caption = Location of the city of Reggio (red dot) within Italy.
subdivision_type = Region
subdivision_type1 = Province
subdivision_name = Calabria
subdivision_name1 = Province of Reggio Calabria
leader_title = Mayor
leader_name = Giuseppe Scopelliti
area_magnitude =
area_total_sq_mi =
area_total_km2 = 236
population_footnotes =
population_as_of = January 2006
population_total = 184,504 (18^th)
population_urban =
area_urban_km2 =
area_urban_sq_mi =
population_metro =
population_density_km2 = 782
population_density_sq_mi = 2,025
timezone = CET
utc_offset = +1
timezone_DST =
utc_offset_DST =
latd=38 |latm=06 |lats=41 |latNS=N |longd=15 |longm=39 |longs=43 |longEW=E
elevation_m =
elevation_ft =
postal_code_type = Postal codes
postal_code = 89100
area_code = 0965
blank_name = Patron saints
blank_info = Saint George
footnotes =

Reggio di Calabria (Italian pronunciation: IPA|/ˈrɛʤ:o ˌdikaˈlabrja/; Calabrian dialect: "Rìggiu", Greek-Calabrian: "Righi", Greek: Polytonic|Ῥήγιον- "Rhegion"), commonly known as Reggio Calabria or Reggio. A historic city in southern Italy, the capital of the Province of Reggio Calabria as well as the largest and oldest city in the Calabria region. The city is over 2,700 years old and was previously the capital city of Calabria, until it was moved to Catanzaro, though the headquarters of the Calabrian Regional Council remains.

Founded by the Ancient Greeks as Rhegion, meaning "it breaks away", it was a well established settlement of "Magna Graecia", later becoming part of the Roman Republic and Byzantine Empire. Reggio emerged as the capital of the Duchy of Calabria for a period until it was incorporated into the Kingdom of Sicily. It was then part of the Kingdom of Naples, later known as Two Sicilies, from 1282 to 1860, until the Italian unification.

Located on the toe of the Italian peninsula boot, Reggio retains a somewhat rural feel despite its sizable population. There are approximately 180,000 people within the city and the local population are known as "Reggians". Industry in the city revolves primarily around agriculture and the exportation of fruits and tobacco, also as Reggio is a port city, it has a fishing industry. The beaches of the city have helped make it a popular tourist destination. [cite news|url=http://www.questia.com/library/encyclopedia/reggio_di_calabria.jsp|publisher=Questia.com|title=Reggio di Calabria|date=8 January 2008] The municipality of Reggio Calabria contains the "frazioni" (subdivisions, mainly villages and hamlets) Catona, Gallico, Archi, Pentimele, Gallina, Mosorrofa ( _el. Messorofè), Ortì ( _el. Orthioi), Pellaro ( _el. Pèllaros), Saracinello.

Geography

Reggio di Calabria is located on the toe of the Italy boot, across from the island of Sicily. It is situated at the base of the Aspromonte, the long, craggy mountain range that runs up through the center of the region. The area has been subjected to several earthquakes and tsunami waves, over the centuries.

History

Founded as "Rhegion" by Greek settlers in 720 BC [cite book | last = Foulke | first = Robert| title =The Sea Voyage Narrative| publisher =Routledge| url =http://books.google.com/books?id=cwpdkrGMS38C&pg=PA45&lpg=PA45&dq=%22reggio+calabria+founded+by+chalcis+and+messenia+ca+720+bc%22&source=web&ots=odjWOYr1A0&sig=aPQjWmBlQKDqnza9D0iB5k4aIPA&hl=en| isbn = 0415938945] the city was devastated by several major earthquakes and associated tsunami. During the Roman Empire it was called Rhegium Julium as a noble Roman city. Later "Reggio di Calabria" became a Byzantine city, and in the 12th century, it became part of the Kingdom of Sicily, and then in the 13th century, it became part of the Kingdom of Naples.

Reggio Calabria is known as the location of the first dated Hebrew book, a Rashi commentary on the Pentateuch, printed in 1475; [ "The Books of the People of the Book - Hebraic Collections" (Hebrew book with date), Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., 2003-11-06, webpage: [http://www.loc.gov/rr/amed/guide/hs-books.html LibraryCongress-Hebraic] .] however, scholars consider Rome as the city where Hebrew printing began.

For Reggio di Calabria, the worst earthquakes came in 1783 and on December 28, 1908. The latter quake was the most devastating. Some 80 percent of all buildings in Reggio collapsed and many thousands were killed. Damage was even worse in Messina across the straits. That quake remains the worst on record in modern western European history. It took Reggio a generation to fully recover.

Main sights

*The National Museum of Greater Greece, housing the two famous "Bronzi di Riace" statues.
*The Cathedral, the largest religious building in Calabria.
*The Aragonese Castle, built before 540. It is now home to art exhibitions.
*"Chiesa degli Ottimati" ("Church of the Optimates"), in Byzantine-Norman style.
*The walls of the ancient city, one of the few remaining examples of the original Greek walls. They are divided into four separate sections, the one one the Falcomatà Seaside dating to the 4th century BC and attributed to the city's reconstruction by Dionysius II of Syracuse.
*"Villa Zerbi", a villa in 14th-century Venetian style. It is the seat of exhibition of the Venice Biennale in southern Italy.
*Remains of Roman baths.
*The Town Art Gallery ("Pinacoteca Comunale") housing works by Antonello da Messina ("Abraham Served by the Angels" and "St. Jerome in Penitence"), Mattia Preti, Luca Giordano, Giuseppe Benessai and others.
* The church of Saint Gaetano Catanoso (1879-1963) on via Catanoso in the Santo Spirito neighborhood. Canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on Oct. 23, 2005, St. Gaetano is the first saint from Calabria since St.Francis of Paola, who was canonized in 1507. St Gaetano was founder of the Sisters of St. Veronica of the Holy Face. His glass tomb, a magnet for miracle seekers, is in the sanctuary. Museum exhibits as well. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II on May 4, 1997.

Noted Reggians

:"For more information, see "
*Pythagoras (5th century), sculptor
*Ibycus (6th century), poet
*Gaetano Catanoso (1879 – 1963), saint, priest
*Umberto Boccioni (1882 – 1916), painter, sculptor
*Goffredo Zehender (1901 – 1958), Grand Prix driver
*Gianni Versace (1946 – 1997), fashion designer
*Donatella Versace (1955 – ), fashion designer

See also

* University of Reggio Calabria
* List of mayors of Reggio Calabria
* Reggio Calabria Airport
* Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Reggio Calabria-Bova
* Saint Francis of Paola

References

External links

* [http://www.circolocalabrese.org Calabria's History, Culture, Language and Genealogy]
* [http://turismo.reggiocal.it Tourist Web Official Site of Reggio Calabria]
* [http://www.reggiocal.it Official Web Site of Reggio Calabria]
* [http://www.unirc.it/english The City of Reggio Calabria]
* [http://turismo.provincia.rc.it Province of Reggio Calabria]
* [http://www.calabrialiving.com/ Living in Calabria - A Guide 2008]