Sergio Abramo

Catanzaro is historic capital of the ancient province of Calabria Ultra for over 200 years. Catanzaro was anciently known as the City of the three "V", referring to three distinctive features:

  1. San Vitaliano, patron saint;
  2. Wind (Vento in Italian), as it is constantly beaten by strong breezes from the Ionian Sea and the Sila;
  3. Velvet, as it was an important silk center since the time of the Byzantines. "V V V" was the acronym used to identify velvet, damask and brocade made in Catanzaro on national and foreign markets.

In 1593 Catanzaro was named capital of the province of Calabria Ultra, a role it held for over 220 years until 1816, the year in which the administrative division of the province took place. Its importance throughout the region was confirmed in 1970, when it was named capital of the Calabria region.

Catanzaro has 89,364 inhabitants (2011 census) and is the Capital City of the Calabria Region.

Strategically located in the eponymous isthmus - the narrowest point of the Peninsula, just 35 kilometers from the Ionian coast to the Tyrrhenian coast - it is an important directional, commercial and cultural center, hosting considerable administrative functions at the regional level.

It is the seat of the Government of the Calabria Region, of the I Court of Appeal, of the Regional School Office, of the Regional Military Command and of most of the offices with jurisdiction over the entire territory of Calabria. Catanzaro has been a university campus since 1982. The university, called "Magna Grecia", focuses on the main faculties of medicine, pharmacy and law, as well as on numerous and innovative degree courses.

Overlooking the Ionian Sea (it boasts about 8 kilometers of beach and a fishing port), Catanzaro is located close to the Scolacium Archaeological Park.

The public administration sector has a high number of employees, followed by the services sector. The area has an economy centered on the sectors of telematic services to businesses and public administrations, but it is also the main agricultural market of the region and here is located Comalca, the Calabria Consortium for Agricultural Food Market created in 1980 which is the main agri-food center of Calabria. The industrial sector is mostly represented by medium and small-sized companies focused on productions for the local and national market.

Source: ilsole24ore.com

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Cultural tourism

The city is endowed with important and modern cultural structures, such as the new Politeama Theater, designed by Paolo Portoghesi; the museum area of the San Giovanni monumental complex, home to important exhibitions and underground galleries; the former Stac exhibition area, the original Rock Museum, the beautiful Biodiversity Park, a green area that stretches for 60 hectares in the heart of the city.


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Promenade

The coastal district of Catanzaro extends for about 5 kilometers along the Ionian coast and represents the "tourist-seaside center" of Catanzaro. In the neighborhood there is a promenade of about 2 kilometers, along which there are numerous restaurants, bars, night clubs and hotels.