Pentedattilo
Encyclopedia
Pentedattilo is a ghost town
in Calabria
, southern Italy
, administratively a frazione
of Melito di Porto Salvo
. Until 1811, before the unification of Italy, it was a separate commune. It is situated at 250 m above the sea level, on the Monte Calvario, a mountain whose shapes once resembled that of five fingers (whence the name, from the Greek
penta + daktylos , meaning "five fingers").
, in 640 BC. A flourishing commercial town during the Greater Greece and Roman
eras, it declined during the Byzantine
domination, when it was sacked by the Saracens and by others.
In the 12th century it was conquered by the Normans, and, together with Capo D'Armi, Condofuri
and Montebello Ionico
, it became part of a baronal fief under the Abenavoli family. These were succeeded by the Francoperta, from Reggio Calabria
, and then by the Alberti (until 1760), the Clement and the Ramirez (1823).
The town was severely damaged by an earthquake in 1783, which caused the migration of much of the population to the nearby Melito Porto Salvo. The town remained totally unhinabited from the mid-1960 to the 1980s, when it was partially restored and repopulated by volunteers from across Europe.
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
in 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....
, southern Italy
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...
, administratively a frazione
Frazione
A frazione , in Italy, is the name given in administrative law to a type of territorial subdivision of a comune; for other administrative divisions, see municipio, circoscrizione, quartiere...
of Melito di Porto Salvo
Melito di Porto Salvo
Melito di Porto Salvo is a comune in the Province of Reggio Calabria in the Italian region Calabria, located about 130 km southwest of Catanzaro and about 25 km southeast of Reggio Calabria; and is also the country's southernmost city...
. Until 1811, before the unification of Italy, it was a separate commune. It is situated at 250 m above the sea level, on the Monte Calvario, a mountain whose shapes once resembled that of five fingers (whence the name, from the Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
penta + daktylos , meaning "five fingers").
History
The town was founded as a colony of the Greek city of ChalcisChalcis
Chalcis or Chalkida , the chief town of the island of Euboea in Greece, is situated on the strait of the Evripos at its narrowest point. The name is preserved from antiquity and is derived from the Greek χαλκός , though there is no trace of any mines in the area...
, in 640 BC. A flourishing commercial town during the Greater Greece and Roman
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....
eras, it declined during the Byzantine
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
domination, when it was sacked by the Saracens and by others.
In the 12th century it was conquered by the Normans, and, together with Capo D'Armi, Condofuri
Condofuri
Condofuri is a comune in the Province of Reggio Calabria in the Italian region Calabria, located about 120 km southwest of Catanzaro and about 38 km southeast of Reggio Calabria....
and Montebello Ionico
Montebello Ionico
Montebello Ionico is a comune in the Province of Reggio Calabria in the Italian region Calabria, located about 130 km southwest of Catanzaro and about 15 km southeast of Reggio Calabria....
, it became part of a baronal fief under the Abenavoli family. These were succeeded by the Francoperta, from 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...
, and then by the Alberti (until 1760), the Clement and the Ramirez (1823).
The town was severely damaged by an earthquake in 1783, which caused the migration of much of the population to the nearby Melito Porto Salvo. The town remained totally unhinabited from the mid-1960 to the 1980s, when it was partially restored and repopulated by volunteers from across Europe.
See also
- Aspromonte National ParkAspromonte National ParkAspromonte National Park is situated in the southern section of the Apennines, in Calabria, Italy.The park lies near the sea and includes mountain summits nearly reaching the 2,000 meters of height ....
- Greek-Calabrian dialectGreek-Calabrian dialectThe Calabrian dialect of Greek, or Greek-Bovesian, is the version of Italian Greek used by the ethnic Griko people in Calabria, as opposed to the Italian Greek dialect spoken in the Grecìa Salentina. Both are remnants of the ancient and Byzantine Greek colonisation of the region...