Pedace

Pedace is a town in the province of Cosenza, of great historical and architectural interest. The area includes the headwaters of the Crati river. The origins of the name are uncertain, for some comes from the toll that foreigners were obliged to pay to cross its territory. During the second Saracen invasion of Cosenza (985 and 986 AD), by Abucalsimo, the population had left the city to take refuge surrounding hills, giving rise to some villages, including Pedace. During the seventeenth century, the area has been continuously subjected to earthquakes: Pedace was completely destroyed, with the destruction of 123 homes. In 1644 it was acquired by the Marquis Vincenzo Salvati, Grand Duke of Tuscany, from the feudal to the royal domain. Pedace and Rovito headed an attack against Celico and its governor, triggering the spark of a revolt against the Spanish that led to the establishment of a gang Pedace Realists, "Pedacese Army" (March 6, 1799). The fight between Realists and Republicans last long and cost several lives. The troubled story of those years, culminating in an episode known as the "Sack of Pedace." The repression was terrible: the Royalists took refuge in Sila, the village was burned and looted. Pedace was known as the "Toledo of Calabria" because of the many blacksmiths and grinders who worked there.