Siderno ( or ; ) is a town and ''

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 ...

'' in the

Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria () is an area of local government at the level of metropolitan city in the Calabria region of Italy. It comprises the territory of the city of Reggio Calabria and 97 other ''comuni'' (: ''comune'') in the hin ...

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 ...

, southern

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, about 3 kilometres from

Locri Locri is a town and ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Reggio Calabria, Calabria, southern Italy. Its name derives from that of the ancient Greek region of Locris. Today it is an important administrative and cultural center on the Ion ...

. Siderno Marina is the newer town located on the Ionian coast. It is a destination for both Italian and foreign

tourists Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

and has a bathing beach. Siderno Superiore is the old town, higher up on the flank of the coastal mountain range. It has historic palaces, old buildings and very narrow streets. Its population has largely relocated to the Marina which offers more job opportunities and services.

History

The early history of the town is unknown. The old town in the hilly inland was probably founded in the 10th century by some people from

, who had fled to the area to defend themselves from Saracen incursions; in the following century it became a hamlet of the county of Grotteria and was home to various feudal lords. Siderno Marina was built along the coast after the 1783 earthquake. (''Retrieved January 22, 2010'')

Geography

Climate

Emigration

Large-scale emigration abroad as well as to Northern Italy, which began to diminish only in the 1970s, has had a lasting effect on the demographic situation in the region. Emigrants from Siderno immigrated to the United States, Canada and Australia since the end of the 19th century to find employment. Many moved to Canada settled in Schreiber, Ontario due to then-ongoing construction of the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...

. Half of Schreiber's 2,000 residents trace their roots to Siderno.Sons and Daughters: The Italians of Schreiber
A Scattering of Seeds – The Creation of Canada

Economy

Siderno is a tourist resort on the Ionian coast of the province of Reggio Calabria, with wide, sandy beaches, and a clear sea . The Siderno area is a center of production of

bergamot orange ''Citrus bergamia'', the bergamot orange (pronounced ), is a fragrant citrus fruit the size of an orange, with a yellow or green colour similar to a lime, depending on ripeness. Genetic research into the ancestral origins of extant citrus cul ...

, a citrus fruit that is used as an essence and fundamental ingredient in cosmetics, for its wound healing properties in the pharmaceutical industry, and for flavouring in the food industry.

Crime

The town is home to the

'Ndrangheta The 'Ndrangheta (, , ) is a mafia-type organized crime, criminal syndicate originating from the Calabria region of Italy. Gratteri & Nicaso, ''Fratelli di Sangue'', pp. 65–68 This body, also referred to as the Commission in reference to the ...

, a

Mafia "Mafia", as an informal or general term, is often used to describe criminal organizations that bear a strong similarity to the Sicilian Mafia, original Mafia in Sicily, to the Italian-American Mafia, or to other Organized crime in Italy, organiz ...

-type criminal organization based in Calabria. Several powerful criminal clans originate from the town. Siderno was the fiefdom of Antonio Macrì, the undisputed local boss until his demise in January 1975. Several of the criminal clans are sometimes involved in bloody feuds.Back to the 'wolves'
National Post, July 30, 2005 The town is home to one of the 'Ndrangheta's biggest and most important clans, the Commisso 'ndrina, heavily involved in the global cocaine business and money laundering. Gratteri & Nicaso, ''Fratelli di Sangue'', p. 133 Several clans moved to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, in particular the

Greater Toronto Area The Greater Toronto Area, commonly referred to as the GTA, includes the Toronto, City of Toronto and the regional municipality, regional municipalities of Regional Municipality of Durham, Durham, Regional Municipality of Halton, Halton, Regional ...

, home to what Canadian law enforcement call the Siderno Group, which has been here since at least the 1950s. "The criminal minds of Siderno are in Canada", according to the Siderno police force. One of them, Antonio Commisso, was arrested in June 2005.Why Italy's scariest Mob loves Canada
, National Post, November 24, 2007 Individuals related to the so-called Siderno Group were still active in Southern Ontario in 2018.

People

* Antonio Commisso (born 1956), 'Ndrangheta boss * Antonio Macrì (1902–1975), historical 'Ndrangheta boss * Francesco Panetta (born 1963), former long-distance runner * Nicola Zitara (born 1927), historianNicola Zitara
/ref> *

Leon Panetta Leon Edward Panetta (born June 28, 1938) is an American retired politician and government official who has served under several Democratic administrations as secretary of defense (2011–2013), director of the CIA (2009–2011), White House chi ...

(born 1938) – who served in the

Obama administration Barack Obama's tenure as the 44th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2009, and ended on January 20, 2017. Obama, a Democrat from Illinois, took office following his victory over Republican nomine ...

Director of the Central Intelligence Agency The director of the Central Intelligence Agency (D/CIA) is a statutory office () that functions as the head of the Central Intelligence Agency, which in turn is a part of the United States Intelligence Community. The director reports to the D ...

from 2009 to 2011, and as Secretary of Defense from 2011 to 2013, as well as Chief of Staff in the

Clinton administration Bill Clinton's tenure as the 42nd president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 1993, and ended on January 20, 2001. Clinton, a Democrat from Arkansas, took office following his victory over Republican in ...

from 1994 to 1997 –, is issued from a family native from Siderno. He was responsible for the operation that led to the

Death of Osama bin Laden Death is the end of life; the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. Death eventually and inevitably occurs in all organisms. The remains of a former organism normally begin to decompose sh ...

, the leader and founder of al-Qaeda and the mastermind of the

9/11 The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...

attacks *

, Italy's most powerful organized crime syndicate has their roots in Siderno, and continue to use this city as a base of operations.

Twin cities

Thunder Bay Thunder Bay is a city in and the seat of Thunder Bay District, Ontario, Canada. It is the most populous municipality in Northwestern Ontario and the second most populous (after Greater Sudbury) municipality in Northern Ontario. Its population i ...

Frazioni

Donisi (), Vennerello, Mirto (), Campo, Lucis, Zammariti, Pellegrina, Arona, San Filippo, Leone, Grappidaro, Gonia (), Pergola, Lamia.

References

* Gratteri, Nicola & Antonio Nicaso (2006).
Fratelli di Sangue
', Cosenza: Luigi Pellegrini Editore

External links

* Italian Wikipedia article on Siderno {{Authority control