Introduction to Calabria
by Grazia Bartolozzi
by Grazia Bartolozzi
Calabria enjoys a wonderful climate, is set in a beautiful natural landscape and is a place of great historical importance.
Testimonies to Calabrian history and art through the centuries accompany the visitor everywhere. There are traces of a human presence here
dating from the Paleolithic period up through the iron age, and Italic tribes. In the eighth century B.C. the Greeks discovered Calabria and
settled numerous colonies known to us as the period of Magna Grecia. However, this region has been avoided by travelers and neglected by
politicians and business entrepreneurs. There are many reasons for this that we cannot address in this short introduction. They are difficult to
understand for anyone, especially for those that have not lived here. This very question seems to puzzle every Calabrian and every
immigrant resident in Calabria or visitor who asks the same question: “Why is Calabria like this?” And what’s going on here?
After the decline of the Greek culture the Romans came, and after them the Byzantines, Saracens, Normans and Spanish. Some might say the
only Europeans that didn't want to rule Calabria were the Italians. The lack of proper administration has left its mark. The Calabrian economy
is one of the poorest of Europe with a high rate unemployment, due to the many problems of this region; Public Administration, tourism and
commerce together employ the most Calabrians (25&), followed by Agriculture with 16% of the jobs.
During the age of the Grand Tours of Europe artists and intellectuals of northern Europe visited the great cities of art including Florence, and
Rome; Those who still had time and money perhaps visited Naples, and those who had even more time and money and the courage also went
to Sicily. Most of those who visited Sicily traveled by sea completely ignoring the land route. Those few that did travel overland hurried
through, as Calabria was not considered interesting. Moreover it was believed that the inhabitants of the South were crude and inhospitable,
an assessment that spread far and wide. It is interesting to read the report by Alexander Dumas of his passage through Calabria: He had also
negatively pre-judged the Calabrians, but, strangely, as he neared the end of his journey he was saddened to leave saying that Calabria,
even with the negative aspects of his trip held a special fascination for him.
It seems that Calabria can exercise this special fascination on those who visit her primarily due to the incredible and varied natural landscapes.
Surely, in time visitors discover the less beautiful things, things that they don’t know or to which they are unaccustomed to, even things that
they don’t like. They are reminded that perfect doesn’t really exist. To love Calabria, one must accept her the way she is. She is to be loved
for her contrasts and contradictions; for her expansive tracts of nature, sweet and wild at the same time. One can love it here simply because
they do not have to consider if they prefer the sea side or mountains: in Calabria the sea and the mountain are happily married and never
separated.
The uniqueness of Calabria stems the beauty and the variety of its landscapes: the sea with its beaches of soft sand, its indented cliffs; the
mountain with its jagged peaks and rocky ledges; with grand forests, the desert plains and hills, or the lush valleys covered in spring and
summer flowers. When visiting Calabria, with so much to see and to admire, one must stop often and simply absorb the beauty of the
landscape.
The Calabrians love their land in a visceral way. Many of those who have emigrated away for jobs return homesick for her, then choose to stay
in spite of lower paying jobs. Those that don’t return live with the dream of seeing their homeland some day. Sometimes it is said, that the
difficult decision by those that have left marked all of the Calabrians. The sons of the emigrants have endured the consequences of their
parents decision to leave, and in some cases even the grandsons.
The painful story of emigration is critical to understanding the history of the Calabria. Today, as many Calabrians live outside of Calabria as
live here. Everyone knows someone who has lived these experiences, perhaps even you, like several of our own team are the descendants of
Italians forced to emigrate many years ago. For this reason we will offer a glimpse of our history and share other stories for you. We want to
inform based on the reality of Calabria, always considering the human-interest aspects of a way of life with which the Calabrians must deal.
Good reading.
Testimonies to Calabrian history and art through the centuries accompany the visitor everywhere. There are traces of a human presence here
dating from the Paleolithic period up through the iron age, and Italic tribes. In the eighth century B.C. the Greeks discovered Calabria and
settled numerous colonies known to us as the period of Magna Grecia. However, this region has been avoided by travelers and neglected by
politicians and business entrepreneurs. There are many reasons for this that we cannot address in this short introduction. They are difficult to
understand for anyone, especially for those that have not lived here. This very question seems to puzzle every Calabrian and every
immigrant resident in Calabria or visitor who asks the same question: “Why is Calabria like this?” And what’s going on here?
After the decline of the Greek culture the Romans came, and after them the Byzantines, Saracens, Normans and Spanish. Some might say the
only Europeans that didn't want to rule Calabria were the Italians. The lack of proper administration has left its mark. The Calabrian economy
is one of the poorest of Europe with a high rate unemployment, due to the many problems of this region; Public Administration, tourism and
commerce together employ the most Calabrians (25&), followed by Agriculture with 16% of the jobs.
During the age of the Grand Tours of Europe artists and intellectuals of northern Europe visited the great cities of art including Florence, and
Rome; Those who still had time and money perhaps visited Naples, and those who had even more time and money and the courage also went
to Sicily. Most of those who visited Sicily traveled by sea completely ignoring the land route. Those few that did travel overland hurried
through, as Calabria was not considered interesting. Moreover it was believed that the inhabitants of the South were crude and inhospitable,
an assessment that spread far and wide. It is interesting to read the report by Alexander Dumas of his passage through Calabria: He had also
negatively pre-judged the Calabrians, but, strangely, as he neared the end of his journey he was saddened to leave saying that Calabria,
even with the negative aspects of his trip held a special fascination for him.
It seems that Calabria can exercise this special fascination on those who visit her primarily due to the incredible and varied natural landscapes.
Surely, in time visitors discover the less beautiful things, things that they don’t know or to which they are unaccustomed to, even things that
they don’t like. They are reminded that perfect doesn’t really exist. To love Calabria, one must accept her the way she is. She is to be loved
for her contrasts and contradictions; for her expansive tracts of nature, sweet and wild at the same time. One can love it here simply because
they do not have to consider if they prefer the sea side or mountains: in Calabria the sea and the mountain are happily married and never
separated.
The uniqueness of Calabria stems the beauty and the variety of its landscapes: the sea with its beaches of soft sand, its indented cliffs; the
mountain with its jagged peaks and rocky ledges; with grand forests, the desert plains and hills, or the lush valleys covered in spring and
summer flowers. When visiting Calabria, with so much to see and to admire, one must stop often and simply absorb the beauty of the
landscape.
The Calabrians love their land in a visceral way. Many of those who have emigrated away for jobs return homesick for her, then choose to stay
in spite of lower paying jobs. Those that don’t return live with the dream of seeing their homeland some day. Sometimes it is said, that the
difficult decision by those that have left marked all of the Calabrians. The sons of the emigrants have endured the consequences of their
parents decision to leave, and in some cases even the grandsons.
The painful story of emigration is critical to understanding the history of the Calabria. Today, as many Calabrians live outside of Calabria as
live here. Everyone knows someone who has lived these experiences, perhaps even you, like several of our own team are the descendants of
Italians forced to emigrate many years ago. For this reason we will offer a glimpse of our history and share other stories for you. We want to
inform based on the reality of Calabria, always considering the human-interest aspects of a way of life with which the Calabrians must deal.
Good reading.
Calabria!
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