Oppido Mamertina ( el, label=
Calabrian Greek, script=Latn, Oppidù, ) is a town and ''
comune
The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...
'' of the
province of Reggio Calabria
The Province of Reggio Calabria ( it, Provincia di Reggio Calabria) was a province in the Calabria region of Italy. It was the southernmost province in mainland Italy and is separated from the island of Sicily by the Strait of Messina. The capita ...
in
Calabria in southern Italy at about northeast of
Reggio Calabria and about southwest of
Catanzaro
Catanzaro (, or ; scn, label= Catanzarese, Catanzaru ; , or , ''Katastaríoi Lokrói''; ; la, Catacium), also known as the "City of the two Seas", is an Italian city of 86,183 inhabitants (2020), the capital of the Calabria region and of its p ...
.
It is the seat of the
Diocese of Oppido Mamertina.
The municipality includes the following boroughs (''frazioni''): Castellace, Messignadi, Piminoro, and Tresilico.
History
The ancient history of the town is largely unknown, but archeological excavations in Mella might point its origins to the mythical
Mamerto (3rd century BC – 1st century AD).
[ The first mention of the town ('']Oppidum
An ''oppidum'' (plural ''oppida'') is a large fortified Iron Age settlement or town. ''Oppida'' are primarily associated with the Celtic late La Tène culture, emerging during the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, spread across Europe, stretchi ...
'' in Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
, meaning citadel
A citadel is the core fortified area of a town or city. It may be a castle, fortress, or fortified center. The term is a diminutive of "city", meaning "little city", because it is a smaller part of the city of which it is the defensive core.
I ...
) is 1040, during the Byzantine Era.[
The town is famous for its prolonged resistance before falling to Roger the Norman in 1056.][
On February 5, 1783, an ]earthquake
An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, fr ...
completely destroyed the town killing 1,198 people. The town was rebuilt near the neighbouring village Tresilico (incorporated in the municipality in 1927). Other earthquakes hit the town in 1894 and on December 28, 1908, which destroyed the neighbouring township Castellace.[
]
Economy
The economy is based on agriculture, in particular olive groves and the production of olive oil, as well citrus orchards in the plain. Forestry and sheep husbandry
Sheep farming or sheep husbandry is the raising and breeding of domestic sheep. It is a branch of animal husbandry. Sheep are raised principally for their meat (lamb and mutton), milk ( sheep's milk), and fiber (wool). They also yield sheepski ...
are also sources of income.[
]
Crime
The town is home to the 'Ndrangheta, a Mafia
"Mafia" is an informal term that is used to describe criminal organizations that bear a strong similarity to the original “Mafia”, the Sicilian Mafia and Italian Mafia. The central activity of such an organization would be the arbitration of d ...
-type criminal organization based in Calabria. Several powerful criminal clans originate from the town, such as the Mammoliti-Rugolo.[Woman of honour]
The Independent, February 25, 1996
The town achieved a sad notoriety in July 2014 when, two weeks after Pope Francis
Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...
, visiting Calabria, had publicly excommunicated the Mafia, a procession carrying a statue of the Madonna stopped to pay homage outside the house of a home confined local mafia leader.[ ]
Demographic evolution
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The population halved during the last century. Many inhabitants moved to the industrial centres in northern Italy or joined the Italian diaspora to escape the extreme poverty.
Notable people
* Salvatore Albano (1841-1893), sculptor
* Saverio Mammoliti (born 1942), 'Ndrangheta boss
* Candido Zerbi (1827–1889), politician and senator
* Alessio Viola
References
{{Authority control
Cities and towns in Calabria