Download Calabria

Calabria, formerly known as
Bruttium or later as Italia, is a
region in southern Italy, forming
the "toe" of the Italian Peninsula .
The capital city of Calabria is
Catanzaro.
The most populated city and the
seat of the Calabrian Regional
Council, however, is Reggio di
Calabria.
It is bordered to the north by the
region of Basilicata, to the west
by the Tyrrhenian sea, and to
the east by the Ionian Sea. The
region covers 15,080 km2
(5,822 sq mi) and has a
population of just over 2 million.
The cuisine is a typical southern Italian
Mediterranean cuisine with a balance between
meat-based dishes (pork, lamb, goat),
vegetables (especially eggplant), and fish. Pasta
(as in Central Italy and the rest of Southern
Italy) is also very important. In contrast to
most other Italian regions, the Calabrians have
traditionally placed an emphasis on the
preservation of their food.
Some local specialties include Caciocavallo Cheese, Cipolla rossa di Tropea
(red onion), Frìttuli and Curcùci (fried pork), Liquorice (liquirizia), Lagane e
Cicciari (ceci) (a pasta dish with chickpeas), Pecorino Crotonese (Cheese of
Sheep), and Pignolata.
Calabrian Tarantella is a generic term to include different musicaldancing expressions spread in Calabria peninsula and different from
other southern Italian dances called simply Tarantella. It is played
and danced during religious festivals and other social occasions. In
recent times the tradition has been revived as new groups are taking
an interest in instruments which had been falling into obscurity; they
played "ad usu anticu" (in the old/traditional way) or they modernised
the sound adding a Bass line or new sounds.
Reggio has commonly used
popular nicknames: The "city
of Bronzes", for the Riace
bronzes which are
testimonials of its Greek
origins; the "city of
bergamot", which is
exclusively cultivated in the
region; and the "city of
Fatamorgana", an optical
phenomenon visible in Italy
only from the Reggio
seaside.
Crotone is a city and comune in
Calabria, on the Ionian Sea.
Founded c. 710 BC as the Achaean
colony of Croton it was known as
Cotrone from the Middle Ages
until 1928, when its name was
changed to the current one. In
1994 it became the capital of the
newly established Province of
Crotone. As of July 2007, its
population was 61,032.
The 16th-century Castle of
Charles V houses the
Town Museum, with
findings excavated in the
ancient site of Kroton.
Notable are also the
remnants of the walls, of
the same century, and of
various watchtowers.
Vibo Valentia is a city and
comune (municipality) in the
Calabria region of southern
Italy, near the Tyrrhenian Sea.
It is the capital of the province
of Vibo Valentia, and is an
agricultural, commercial and
tourist center (the most
famous places nearby are
Tropea, Ricadi and Pizzo).
There are also several large
manufacturing industries,
including the tuna district of
Maierato. Very important for
the local economy is Vibo
Marina's harbour.
Norman-Hoehenstaufen
Castle, located most likely on
the site of Hipponion acropolis,
and built around 1000. For its
construction materials from the
Greek temples nearby were
used. It was damaged by an
earthquake in 1783. Today the
castle is home to a state
museum.
Cosenza is a city in the Calabria
region of southern Italy. The
city has a population of around
70,000. The urban area ,
however, counts over 260,000
inhabitants. It is the capital of
the homonymous Province of
Cosenza, which has a population
of around 733,000.
The Castello Svevo ("Swabian"
or Hohenstaufen Castle) was
originally built by the Saracens
on the ruins of the ancient
Rocca Brutia, around the year
1000
Catanzaro also known as the city of
the two seas, is the capital of the
Calabria region and of its province.
The archbishop's seat was the
capital of the province of Calabria
Ultra for over 200 years. It houses
the University "Magna Græcia", the
second largest University of
Calabria.
Catanzaro Bridge, a wellknown, one-arch bridge
(Viaduct Morandi-Bisantis)one of the tallest in Europe.
Tropea is a municipality located
within the province of Vibo
Valentia.
The town is a famous bathing place,
situated on a reef, in the gulf of St.
Euphemia connected with the
mainland by a narrow strip in the
Tyrrhenian Sea, toward the south of
Vibo Valentia and northward of
Ricadi and Capo Vaticano.
Many villages around Tropea produce a
particular quality of red onion. In Italy
these onions are so famous that cipolla di
Tropea ("Tropea onion" or "Tropea's
onion") has become an Italian synonym for
all red onions.
One of the gelaterias in town even makes
a red onion ice cream (as well as others
based on squid ink and nduja, the local
spicy salami).
Pizzo, also called Pizzo Calabro, is
a seaport and comune in the
province of Vibo Valentia), situated
on a steep cliff overlooking the
Gulf of Santa Eufemia.
Fishing is one of the main
activities.
Pizzo is famous in the
area for its Tartufo, a
large ball of ice cream
filled with molten
chocolate.
Bergamot is a
fragrant fruit the
size of an orange,
with a yellow
colour similar to a
lemon.
Calabria is the world's largest producer of bergamot. 90% of
the total production comes, in fact, from this region. The
essential oils of bergamot, by virtue of their extraordinary
fragrance, are employed in the industrial production of
perfumes, sweets and liqueurs.
The Varia di Palmi is a catholic festival that takes place on the last Sunday of
August,in Palmi,Italy in honor of the city’s patron saint and protector,theVirgin
Mary,know as Our Lady of the Sacred Letter.
The Varia Palmi is officially Intangible Cultural Heritage of
Humanity: the first well in the Calabria region that has ever
achieved this recognition by UNESCO.
The inclusion of the Varia in the Representative List of the United
Nations was enshrined during the eighth session of the
Intergovernmental Committee underway in Baku (Azerbaijan).
The Varia is a huge holy wagon that represents the Universe and the Assumption
of the Virgin Mary. Above the sacred chariot, 200 "mbuttaturi" (carriers) carry 16meter tall human figures: "Animella" (child representing the Virgin Mary) and
human figures representing "Padreterno" God, the apostles, and angels.
In addition to the UNESCO recognition, the event is cataloged as
"intangible heritage" of the regions of Italy by the Central Institute
for Demoetnoantropologia and is organized by the City of Palms,
under the patronage of the Province of Reggio Calabria, Calabria
region and of religious institutions.