Africo
| Africo | ||
|---|---|---|
| Comune | ||
| Comune di Africo | ||
|
||
 Africo
|
||
| Coordinates: 38°03′N 16°8′E / 38.050°N 16.133°ECoordinates: 38°03′N 16°8′E / 38.050°N 16.133°E | ||
| Country | Italy | |
| Region | Calabria | |
| Province / Metropolitan city | Reggio Calabria (RC) | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor | Domenico Versaci | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 51 km2 (20 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 15 m (49 ft) | |
| Population (January 1, 2009) | ||
| • Total | 3,339 | |
| • Density | 65/km2 (170/sq mi) | |
| Demonym(s) | Africesi | |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | |
| Postal code | 89030 | |
| Dialing code | 0964 | |
| Patron saint | Saint Leo | |
| Saint day | May 12 | |
Africo (Greek: Aphrikon) is a comune in the province of Reggio Calabria, in the Southern Italian region of Calabria at 74 kilometres (46 mi) from Reggio Calabria.
Africo consists of two main centers. The first, Africo Vecchio (Old Africo), is located some 15 kilometres (9 mi) in the mainland at the feet of the Aspromonte. The old town was destroyed by disastrous floods and landslides in October 1951 and abandoned. The second, Africo Nuovo (New Africo), was reconstructed around 15 kilometres (9 mi) away, on the Ionian coast near Bianco. The remnants of the old town are situated in the Aspromonte National Park.
The origin of the name is unclear. According to some scholars, the name may have derived from the Latin name apricus (airy and sunny) which is from the Greek aprokos. Others believe it comes from the Latin africus (ventus), winds from Africa.
The old centre was founded around the 9th century by inhabitants from Delia or Deri. In 1195 the town became a fief of the Archbishop of Reggio Calabria granted by Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor. It remained so until the end of feudalism in Calabria in 1806.
An earthquake in 1783, partially destroyed the town, killing six people. Earthquakes in 1905 and 1908 again hit the town.
Africo has become the symbol of hunger, floods, wandering and the dispersion of the inhabitants of inland Calabria. In 1931 the Calabrian writer Corrado Alvaro described a famine which had afflicted Africo. In 1946, Umberto Zanotti Bianco published a book on the people of Africo, Tra la perduta gente (Amongst the lost peoples) describing the dire conditions and hunger. At the time the village could only be reached by a 6/7 hour ride on a mule.
...
Wikipedia