
The Vallata dello Stilaro is a valley in 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 ...
of
Southern Italy
Southern Italy ( it, Sud Italia or ) also known as ''Meridione'' or ''Mezzogiorno'' (), is a macroregion of the Italian Republic consisting of its southern half.
The term ''Mezzogiorno'' today refers to regions that are associated with the peop ...
. It takes its name from river that flow in the area, the
Stilaro
The Stilaro (in antiquity the Elleporus or possibly Elleporos; in Calabrian dialect ''Stilaru'') is an Italian river, which runs through Bivongi, Pazzano and Stilo in the Province of Reggio Calabria, Calabria and, along with the river, gives its ...
.
The principal settlements present in the valley are
Bivongi
Bivongi ( Calabrian: or ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Reggio Calabria in the Italian region Calabria, located about southwest of Catanzaro and about northeast of Reggio Calabria in the Stilaro Valley, at the feet of the ...
,
Monasterace,
Pazzano
Pazzano ( Calabrian: ) is a village and '' comune'' located in Locride's region in the province of Reggio Calabria (Calabria, southern Italy).
History
The first known mention of Pazzano dates to a 1094 document. The town was founded as a mi ...
and
Stilo
Stilo ( Calabrian: ; el, Στύλος, translit=Stylos, lit=column) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Reggio Calabria, in the Calabria region of southern Italy. It is from Reggio.
The town is inscribed into '' I Borghi più belli d' ...
. The
Ecomuseo delle ferriere e fonderie di Calabria, preserves and promotes the natural, artistic and cultural things of the place.
History

The first evidence of settlements in the valley come from the ancient Greeks between the 8th and 7th centuries BC where along the coast, near the
Assi river, the established the little colony of
Caulonia, estimated to have included 10,000 people.
Kaulon trades with inland indigenous people that mined minerals.
They coined money with local silver.
For its sources Kaulon was desired by
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 centre on the Ion ...
and
Kroton colonies.
In the first half of the 4th century BC, the
Stilaro
The Stilaro (in antiquity the Elleporus or possibly Elleporos; in Calabrian dialect ''Stilaru'') is an Italian river, which runs through Bivongi, Pazzano and Stilo in the Province of Reggio Calabria, Calabria and, along with the river, gives its ...
river (at that time called Elleporo) was the site of an important battle between
Dionisio I Dionisio, a variant of Dionysius, may refer to:
People Given name
* Dionisio Lazzari (1617-1689), Italian sculptor and architect
* Dionisio Aguado y García (1784-1849), Spanish classical guitarist and composer
* Papa Isio (1846-1911), Dionisio M ...
and
Lega italiota (italiota league) made up by a group of colonies of
Magna Grecia
Magna Graecia (, ; , , grc, Μεγάλη Ἑλλάς, ', it, Magna Grecia) was the name given by the Romans to the coastal areas of Southern Italy in the present-day Italian regions of Calabria, Apulia, Basilicata, Campania and Sicily; the ...
. Lega italiota was defeated.
After that, the region was conquered by Romans, who largely mined copper and created a colonial penalty for "damnata ad metalla" and deforesting the valley for wood and shipbuilding.
In the 10th century under the Byzantine empire, there was economic and demographic growth and 22 ''calasi'' (little villages) with 37 convents, churches, and hermit caves were established by the Greek monks of
Saint Basilio.
The "Casale of Stilo" grew in importance and incorporated Pazzano, Stignano, Guardavalle, Riace and Camini "
casalia
In the Middle Ages, a ''casalis'' or ''casale'' (Latin and Italian; Old French/Spanish ''casal''), plural ''casalia'' (''casali'', ''casales''), was "a cluster of houses in a rural setting". The word is not classical Latin, but derives from the Lat ...
".
On 15 July 982 AD, there was a battle between
Ottone II and a Byzantine/Arab alliance which won.
The first iron foundries come out at 1516, owned by
Charles V Charles V may refer to:
* Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558)
* Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain
* Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise
* Charles V, Duke of Lorraine (1643–1690)
* Infant ...
, some of those were sold between 1523 and 1523 with two diplomas to his esquire Cesare Fieramosca: Campoli Village's foundries and Bivongi foundry.
In this Norman period the valley turn to Catholicism, and the Hermit of Monte Stella is turned in a sanctuary dedicated to Mary. A statue was located in the cave.
At the end of 16th century there was an increase in mining at the
Complesso siderurgico dell'Assi (Assi iron complex).
In 1771 a new iron complex was created near the Serre mountain chain and Valley of Stilaro:
Polo siderurgico di Mongiana
In 1811, under French power, Stilo villages: Camini, Pazzano, Placanica and Riace became autonomous
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 ...
s (Italian for villages).
During the
Kingdom of Italy
The Kingdom of Italy ( it, Regno d'Italia) was a state that existed from 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia was proclaimed King of Italy, until 1946, when civil discontent led to an institutional referendum to abandon the monarchy and ...
, in 1875 two railways came to the area.
In 1881, 200,000 ducati was spent to build a new route to link the Ionian Sea with the Tyrrhenian Sea that cross the Valley of Stilaro and Serre mountains (future Statale State 110).
In 1922 and 1923 two small hydroelectric power plants were built in
Bivongi
Bivongi ( Calabrian: or ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Reggio Calabria in the Italian region Calabria, located about southwest of Catanzaro and about northeast of Reggio Calabria in the Stilaro Valley, at the feet of the ...
.
On 9 July 1940, during the Second World War, east of
Cape Stilo, the
Battle of Punta Stilo took place between the Italian and British navies.
In 2012 was announced the discovery of a pretended paleolithic settlement in Boario locality at
Stilo
Stilo ( Calabrian: ; el, Στύλος, translit=Stylos, lit=column) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Reggio Calabria, in the Calabria region of southern Italy. It is from Reggio.
The town is inscribed into '' I Borghi più belli d' ...
.
See also
*
Locride
Locride is an area of Calabria, Italy around the town of Locri in the Province of Reggio Calabria. The term takes origin from the Locris, an ancient Greek region.
It is divided into 5 areas:
* Vallata dello Stilaro
* Vallata del Torbido
* Epizef ...
*
Stilaro
The Stilaro (in antiquity the Elleporus or possibly Elleporos; in Calabrian dialect ''Stilaru'') is an Italian river, which runs through Bivongi, Pazzano and Stilo in the Province of Reggio Calabria, Calabria and, along with the river, gives its ...
*
Ecomuseo delle ferriere e fonderie di Calabria
External links
*
Video Vallata dello Stilaro
Gallery
Image:Fontana vecchia.jpg, Fontana Vecchia (Pazzano)
Image:Cascata Marmarico.JPG, Cascata del Marmarico
Cascata (meaning '' Waterfall'' in Portuguese) is a neighbourhood in the city of Porto Alegre, the state capital of Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul (, , ; "Great River of the South") is a Federative units of Brazil, state in the South ...
Image:Resti di Kaulon.jpg, Remains of Caulonia (Monasterace)
Image:Monte Consolino (Scifulareda).jpg, Monte Consolino
Image:Stilaro (calabria).jpg, Stilaro
File:Bivongi rosso.jpg, Bivongi wines
File:Durci do Stilaru.JPG, Vallata dello Stilato sweets
File:Ricotta della vallata dello stilaro.jpg, Vallata dello Stilaro's Ricotta
File:Sugo di lambà.jpg, snail's gravy
File:Pasta e casa pronta.jpg, pasta made at home with olives
{{coord missing, Italy
Stilaro Allaro