Caulonia
Encyclopedia
Caulonia is a comune
(municipality) in the Province of Reggio Calabria
in the Italian
region Calabria
, located about 60 km southwest of Catanzaro and about 120 km northeast of Reggio Calabria
in the Stilaro Valley.
colonists as part of the Magna Graecia
. For a time ruled by nearby Crotone
, Caulonia became an independent city-state, minting its own coins. According to Thucydides
, during the Peloponnesian War
(431-404 BC) Caulonians supplied Athens with timber for ships. The store of timber at Caulonia was attacked and burned by forces from Syracuse. Beginning in 389 BC., Caulonia was conquered and ruled by various groups.
In 200 BC the town was completely destroyed by the Romans
, when it sided with Hannibal during the Punic Wars
. It was probably around this time that the ancient site of Caulonia, directly on the Ionian coast, was abandoned in favor of a more protected site inland. The next mention of the city dates to 200 years later, this time by the historian Strabo
, who wrote of Caulonia as "situated before a valley."
The town was ruled by various lords during the Middle Ages. The Carafa
family, from the Neapolitan nobility, was granted the town by King Ferdinand II of Aragon
at the end of the fifteenth century.
Caulonia was known as Castelvetere until 1862, when the town regained the name Caulonia, following Calabria's integration with Italy during the Italian unification
.
During the early 20th century, thousands of Cauloniesi migrated abroad. The first waves of migrants went to the United States. Changes in U.S. immigration law in the 1920s, in part to reduce the number of southern European immigrants, caused Cauloniesi migration to shift to other venues, especially Australia, Canada, and Argentina, in the latter waves of twentieth century migration.
For five days in March 1945, with the fascist regime of Benito Mussolini
overthrown, "Red Republic of Caulonia" led by an elementary school teacher named Pasquale Cavallaro, was proclaimed in Caulonia. A communist, Cavallaro had been elected mayor of Caulonia in 1944. The short-lived republic was the product of a peasants' revolt against abusive landowners. Cavallaro resigned his mayorship to lead the revolt. When the uprising was ultimately crushed, which required a military operation involving both Allied and carabinieri units, 350 Red Cauloniesi were put on trial in nearby Locri
for sedition. Most were ultimately pardoned, but Cavallaro himself served eight years in prison.
Major floods hit Caulonia and its surrounding hamlets in 1951 and 1953. These floods, combined with ongoing emigration, caused significant declines in Caulonia's population, with the comune's center of economic activity now on the coast at the frazione of Marina di Caulonia. Many of the homes in Caulonia Superiore are vacant, though some of these abandoned buildings are occupied by squatting artists.
music and tarantella dancing workshops.
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
(municipality) in the Province of Reggio Calabria
Province of Reggio Calabria
The Province of Reggio Calabria is a province in the Calabria region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Reggio., it has an area of 3,183 km², and a total population of 565,866. There are 97 comuni in the province, see Comuni of the Province of Reggio Calabria.- Economy :The region is...
in the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
region Calabria
Calabria
Calabria , in antiquity known as Bruttium, is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of the Italian Peninsula. The capital city of Calabria is Catanzaro....
, located about 60 km southwest of Catanzaro and about 120 km northeast of Reggio Calabria
Reggio Calabria
Reggio di Calabria , commonly known as Reggio Calabria or Reggio, is the biggest city and the most populated comune of Calabria, southern Italy, and is the capital of the Province of Reggio Calabria and seat of the Council of Calabrian government.Reggio is located on the "toe" of the Italian...
in the Stilaro Valley.
History
Caulonia was founded between the 7th and 8th centuries BC by Greek AchaeanAchaeans (tribe)
The Achaeans were one of the four major tribes into which the people of Classical Greece divided themselves. According to the foundation myth formalized by Hesiod, their name comes from Achaeus, the mythical founder of the Achaean tribe, who was supposedly one of the sons of Xuthus, and brother of...
colonists as part of the Magna Graecia
Magna Graecia
Magna Græcia is the name of the coastal areas of Southern Italy on the Tarentine Gulf that were extensively colonized by Greek settlers; particularly the Achaean colonies of Tarentum, Crotone, and Sybaris, but also, more loosely, the cities of Cumae and Neapolis to the north...
. For a time ruled by nearby Crotone
Crotone
Crotone is a city and comune in Calabria, southern Italy, on the Ionian Sea. Founded circa 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...
, Caulonia became an independent city-state, minting its own coins. According to Thucydides
Thucydides
Thucydides was a Greek historian and author from Alimos. His History of the Peloponnesian War recounts the 5th century BC war between Sparta and Athens to the year 411 BC...
, during the Peloponnesian War
Peloponnesian War
The Peloponnesian War, 431 to 404 BC, was an ancient Greek war fought by Athens and its empire against the Peloponnesian League led by Sparta. Historians have traditionally divided the war into three phases...
(431-404 BC) Caulonians supplied Athens with timber for ships. The store of timber at Caulonia was attacked and burned by forces from Syracuse. Beginning in 389 BC., Caulonia was conquered and ruled by various groups.
In 200 BC the town was completely destroyed by the Romans
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
, when it sided with Hannibal during the Punic Wars
Punic Wars
The Punic Wars were a series of three wars fought between Rome and Carthage from 264 B.C.E. to 146 B.C.E. At the time, they were probably the largest wars that had ever taken place...
. It was probably around this time that the ancient site of Caulonia, directly on the Ionian coast, was abandoned in favor of a more protected site inland. The next mention of the city dates to 200 years later, this time by the historian Strabo
Strabo
Strabo, also written Strabon was a Greek historian, geographer and philosopher.-Life:Strabo was born to an affluent family from Amaseia in Pontus , a city which he said was situated the approximate equivalent of 75 km from the Black Sea...
, who wrote of Caulonia as "situated before a valley."
The town was ruled by various lords during the Middle Ages. The Carafa
Carafa
Carafa is the name of a noble Neapolitan family of Italian nobles, clergy, and men of arts.* Cardinal Oliviero Carafa, , uncle of Paul IV...
family, from the Neapolitan nobility, was granted the town by King Ferdinand II of Aragon
Ferdinand II of Aragon
Ferdinand the Catholic was King of Aragon , Sicily , Naples , Valencia, Sardinia, and Navarre, Count of Barcelona, jure uxoris King of Castile and then regent of that country also from 1508 to his death, in the name of...
at the end of the fifteenth century.
Caulonia was known as Castelvetere until 1862, when the town regained the name Caulonia, following Calabria's integration with Italy during the Italian unification
Italian unification
Italian unification was the political and social movement that agglomerated different states of the Italian peninsula into the single state of Italy in the 19th century...
.
During the early 20th century, thousands of Cauloniesi migrated abroad. The first waves of migrants went to the United States. Changes in U.S. immigration law in the 1920s, in part to reduce the number of southern European immigrants, caused Cauloniesi migration to shift to other venues, especially Australia, Canada, and Argentina, in the latter waves of twentieth century migration.
For five days in March 1945, with the fascist regime of Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
overthrown, "Red Republic of Caulonia" led by an elementary school teacher named Pasquale Cavallaro, was proclaimed in Caulonia. A communist, Cavallaro had been elected mayor of Caulonia in 1944. The short-lived republic was the product of a peasants' revolt against abusive landowners. Cavallaro resigned his mayorship to lead the revolt. When the uprising was ultimately crushed, which required a military operation involving both Allied and carabinieri units, 350 Red Cauloniesi were put on trial in nearby Locri
Locri
Locri is a town and comune in the province of Reggio Calabria, Calabria, southern Italy. The name derives from the ancient Greek town Locris.-History:...
for sedition. Most were ultimately pardoned, but Cavallaro himself served eight years in prison.
Major floods hit Caulonia and its surrounding hamlets in 1951 and 1953. These floods, combined with ongoing emigration, caused significant declines in Caulonia's population, with the comune's center of economic activity now on the coast at the frazione of Marina di Caulonia. Many of the homes in Caulonia Superiore are vacant, though some of these abandoned buildings are occupied by squatting artists.
Festivals
Festivals in Caulonia Superiore attract thousands, especially the annual Tarantella Power festival in late August, which features live tarantellaTarantella
The term tarantella groups a number of different southern Italian couple folk dances characterized by a fast upbeat tempo, usually in 6/8 time , accompanied by tambourines. It is among the most recognized of traditional Italian music. The specific dance name varies with every region, for instance...
music and tarantella dancing workshops.
See also
- Vallata dello Stilaro AllaroVallata dello Stilaro AllaroThe Vallata dello Stilaro Allaro is a valley in the Province of Reggio Calabria, southern Italy. It takes its name from the two rivers that flow in the area, the Stilaro and the Allaro....
- Ecomuseo delle ferriere e fonderie di CalabriaEcomuseo delle ferriere e fonderie di CalabriaThe Ecomuseo delle ferriere e fonderie di Calabria is an ecomuseum in Bivongi, Calabria, southern Italy....
External links
- Official website
- Caulonia 2000
- YouTube Video of Tarantella Power Festival in Caulonia
- Society of Saint Hilarion (Cauloniese Migrants to Australia)
- Family History Site of a Cauloniese Immigrant Family to U.S.