Ferruzzano is a ''
comune
A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...
'' (municipality) in the
Province of Reggio Calabria in the
Italian region of
Calabria
Calabria is a Regions of Italy, region in Southern Italy. It is a peninsula bordered by the region Basilicata to the north, the Ionian Sea to the east, the Strait of Messina to the southwest, which separates it from Sicily, and the Tyrrhenian S ...
, located about southwest of
Catanzaro and about east of
Reggio Calabria
Reggio di Calabria (; ), commonly and officially referred to as Reggio Calabria, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, is the List of cities in Italy, largest city in Calabria as well as the seat of the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria. As ...
. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 863 and an area of .
Ferruzzano borders the following municipalities:
Bianco,
Bruzzano Zeffirio,
Caraffa del Bianco,
Sant'Agata del Bianco. It is the home town of
Giuseppe Zangara, the man who tried to assassinate
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...
.
On 23 October 1907 a magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck
Calabria
Calabria is a Regions of Italy, region in Southern Italy. It is a peninsula bordered by the region Basilicata to the north, the Ionian Sea to the east, the Strait of Messina to the southwest, which separates it from Sicily, and the Tyrrhenian S ...
, at a depth of 33.0 km. The epicentral area included Ferruzzano, where many houses collapsed almost completely, and 158 persons, or 8% of its population, were killed.
Ferruzano had been hit as well in the
1905 Calabria earthquake.
[Calabria the Home of the Earthquake]
The New York Times, November 24, 1907 Several aftershocks followed: on 17 November 1907 Ferruzzano was hit by an earthquake again,
[Calabria Shaken Again]
The New York Times, November 19, 1907 as well as on 23 January 1908.
[Earthquake In Calabria]
The New York Times, January 24, 1908 New houses built after the earthquakes of 1905 and 1907 resisted the shocks of the
1908 Messina earthquake
A devastating earthquake occurred on 28 December 1908 in Sicily and Calabria, southern Italy with a moment magnitude of 7.1 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (''Extreme''). The epicentre was in the Strait of Messina which separates Sicily f ...
.
[New Houses Resisted Shock]
The New York Times, January 4, 1909
Demographic evolution
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Economy
Ferruzzano's economy mainly relies on agriculture, mostly sheep and cattle farming and fruit cultivation, there also several small businesses and a pharmacy in the village and the local government is the main employer. Other than that, tourism is poorly exploited, with most tourists being
Italian Canadians and
Italian Americans
Italian Americans () are Americans who have full or partial Italians, Italian ancestry. The largest concentrations of Italian Americans are in the urban Northeastern United States, Northeast and industrial Midwestern United States, Midwestern ...
visiting the village as part of
roots tourism.
References
Cities and towns in Calabria
{{Calabria-geo-stub