Maida, Italy

Infobox CityIT
official_name = Comune di Maida
img_coa =
img_coa_small =


image_caption =
region = RegioneIT|sigla=CAL
province = #ifeq:CAL|VAO|none|ProvinciaIT (short form)|sigla=CZ (CZ)
mayor =
mayor_party =
elevation_footnotes =
elevation_m = 299
area_footnotes =
area_total_km2 = 58.2
population_footnotes =
population_as_of =
population_total = 4337
pop_density_footnotes =
population_density_km2 = 74,5
coordinates = coord|38|51|0|N|16|22|0|E|region:IT_type:city(4337)
gentilic = Maidesi
telephone = 0968
postalcode = 88025
frazioni = Vena di Maida
saint = San Francesco di Paola
day = 2 April
mapx = #expr:38 + 51 / 60.0
mapy = #expr:16 + 22 / 60.0
locator_position =
native_name = Maida
name = Maida
website = http://www.comune.maida.cz.it

Maida (San Pietro di Maida, _gr. Maede, Medeia) is a town and "comune" in the province of Catanzaro, in the Calabria region of southern Italy. The British routed the French in the Battle of Maida in 1806, as part of the War of the Third Coalition.

Geography

Maida is 16 km south of Lamezia Terme and 31 km west of the provincial capital Catanzaro.

History

On 4 July 1806 the British under John Stuart defeated the French under Jean Reynier outside the town. A London pub was named "The Hero of Maida", which in turn gave its name to adjoining districts of London, Maida Vale and Maida Hill. King Ferdinand IV of Naples and Sicily awarded Stuart the title of Count of Maida.

Famous citizens

Baldassarre Squitti, the teacher and politician, was born in Maida in 1855. The American writer Gay Talese wrote about his ancestors from Maida in 1992's "Unto the Sons".

Economy

The main economic activity in the area is agriculture, especially the cultivation of olive trees, citrus, and kiwifruit. In recent years, tourism has become a significant source of income for the town.

Notes and references

*Some of the content of this article comes from the Italian Wikipedia (retrieved 15 September 2007).

External links

* [http://www.saintfrancissocietyofambler.com/maida.htm Photos of Maida] at Saint Francis Society of Ambler (Pennsylvania, USA)