Calabria
A region in southern Italy, Calabria occupies the "toe" of the Italian peninsula south of Naples. It is bounded in the north by the region of Basilicata, to the west by the Tyrrhenian Sea, and to the east by the Ionian Sea. Calabria faces the island of Sicily across the Strait of Messina. The region covers 15,080 km² and has a population of 2.05 million.
The regional capital is Catanzaro. The region is divided into five provinces: Catanzaro, Cosenza, Crotone, Reggio de Calabria and Vibo Valentia.
Calabria was a major centre of Ancient Greek civilisation before the rise of the Roman Empire. It was home to Pythagoras and its most famous Greek sculptures are the Bronzi di Riace now in Reggio Calabria. Calabria was for many years part of the Roman Empire and after its fall came under the rule of the Byzantine Empire and the the Normans. These last formed the Kingdom of Naples which in one form or other ruled Calabria until the unification of Italy. This kingdom itself came under many rulers: the Hapsburg dynasties of both Spain and Austria; the french Bourbon dynasty, and briefly Napoleon's general Murat. Throughout all this Calabria remained a poor and exploited region. The Aspromonte, a mountainous region of central Calabria, was the scene of a famous battle of the Risorgimento (unification of Italy) in which Garibaldi was wounded.
Organized crime used to be quite strong in Calabria for many decades, but seems to be waning.
The seawater around Calabria is very clear, and there is a good level of tourist accommodation. The poet Gabriele d'Annunzio called the seafront at Reggio "The most beautiful kilometer in Italy".
Important tourist sites
- Tropea, on the Tyrrhenian Sea coast, is a beautiful city, with a nice seaside.
- Siderno, on the Ionian Sea coast, has good hotels.
| Regions of Italy | |
|---|---|
| Regular Regions | |
| Abruzzo | Basilicata | Calabria | Campania | Emilia-Romagna | Lazio (Latium) | Liguria | Lombardia (Lombardy) | Marche | Molise | Piemonte (Piedmont) | Puglia (Apulia) | Toscana (Tuscany) | Umbria | Veneto | | |
| Regions with special autonomous status | |
| Friuli-Venezia Giulia | Sardegna (Sardinia) | Sicilia (Sicily) | Trentino-Alto Adige (Trentino-South Tyrol) | Valle d'Aosta (Aosta Valley) | |