Catanzaro

Catanzaro (Catanzaru in the Catanzarese dialect, Καταστάριον, transliterated into Katastárion in Greek, Catacium in Latin) is an Italian town of 86 767 inhabitants, capital of the province of the same name and of the Calabria region. It is the second largest municipality in the region by population.

Historical capital of the ancient province of Calabria Ultra for over 200 years, the city is the seat of the "Magna Græcia" University, the second Calabrian university for number of students.

Catanzaro was formerly known as the City of the three "Vs", referring to three distinctive characteristics of the city, namely:
V of San Vitaliano, patron saint;
V of wind as it is constantly beaten by strong breezes from the Ionian Sea and the Sila;
V of velvet as an important silk center since the time of the Byzantines ("V V V" was the acronym with which velvets, damasks and brocades from the city were identified on national and foreign markets).

 

Monuments and places of interest

Religious architecture

Around sixty churches are located in the municipal area of Catanzaro, of which 34 are parish churches. As many as 16 are located within the confines of the old city. The main ones are the Metropolitan Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception and the Church of the Santissimo Rosario.

The city's Cathedral stands on the site of the first cathedral, built in 1121 in the Norman era and dedicated to Santa Maria Assunta and the Apostles Peter and Paul. The church was heavily remodeled in 1511 with a Renaissance façade, which collapsed due to the earthquake of 1638. Damaged by bombings in August 1943, which particularly caused the collapse of the left transept and the damage to the bell tower, it was completely distorted in post-war. The post-war reconstruction works ended in 1960.

The Basilica of the Immaculate Conception is a place rich in spirituality and extremely important for citizens, so much so that it is often considered the main place of worship in the city. It is dedicated to the patron saint of the city of the three hills; it was initially built as a church dedicated to the Trinity in 1254. Remodeled between 1750 and 1763 with the addition of the side naves and the dome. Between 1783 and 1833 it carried out the functions of a cathedral, the cathedral having been damaged by the earthquake. The facade was rebuilt in 1913 and the bell tower was also remodeled. It has three naves with noble chapels and transept. In September 1954 Pope Pius XII elevated it to the dignity of a minor basilica, while in 1998 it was given the title of Diocesan Marian Sanctuary.

The church of the Santissimo Rosario stands behind the cathedral and has a Renaissance façade and a single nave interior, covered by a barrel vault with lunettes, with a transept and four chapels on each side; at the intersection between the nave and the transept there is a dome without a tambour. The construction dates back to the 15th or 16th century, with numerous renovations due to damage from the earthquakes of 1638, 1783 and 1832, after which it remained closed until 1891. The 17th century Congregation with wooden carvings and stuccos is annexed.

The oldest existing place of worship in the city is traditionally recognized as the church of Sant'Omobono, probably built between the 11th and 12th centuries, which may have been built on the remains of an ancient temple of the sun. However, the first structure of the Sanctuary of Santa Maria del Mezzogiorno dates back to the 9th century.

 

Civil architecture

The main civil architecture of the city is located within the perimeter of the historic centre. In this sense, the architectural heritage of Catanzaro is made up of numerous stately buildings, whose past is mainly attributable to local noble families, who favored their construction for private residential purposes, and from which they take their name: among these, Palazzo Doria, Palazzo Ferrari-De Riso, Palazzo Anania, Palazzo Rocca-Grimaldi, Palazzo Gironda-Veraldi.[49] The convent of the Minimi Fathers of San Francesco di Paola was once located in Palazzo Ruggero-Raffaelli.

Most are located in the ancient districts of the historic center, others are located along Corso Mazzini and are characterized by their lavishly frescoed halls, the decorative details that adorn the various rooms and the large central courtyards. Some, such as Palazzo Menichini, still suffer from the damage caused by the bombings that hit the city during the Second World War, in 1943. Others, however, are considered true symbols of Catanzaro, such as Palazzo Fazzari, one of the greatest examples of eclectic architecture in Calabria .

In addition to the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, the façades of three important buildings overlook the area of Piazza Prefettura; the historic municipal theater once stood there, demolished in 1938, on whose soil the post office building would later be built, on whose walls a mural by local artist Mimmo Rotella is set, representative of the macrocosm of telecommunications. Also overlooking it are the Glass Palace, seat of the province, built in the sixties based on a design by the architect Saul Greco, and the building which among these can include a greater historical tradition and greater architectural value: the Prefecture Palace, former headquarters of the provincial administration offices.

The institutional representative buildings of the city are: Palazzo De Nobili, located in the south-east area of the historic center, seat of the municipal administration since 1863, Palazzo Grimaldi-Montuori, seat of the chamber of commerce, which overlooks Corso Mazzini, and Palazzo degli Itali, a modern architectural complex that hosts the works of the Regional Council of Calabria (located in the Germaneto district, on the western outskirts of the city) starting from 2016, when the offices were moved from the former headquarters, Palazzo Alemanni, located in the ancient area of city.

 

Military architecture

«Robert [Guiscard] entered victorious in the year 1055 - he had himself sworn in homage and knowing that the dominion of Calabria absolutely depended on securing this square, both for being in a naturally impregnable site and for being located in the center of the Province, for where help can easily be passed on to other places in times of war, he founded a very strong castle at that end of the city, on a rock mass cut out from the outside, with towers and bastions so well designed that his fortress natural relatives, made him confident in drumming and climbing..."
(Vincenzo D'Amato, Historic Memoirs of the illustrious, famous and faithful city of Catanzaro, 1670)

Since its foundation the city was built with specific defensive purposes, capable of withstanding long sieges. It was a fortress city equipped with towers, bastions, civic gates and enclosed in a wall of approximately 7 km. The defensive system was complex, the city was defended by its own position, surrounded by deep and steep valleys and furthermore near the walls there were fortified ditches and trenches. In reality the defensive structure began from the coast, in fact on the hills that flank the valley where today the Sala, Santa Maria and Lido districts are located, a succession of watchtowers were built up to the coast, one of which is still visible on the hills of the Aranceto district. There were 6 access doors:
Porta Marina (or Granara), certainly the main gate because it allowed access from the coast and was used for the wheat trade, according to D'Amato here were positioned 4 guard towers, three bastions with cannons and not far away the Baluardo dei Palm groves;
Porta di San Giovanni (or Castellana or Montanara), located near the current Piazza Matteotti, adjacent to this gate there was a deep moat, called the ravellino ditch, which could be crossed via a drawbridge;
Porta Pratica (or Pratica or di San Leonardo), allowed access from the West to the Paradiso district, today the Case Arse district; next to it, to defend the gate, was the Bastion of San Nicola Caracitano;
Porta Stratò, located in the district of the same name to the east of the historic centre, was a closed arched civic gate hidden by the small church of Santa Maria della Portella, which carried out the dual functions of a place of worship and a lookout post, as in In case of danger, the bell was rung to warn the population that the doors were closed. The path that goes up from the Musofalo valley and reaches the small church is still visible. The name "Stratò" itself derives from the Greek toponym which means occult, hidden;
Porta del Gallinaio, was a secondary civic gate, used for access by livestock;
Porta Silana, also a secondary civic gate, used for the passage of livestock, allowed access to the city from the Sila plateau behind.

In a raised position compared to the rest of the ancient city, the Norman or Altavilla Castle was built on the Castle Hill, today the San Giovanni monumental complex, under which long underground tunnels were built, which can still be visited today.

 

Other

Monuments

The main monuments of the city are:
Cavatore: work of the sculptor Giuseppe Rito, it is an imposing bronze statue placed on a fountain, set in the walls of the Monumental Complex of San Giovanni, at the gates of the historic centre. It was built in the first half of the 1950s and represents, through the image of a man in the act of scratching the underlying rock with a pickaxe, the industriousness, strength and tenacity of the people of Catanzaro. It is fully considered one of the major symbols of the city.
Monument to the fallen of the Great War: located in Piazza Matteotti, it is the work of the Calabrian sculptor Michele Guerrisi. It consists of a bronze sculptural group, inaugurated in 1933 but partially damaged by the bombings that the historic center of the city suffered in 1943. The female figure with her head bowed which was part of the work has been lost over time.
Monument to the Assumption: also the work of Giuseppe Rito, it is a bronze statue placed on the pinnacle of the Cathedral, a position that makes it identifiable from every area of the city, making it the highest point in the historic centre. It was commissioned and built after the Second World War.
Santa Caterina Fountain: located in Piazza Cavour, in front of the Police Headquarters, where the Church of Santa Caterina once stood. It is a work dating back to the end of the 19th century, composed of three basins of different sizes placed on various levels on which the main feature stands out, a statue most likely depicting a nymph.
Monument to Francesco Stocco: the statue depicts the Catanzaro Garibaldi general Francesco Stocco. Although its original location was in Piazza Indipendenza (now Matteotti), it is now located in the square of the same name. It is composed of a marble body resting on a neoclassical style base. Work by Francesco Scerbo, it was created in 1898.
Justice and Freedom: a further contribution by Giuseppe Rito in favor of the city, it is a bronze sculptural group depicting the two goddesses representing the virtues to which the work is dedicated. It was commissioned following the fall of the fascist regime in Italy and is located in the atrium of the Court of Appeal building.
Madonna and Child: marble work located in the portico of the Cathedral, dating back to 1591.

 

Streets and squares

Corso Mazzini: it is the main road axis of the historic city center and certainly the most important street from a historical and architectural point of view. It was created starting in 1870 as part of the implementation of the interventions contained in the Manfredi plan, the city's master plan which provided for the reorganization of some key points of the historic center. Its "opening" was favored by the demolition of some buildings and the cutting of the façade of others. On this occasion, some buildings of particular architectural value were also built which still embellish the walk today.
Piazza Matteotti: is the gateway to the historic center, constituting the main entrance. It is the main living room in the city. Although the open space was formed over time through the construction of the buildings that form its perimeter, the square as it is understood today was built in the early nineties. The Cavatore and important civil architecture such as the Court of Appeal building, the ITIS "E. Scalfaro" and the Ex Stac building overlook it.
Prefecture Square: it is the main square of the historic center. Some important architecture overlooks it: the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, the Prefecture building, the Glass Palace (headquarters of the provincial administration) and the post office building.
Bellavista Balcony: border point of the historic center, it is a panoramic point consisting of a balcony overlooking the southern area of the city and allowing a complete view to the sea. Traditionally recognized as one of the most evocative points of the city, in the 17th century it was a stop on the trips to Europe of British aristocrats and artists.

 

Bridges

Catanzaro is defined as the "city of bridges" due to the numerous viaducts that connect the central and northern districts of the town. Among these, those characterized by greater architectural value and historical relevance are:

Bisantis Bridge: also called Morandi. Considered the symbol of the city, it is an arched bridge designed by Riccardo Morandi. A remarkable work of art and of great architectural importance, for years, after its construction between 1959 and 1962, it was the second single arch bridge in reinforced concrete in Europe and in the world in terms of span.
Ponte di Siano: connects the city center to the neighborhood of the same name. It was built between 1928 and the early 1930s and is characterized by a single arch structure. Precisely because of this peculiarity, it is considered a precursor of the Morandi Bridge.

 

Archaeological sites

During the works for the construction of the foundations of the Citadel of the Calabria region, in the Germaneto district, important archaeological finds dating back to the Greek and Roman periods were found, which testify to the presence of villages scattered along the entire Corace valley apartments in the northern part of the ancient Scolacium. The origin of the Calabrian capital is rooted precisely in the history of the ancient city of "Minerva Scolacium".

The archaeological park of Scolacium is located in the hamlet of Roccelletta, in the municipality of Borgia, a location however completely conurbed with the seaside district of the municipality of Catanzaro. Finds were also recovered in the Santa Maria district of Catanzaro. Of the pre-Roman town, part of the paved streets, the aqueducts, the mausoleums, other sepulchral structures, the basilica, a thermal plant but above all the theatre, which rests naturally on the slope of a hill, remain.

The archaeological park is also the scene of important events, such as "Intersezioni", a contemporary art exhibition that took place until the early 2010s and involved internationally renowned artists, and the music, dance and theater festival "Armonie d'arte festival".

 

Natural areas

Catanzaro, according to the "Urban Ecosystem" survey by Legambiente and Ambiente Italia in 2018, occupies the twenty-first position in Italy out of 107 provincial capitals in terms of urban greenery, with 52.90 m² of greenery per inhabitant.

The Mediterranean Biodiversity Park is the main green lung of the city, located in the northern area. Inaugurated in 2004, it has a total area of 13 hectares. It hosts sports and recreational facilities, services and the Wild Animal Recovery Center (CRAS). It is also an important cultural hub, hosting the Catanzaro Brigade Military Historical Museum and the International Sculpture Park. Accompanying the park is the Valle dei Mulini, a large nature trail of 48 hectares. The Biodiversity Park, in a 2019 report, was listed among the ten most beautiful artistic parks in Italy by the newspaper La Repubblica.

Villa Margherita, also known as Villa Trieste, is the historic garden and municipal villa of the city, located in the historic center. It was built starting in 1878 and inaugurated by King Umberto I in 1881, on which occasion it was dedicated to his wife, Queen Margherita of Savoy. Inside it houses the marble busts of some of the main mayors of the city, the provincial archaeological numismatic museum and the Filippo De Nobili municipal library.

The Giovino pine forest stands on the Catanzaro coastal coast, near the Lido district. It is a large green lung, equipped for outdoor sports, which takes the name of "Giovino coastal park", which runs along the seafront of the town of the same name. In the area not subject to urbanization processes, there is the naturalistic oasis of the Giovino dunes, a large area with a surface area of 12 hectares in which rare plants find the ideal habitat for development.

Parco Gaslini is the main urban park in the Lido district. It was inaugurated in 2017 and is the result of the reclamation and redevelopment of an abandoned industrial area, from which it takes its name.

The "Li Comuni" forest, also known as the Siano pine forest, is a 700 hectare natural oasis located in the woods of the homonymous district of the city. Inside it hosts an important variety of fauna and flora, typical of the Mediterranean scrub. Inside the park there are also numerous sports and hiking routes.

 

Territory

Catanzaro overlooks the Gulf of Squillace, in the Ionian Sea, where according to some scholars was the port of the kingdom of the Phaeacians, in which, as Homer recounts in the Odyssey, Ulysses was welcomed and told his story.

It is known as the "City between two seas", as it is located in the isthmus of Catanzaro, which is the narrowest strip of land in Italy, where only 30 km separate the Ionian Sea from the Tyrrhenian Sea. This allows you to see at the same time, from the northern districts of the city on some particularly clear days, the two seas and the Aeolian islands. It is also known as the City of the three hills corresponding to the three hills represented in the civic coat of arms which are the hill of San Trifone (today San Rocco), the hill of the Vescovato (today Piazza Duomo) and the hill of the Castle (today San Giovanni).

The municipal territory extends from the sea to a height of 668 meters. The municipal house stands at 320 m. It includes a coastal area on the Ionian Sea that is home to 8 km of beach and a marina; from here the inhabited center goes up the Fiumarella valley (formerly called the Zaro river), site of a strong urban development, up to the three hills: of the Vescovato, of San Trifone (or of San Rocco) and of San Giovanni (or of the Castle ) on which stands the historic center of the city and which reconnect with the Sila towards the north. Due to its particular orography, the municipal area is bathed by the sea, but subject to snow in winter.

Seismic classification: zone 2 (medium seismicity), PCM Ordinance n. 3274 of 20/03/2003

 

Hydrography

The main waterways are the Fiumarella stream (in the local dialect Hjiumareddha, formerly called Zaro), into which the Musofalo stream flows, the Corace stream (formerly called Crotalo), the largest in terms of water flow and which delimits the municipal boundary to the south, and the Alli stream, which delimits the municipal boundary to the north. By their nature, the waterways are torrential and have a low flow rate in most of the year, while they swell after the rains.

 

Climate

“Finding a true friend is so rare
like a windless day in Catanzaro. "
(ancient proverb Catanzaro)

The climate of Catanzaro is typically Mediterranean, characterized by the constant presence of windy phenomena, even of strong intensity in the spring and autumn months.

On the basis of the thirty-year reference average 1961-1990, the average temperature of the coldest month, January, is +8.9 ° C; that of the hottest month, August, is +24.5 ° C.

The climate, as mentioned, is marked by the presence of the wind, constant and also of strong intensity, especially in the spring and autumn months. The average annual intensity is about 4 knots with peaks reaching an average of 6 knots in the months of April and May characterized by strong sirocco and libeccio winds.

Average annual rainfall is around 1,000 mm and is distributed on average over 87 days, with a prolonged summer minimum and a peak between autumn and winter.