HISTORY OF REGGIO CALABRIA:
Reggio Calabria was settled about 3,500 years ago and, until the 8th century BC, it was inhabited in turn by the Osci, the Phoenicians, the Trojans, the Mycenaeans, the Oenotrians, the Ligures, the Ausones, the Mamertines, the Sicels and the Itali. Read More [...]
In the 8th century BC, the city became a Greek colony, and it remained under Greek rule until the year 271 BC, when it gained its independence. Later, Reggio became an ally of Rome, and during those times it flourished, keeping however its Greek heritage.
In the 5th and 6th century, the city was invaded by the Vandals, the Lombards and the Goths, passing after that under the Byzantine domination. In 918, the Arabs conquered Reggio, and the city was freed only in 1060 by the Normans of Robert Guiscard and Roger I of Sicily.
Reggio Calabria was ruled by the Angevins during the 13th century, by the Aragonese in the 14th and 15th centuries, and by the Habsburgs in the 16th century. The city was invaded by the Ottomans at the end of the 16th century, and was conquered by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1806. After Giuseppe Garibaldi conquered the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, in 1860, Reggio Calabria became part of the newly created Kingdom of Italy.
The ”toe” of the Italian Peninsula is known for its seismic activity, and Reggio Calabria was often hit by earthquakes. In 1783 and 1908, two disastrous earthquakes occured in the area, with the second one killing over 25,000 people. The city was almost completely destroyed, and was rebuilt with great effort in the following decades.
GEOGRAPHY OF REGGIO CALABRIA:
Today, with about 200,000 inhabitants, Reggio Calabria is the largest city in the Italian region of Calabria. Its municipal territory develops for about 32 kilometers along the eastern coast of the Strait of Messina. Read More [...]
The city is located 23 kilometers south of Scilla, 95 kilometers south of Tropea, 105 kilometers southwest of Pizzo, 130 kilometers southwest of Lamezia Terme, 150 kilometers southwest of Catanzaro, 495 kilometers southeast of Naples, 500 kilometers southwest of Bari, 710 kilometers southeast of Rome, 985 kilometers southeast of Florence, 1,110 kilometers southeast of Venice, 1,245 kilometers southeast of Milan, and about 1,365 kilometers southeast of Turin.
TRANSPORT TO REGGIO CALABRIA:
The city’s airport is the Tito Minniti Airport, also know as the Airport of the Strait (Aeroporto dello Stretto), located about 5 kilometers south, but many low cost flights arrive at the Sant’Eufemia International Airport, located about 130 kilometers north, near Lamezia Terme. Read More [...]
To get from the Reggio di Calabria Airport to the city center, you can take one of the local buses 115, 118, 119 or 121-122. The trip takes about 25 minutes, and a ticket costs 1.50€.
To get from the Lamezia Terme Airport to Reggio, you can take the shuttle bus to the Lamezia Terme Centrale railway station, located about 2 kilometers away. The trip takes about 5 minutes, and a ticket costs 1.50€ at the ticket office or 2.50€ if bought on board. Then, from the Lamezia Terme Centrale railway station, you can take a train to Reggio. The trip takes about 1 hour and a half, and the cheapest ticket costs 10.20€.
You can also get to Reggio Calabria by train, from any major city in Italy, by car, following the European route E45, or by boat, crossing the Strait of Messina from Sicily. The trip by ferry from Messina takes about 30 minutes, and a ticket costs only 2.50€.
TOURIST ATTRACTIONS IN REGGIO CALABRIA:
Reggio Calabria is mainly know for its seafront, Lungomare Falcomatà, the most beautiful kilometer in Italy, according to the Italian writer Gabriele D'Annunzio, for its magnificent Aragonese Castle, and for its beautiful Cathedral dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.
