Villa San Giovanni

Villa San Giovanni is a town and comune in the province of Reggio Calabria, Calabria, southern Italy. In 2010 its population was 13,747. It's the main terminal to access to Sicily. On 25 April 2005 the President of the Republic had conferred upon it the title of "city". Geography It is located on the coast of Strait of Messina, facing the city of Messina across the narrow strait. The Punta Pezzo lies in the area and is the nearest point to Sicily. It contains a notable lighthouse. There are many neighborhoods : Acciarello, Cannitello, Pezzo and Piale. History In December 1908 a powerful earthquake killed 698 people in Villa San Giovanni, almost 10% of the then population. modern Age The last decades of the sixteenth century saw the rise in the small coastal villages, as Cannitello and Pieces, inhabited mostly by sailors and fishermen. Further inland, at the current center of the Villa, there was a village called Blackwater. Later he also formed Piale and Acciarello. The coastal accelerated repopulation in the eighteenth century, the progressive decline of Fiumara di Muro, until the administrative reform implemented in 1806 by Giuseppe Bonaparte definitively abolished the feudal system and the Lordship of Fiumara disappeared. On 8 January 1676 he fought a naval battle between the Dutch and the French fleet in the waters of the Strait in front of Punta Pezzo, with a victorious outcome for the second. Probably the guns found in Pieces in 1902 were built in this battle. The plague of 1743 and the fire pit In 1743, an unfortunate incident involving the small village of Fossa. In March of that year, a Genoese ship loaded with wheat from Patras had brought the plague to Messina (that was the last major outbreak of plague in Western Europe). The Health Council of the city of Reggio Calabria had ordered all boats not to approach the port of Messina and instituirono of guard duty on the coast to enforce the ordinance. The Health Council of Messina denied the epidemic, not to interrupt the trade with the continent; however, once heard the alarming news coming from the Sicilian town, the reggini not they trusted and established that four citizens, two noble and two civilians, did surveillance even up to Fossa, which then numbered no more than seventy people and Piece arrived with perhaps two hundred and Acciarello, village recently formed as a result of the exodus of the family of Messina Azzarello just because of the plague. Throughout the month of April, arrived in Naples news confused on the situation of Messina, so the government did not take the necessary steps, while the epidemic grew enormously in that city. In the situation of isolation in which it was Messina, many sailors and masters began to smuggle in food and basic necessities from the Calabrian side of the Strait and the resorts of Ganzirri and Torre Faro in Messina: this led to the arrival on the continent of infected products. Among these smugglers were the brothers Peter and Paul Lombardo di Fossa, originating Fiumara. It is said that on the night of June 10, the Sicilians, not having quite enough money to pay for them, gave them a coat and Paul Lombardo accepted it and put it on: the coat was infected and soon the two brothers died because of the disease, followed in the days following from their closest relatives. In any case, the epidemic also came to the Pit. Heard the news, the two mayors of Reggio Genovese and Giuseppe Antonio Melissari wanted to investigate the matter; so the governor Diego Ferri, from historical sources described as a man bad-tempered and authoritarian ruler, who was appointed recently, sent Fossa two of the best doctors reggini, and Francesco Saverio Fucetola Marrari. The plague was ascertained by two specialists, but did not stop the illegal smuggling with Sicily, in reality practiced by many boats Reggine: the plague began to spread enormously even on the shores of Calabria. The governor Ferri and the two mayors did then Fossa the scapegoat of the epidemic and ordered an expedition against the small town. According to reports from Luigi's Prayer, on the morning of June 23, departed from Reggio 3,200 heavily armed men, of whom 200 were Swiss mercenaries and the remaining citizens of Reggio, under the leadership of Diego Ferri. Initially, the residents of Blackwater tried to resist, but had to give. All the inhabitants, including old men, women and children, were forced to strip naked and to be washed with oil and vinegar. I reggini were made to deliver the clothes and all personal property and forced the inhabitants to march naked to Punta Pezzo. Then the armed men returned to Reggio and the next day with artillery burned the entire village, with houses, animals, numerous amounts of oil and wine, boats, trees, reeds; was set on fire, even the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in SS.ma piece, where it was said he had taken refuge a leper. I fossesi remained in miserable conditions at the beach Piece for several days, without receiving any help. The Ferri ordered him to Carlo Ruffo, Duke of Bagnara and Lord of Fiumara di Muro to provide him, as fossesi were still part of the feud fiumarese. But not even the Duke cared for them before the plague denied, and pretended to show themselves irritated by the act performed by reggini against its employees, then dumped these charges on the University of Fiumara, promising reimbursement of expenses. But it was only sent a few beans and a cow, certainly insufficient for all the inhabitants. Only the captain of a boat that was carrying onions from Tropea took pity on them and offered his poor load. Finally, between Blackwater and the neighboring towns about eighty people died from the plague. Reggini I thought they had thus preserved the city from the disease, but in early July, the disease also came to Reggio, where in a year of plague were recorded about 5,000 died of the plague, about another 500 died of exhaustion and hunger and another 500 sentenced to death by the governor Ferri. A Messina of 62,775 inhabitants were left just 11,436, that is to say that there were 51,319 deaths. Government aid were absorbed by Reggio and Messina and fossesi nothing came. Then the pope Benedict XIV sent 100,000 ducats for the countries affected by the plague, but also this time in Fossa did not touch anything in the money allocated. The birth of Villa San Giovanni The turning point in the history of the area occurred in the late eighteenth century, when Rocco Antonio Caracciolo, wealthy landowner and entrepreneur silky fossese, wanted to remove the hamlets of Fossa, Piece, Cannitello, Piale and Acciarello by the then University of Fiumara di Muro, thanks the good offices at the court of the Bourbon Kingdom of Naples, in order to give political and administrative units in small communities with each other and away from rivals. After a bitter confrontation with the Greek family, another important noble family fossese, the new center was named Fossa first and then Villa San Giovanni San Giovanni (the new name given by the decree of King Ferdinand IV of 6 November 1791). Villa then had a population of about 1,200 inhabitants. The town was devastated by an earthquake in the meantime February 5, 1783. In 1797 the Villesi got to be able to elect their own mayors (three, according to the order of the time) and can be dated the following year the birth of the University of Villa San Giovanni, corresponding to the current policy. On 7 January 1799 he landed a Piece Cardinal Fabrizio Ruffo, who started from there its reconquest of the Kingdom of Naples; February 8, many volunteers in the area began to join the Army of the Holy Faith in the same piece. In 1807 Cannitello and Piale broke away from Villa, forming common to him, with headquarters in Cannitello, but unable to understand even Pezzo, who remained inside the Villa. The Napoleonic period and Joachim Murat In 1810, Joachim Murat, King of Naples and brother of Napoleon Bonaparte, for four months ruled the southern kingdom from the heights of Piale. He, moving from Naples to the conquest of Sicily (where he had fled King Ferdinand IV under the protection of the British army which was encamped at Punta Faro to Messina), arrived in Scilla June 3, 1810 and remained there until July 5, when it was completed the great camp of Piale. In the short period of stay, Murat ordered the construction of the three forts of Torre Cavallo, Altafiumara and Piale, the latter with telegraph tower. On 26 September of the same year, noting difficult undertaking the conquest of Sicily, Murat dismise camp Piale and drove to the capital. The French troops were present in the strategic area of Villa throughout the first fifteen years of the nineteenth century; what constituted a negative factor for the majority of the population and the local economy. In fact, the Napoleonic government imposed continuously extraordinary costs to the municipalities of Villa and Cannitello for the maintenance of the troops stationed there, which often harmed the flourishing commercial activities of the city, such as the spinning mill of Rocco Antonio Caracciolo. In addition, the proximity of the villa to the Sicilian coast exposed to warfare between the French and the British quartered in Piale allocated in Torre Faro. In general, however, the French also brought some good news in the Kingdom, which were maintained after the Bourbon restoration, such as public schools, post offices, banks, telegraph, and (not least) the legislative codification. During his presence, Murat even bother to eradicate banditry in this area, entrusting this task to the general Manhès Charles Antoine, who obtained good results. From the Bourbon Restoration to the Unity of Italy In the years following the restoration of the Bourbons continued urban development of Villa, so much so that in 1817 Antonio Caracciolo Rocco oversaw the final construction and arrangement of the cemetery. Before then, the dead were buried in churches or in certain campaign funds used for this purpose. The government in those years chose Villa as the central post office, a new service imported by the French, as it was the main point of a ferry to Sicily and one of the most important nodes roads of the province. Had already been contracted out the construction of the large building to house the Post Office and had already come to the Villa manager Ristori ordering offices, when da Reggio was alleged transfer of that office in the capital city, which it got. The great palace was later sold at auction to the brothers of Domenico Antonio Caminiti, who were then masters of mail for Villa and its surroundings. In 1823 it was decided that the first steam Florio had to stop at Villa to take passengers and mail to Naples, but again the Reggio demanded and got the steam to stop in Reggio, as the provincial capital. In those years it was the provincial intendant Prince Francesco Ruffo, brother of Cardinal Fabrizio Ruffo and last Lord of Fiumara di Muro and close Motte, who had at that time a bitter civil dispute with the City of Villa due to some land Aspromonte from the feudal patrimony of Ruffo, called Forest d'Aspromonte, who had been assigned to the municipality Villese; but without any feeling of revenge, established in 1823, also taking into lesson at Villa twice a week the master of Pietro Barbaro nautical Bagnara, being Villa, Piece Cannitello and seaside resorts. In fact, at that time there were, only in the Villa, 323 sailors and 36 boats. It was a major breakthrough for the Navy Villese, which had so many educated young people in the difficult art of sailing. Between 1823 and 1825 was opened the National Road (present-day State Route 18), while in 1830 was completed the Fontana Vecchia, the primary source of water in masonry placed at the service of the town, which today remains the most oldest existing building in the city. On August 31, 1847 there was an attempt to bike renaissance in Villa Campo Calabro, Rosalì and Calanna. The initiative, fueled mainly by the Carbonari Villesi, which also participated in the young Rocco Larussa, who later became famous sculptor, failed due to the timely intervention of Intendant of Reggio, General Rocco Zerbi. On September 4, Reggio reinforcements were sent from the batteries to Pezzo, the attempted revolt was put down and the revolutionaries arrested. A Piece Villa and many were the Carbonari and many attempts were made to revolutionary insurrections in those years, as in all of Italy. All were harshly repressed by the Bourbons and there were several arrests and sentencing to life imprisonment, even against Rocco Larussa, together with his brothers Joseph and Ignatius. Garibaldi monument by the sculptor Villese Rocco Larussa The heights between Piale and Cannitello were the scene of the clash between the troops of Garibaldi and the Bourbon generals Melendez and Briganti 23 August 1860 in those same days he landed on the beach in Santa Trada Porticello and a contingent of 200 partisans. After the Unification of Italy, the area, a strategic spot for the defense of the Straits, became a focal point in the national system of coastal defense with the construction of the Fort Beleño of Piale in 1888 or so, to make way for what was demolished Tower of Piraino, with the adjoining fort Murat. This happened after the project of fortifications of the Italian Government for the defense of the national territory, which began in the seventies and eighties of the nineteenth century. The mills and industrial development Station Villa in a postcard of 1906 Between the end of the eighteenth and the first half of the twentieth century Villa San Giovanni was particularly famous for the breeding of silkworms and its mills, of which now only a few ruins remain of the 56 that operated in ancient times, which constituted an important source of employment and livelihood for the population. The business was started filandiera last fifteen years of the eighteenth century through the work of Rocco Antonio Caracciolo, who already in 1792 had made operational in a textile mill and a spinning Villa, the first located between the palace and the current Caracciolo Fontana old, the second at the road Mycenae (now Via Mycenae), near today's asylum Salesian. The growth of filandiera was also due to the Turin Francesco Bal, director of spinning in the Reggio and the large cotton mill at Santa Caterina. Soon followed the example of many Villesi Caracciolo and many mills were built between Villa, Piece and Cannitello. The industrial activity had grown exponentially even the population: in fact Fossa in 1777 recorded only 236 souls, while in 1811 the inhabitants were 1804 and in 1849 grew to 3475 in 1901 and reached the 6647 unit. In 1847 there were 44 mills in Villa, 676 ironers, 676 teachers and 676 disciples. But soon came the mechanization and with it, after the unification of Italy, the northern and foreign investments of entrepreneurs, such as Milan Adriano Grass and the English Thomas Hallam and his nephew Edward J. Eaton, who parted company with activities in Villesi spinners. The town then earned the nickname of small Manchester, in reference to the silky English city of Manchester and the British industrial presence. In 1892, Villa operated twenty-boiler systems and one system with direct heat (Bambara Pasquale). The major mills in the boiler were spinning mill Eaton (3 boilers, 35 horses, 128 containers and 300 employees), the spinning mill Grass (3 boilers, 42 horses, 110 containers and 253 employees), the spinning mill Florio and Marra (2 boilers, 14 horses, 120 containers and 238 employees), the spinning mill and sons John Caminiti (2 boilers, 16 horses, 56 bowls and 136 employees) and the spinning mill Lofaro Rocco and children (2 boilers, 12 horses, 60 bowls and 106 employees). Here are two other systems with two boilers (Aricò Salvatore Sergi and Cosimo) and thirteen to one boiler operated by various contractors Villesi. On March 19, 1877 was established the Workers' Mutual Aid Society, which still exists and operates. The industry of pipe Villa was also famous for the industry of pipe. Since 1913 Villa was active in a French factory for the production of pipe, the Vassas, located in the former textile mill Grass, along the Via Marina. Around 1926 it was ceded to the Tuscan Egidio Dei, former director of the same; then was equipped with about 25 circular saws. Here were produced and raffinavano pipe in briar. The products of the factory were under final processing in northern Italy (especially Milan), France, England, Germany and the United States. In its peak the factory Dei gave employment to about fifty workers, most lumberjacks and truck drivers who transported the wood, which was especially dall'Aspromonte, but also from Sicily, Sardinia and Greece. The factory was active until the early eighties, when it was forced to close due to decreased demand and increased production requirements. At the same time he was active in Villa another pipe factory, one of the Tripepi, located at Via Fontana Vecchia, even this disappeared in the early eighties. The construction of the railway line and the beginning of a steam ferry In 1884 the stations were inaugurated Villa and Cannitello, along with the stretch of railroad that joined with Reggio Calabria. In the early years of the twentieth century, completed the construction of the port and began racing modern ferry boats to steam for Messina. In fact, Villa was increasingly preferred as the main point in Reggio ferry to Sicily, being much closer to the city than the capital of Messina. On 1 March 1905 the station Villa was connected to the airport of ferry boats with a railway junction, thus laying the foundations for the ferry service railway rolling stock. The importance of Villa San Giovanni gradually increased to the detriment of Reggio Calabria, as the Tyrrhenian railway route, which is shorter than the Ionic, led to the displacement of the rail traffic by sea on Villesi cradles, which were increased and strengthened. contemporary Age The city at the beginning of the last century was described as a hard-working citizen, industrious and advanced, so much so that in 1906 the streets were lit by street lamps to electricity. The earthquake of 1908 and the reconstruction The area of Villa had already been affected by seismic events since the last decade of the nineteenth century. On 16 November 1894 there was a first earthquake, which did not casualties, but damaged most of the buildings, so that Villa became one of the countries affected by earthquakes and was able to take advantage of the law nº535 8 August 1895 In the following decade, there were two other earthquakes, the earthquake on 8 September 1905 and the 23 October 1907 But the real disaster was the earthquake of December 28, 1908, an event that devastated the entire area of the Strait, the city of Reggio and Messina, and that made many victims between citizens Villesi. A Villa counted 367 deaths out of 4,325 inhabitants, 8% of the population; Acciarello to 299 of 2,125 (14% of the population); in Part 32 of 552 (5%). In total, 698 deaths in the town of Villa San Giovanni on a population of about 7,000 (according to the data of the census of 1901). There were then more than 500 injured. Economic losses were incalculable: the whole town was destroyed, together with the port with the newest cradles, the station and the rail, and most of the mills, while others were severely damaged; collapsed all the churches and public buildings. The district was the most devastated the Immaculate Conception. There were very few buildings to resist earthquake. The reconstruction began the following year and was able to say definitively ended only in the early fifties, with significant changes in the urban setting of Villa. The first buildings to be rebuilt as early as 1909 was in fact the mills to resume industrial activity and provide employment in the area devastated by the earthquake. The tenements, churches and other public buildings were housed in buildings since the twenties baraccate, pending the completion of the new works. In the early thirties the city center was largely rebuilt, as evidenced by the Municipal Palace (Palazzo San Giovanni), the Central Elementary School, the Church of the Immaculate Conception and the many private buildings dating back to the late twenties. Subsequent buildings were influenced by a fascist, as evidenced, for example, the austere geometric shapes of the building of the railway station designed by Roberto Narducci. The project of the Great Reggio Vintage photo of the historic Via Garibaldi In 1927 the municipality of Villa San Giovanni, along with Cannitello and other municipalities in the district for a total of fourteen, was conurbato the municipality of Reggio Calabria after the project of Greater Reggio, focused, according to the promoters, to create a single pole Calabrian town on the shore of the Strait of Messina. But the hardships for the population Villese were remarkable, as the centralization of the municipal offices in the capital movements entailed (then burdensome and lengthy) for the simplest administrative acts. In addition, the loss of administrative autonomy would vanish identity Villa, reduced to a mere quarter of the Great Reggio. So grievances, in the Fascist regime, were not lacking: one of the biggest supporters of the autonomy of our common Villese was Don Luigi, who sent in writing to Mussolini The end of a municipality, or rather a district of ten municipalities supported instances of Villesi against the maxi-common. The government, by decree of January 26, 1933, restored self-government to Villa San Giovanni, including that from that date the territory of Cannitello (up to 1947 and also Campo Calabro Fiumara). The first post-war Additional reconstructions were necessary after the Second World War, since the summer of 1943, Villa, rail hub of national importance, had been heavily bombed by the allied forces. The same ferry-boats had been sunk almost all, having saved the only Messina. The first free elections after fascism took place in Villa 10 March 1946 They faced two boards: the first, under the symbol of the cross and shield, picked up the Christian Democratic parties of the center and also many of the independents; the second list, which was a symbol for an ear of corn, was formed on the left. He won by a large majority centrist list, mainly because of the fear, widespread in those years in Italy, a leftist victory would bring the country into the orbit of the Soviet Union. He became mayor Christmas Sciarrone, who remained in office continuously for fourteen years, until 1960. The year 1946-1947 recorded a historic event for Villa: Villese the fact that season, the football team town, participated for the first and only time in Serie C. The experience of the team neroverde in the third series only lasted for that season, due to social and financial problems. Demands for autonomy In 1947 the City Council had to decide on the autonomy of the administrative centers of Campo Calabro, Fiumara and Cannitello, annexed to the city in 1933 following the separation of Villa Grande from Reggio. The mayor Sciarrone made a report to the Council on the problem, introducing, even historically, with the thesis on Column Reggina formulated by the historian Villese Don Luigi's Prayer, to show that Field and Fiumara, having never been part of the territory Villese, they could become self-employed, but that Cannitello since ancient times Column Reggina constituted a single cluster with Villa. He added that the population of those centers was then: Villa 7089 pop., Cannitello 2646, Field 2958 and 2241. Fiumara You voted in the Council on 12 February and passed the autonomy of Field and Fiumara with 16 and 2 is not. But many cannitellesi were unhappy, because autonomy was not granted to Cannitello well; so in April gathered the signatures of 675 citizens who demanded recognition for their country. He voted in Council on 22 November, and the instances of cannitellesi were rejected with 12 votes against and only 3 in favor. "Cannitello is a natural continuation of Villa San Giovanni and we can not change what nature has created on this side for the meanness of passions that cloud the clear vision of the things that are binding to our eyes. » The council vote this time also gave negative results: only 15 against and 7 in favor. The fifties and sixties Between the late forties and early fifties brought out many public works, including the completion of Piazza Duomo, the four-storey building to house the State Railways, a subsidiary of the aqueduct and Bolano the housing of the INA. Another important work of social housing was the village of UNRRA piece, consists of eight buildings, for a total of 32 lodgings, built with international aid grown on the organization of the United Nations. They were renovated basements plexus of elementary school, which will house the middle school, as the old premises were uninhabitable. The same middle school became independent in 1953 and in 1957 consisted of 12 classes, while in 1963 there were already 230 pupils, plus another 230 for about vocational training. Among the fifties and sixties was particularly busy city life. There were many sports associations (such as the US Villese sovracitata football club) and Sporting Club Villese) and the cultural and recreational associations, such as the circle Cenide. Really important were the old Caminiti Cinema, Cinema Mignon and the Lido Cenide, then one of the most important beaches of the Strait, one of the main meeting points of the company Villese, able to attract nationally renowned artists such as Little Tony. The Lido, created in 1955 and located at the existing piers of Caronte & Tourist, ceased its activities in the mid-sixties just because of the interest associated with the new ferries of the private ferry. The property, which has remained for years in conditions of neglect, has been finally demolished in November 2011 to make way for new port facilities. On 20 March 1966 he visited Villa San Giovanni Giuseppe Saragat the President of the Republic. New industrial complexes In 1952, the factory began its activities ISA, with the production of components for chairs, to which was added as a result the production of doors. Initially there were 120 employees. The factory was located in a large complex situated in Piazza Immacolata. Between 1967 and 1968, a strong production crisis forced the factory to close. The building has been abandoned for several decades, until it was purchased in 2003 by the City of Villa, which has earmarked the area for a multi-purpose center. In the early months of 2008 began the demolition of the old complex and the work for the construction of the new center. On 21 March 1964, the Prefect of Reggio authorized Mr. Francesco Spatolisano, the legal representative of the company Aspromonte Beer SpA, beginning at land between industrial production and Piale Cannitello, but the project declined and was not completed. In 1969, with government funding for ECER 335 million lire, inaugurated the branch of FIAT, operating until the end of the nineties. After a long restoration, since 2003, the building houses a shopping mall. The advent of private companies ferry The n / t Zancle of Caronte & Tourist with lighthouse of Punta Pezzo "The transition from monopoly to competition, if brought some economic benefit to the city of the Strait in terms of employment, certainly created big problems for citizenship. Keeping within the city limits of the landing wheel, it was not possible to make those structures necessary to ensure that you drew benefit of traffic and you do not would suffer the damage caused by one step. The quality of life he was greatly compromised in the sense that if the State Railways had maintained a monopoly on the transportation, Certainly you would have had the deconcentration of berths rafts (note, naval units destined for the ferrying of vehicles). Not only that, but also the occupation would have benefited, since the staff employed on ships FS is higher than that of private companies, non-public company pursuing the maximization of profits, but reconciling the social value of transport between the two banks with the profitability of the traffic. » (James Iapichino, Between Scylla and Charybdis) Soon the presence in the town center led to the boarding private Villa passage of a huge amount of cars coming from the highway, through the streets, causing traffic congestion and urban air pollution levels to rise to levels concern. For years, to try to remedy these problems, it was suggested to move the boarding of private companies into a new home south of downtown Villa, directly connected to the junction of the A3, thus avoiding traffic jams and pollution caused by the passage of wheeled vehicles. the last decades Since the seventies Villa San Giovanni has experienced rapid population growth, mainly due to a phenomenon of internal migration that has led many residents of neighboring municipalities to move to Villa, predominantly for business purposes. Consequently, the fast increase of the residents, the last few decades, especially since the early eighties, saw an expansion of the urban center and a growth of building ever had before, especially in the area of the part and along the coast, where first entirely covered vast areas of green buildings are now occupied by recent private residential and commercial in nature. Villa went through one of the most difficult periods in its history between 1985 and 1991, a period in which a violent feud between the families of the 'Ndrangheta has bloodied the reggino, involving the town Strait and claiming numerous victims in Villese citizenship, includingil vicesindaco della città Giovanni Trecroci, assassinato l'11 febbraio 1990. On 9 August 1991 the substitute Procurator was assassined by the mafia "Cosa Nostra). By 1991 there aren't episodes of mafia. Today Villa is presenting like an town in continuous expansion, registering an important increase of population. Transport Ferry services link Villa San Giovanni and Messina, including a train ferry departing from the main railway station. The town is also served by the A3 motorway Salerno-Reggio Calabria Now the 80% of vehicle that need to go in Sicily pass by here. Photogallery Sport Villa has a long tradition in the swimming disciplines; are active in the municipal various sports clubs who practice swimming (even at a competitive level) and scuba diving. Every summer, in August, takes place in the waters of the Strait of Messina Strait Crossing, swimming competition at an international level with the participation of dozens of athletes from all over Italy and abroad. The journey begins at Cape Pelorus, the extreme limit of the channel on the shore of Sicily, and ends at the beach of Pieces: athletes crossing then an arm of the sea along a 3-km [9]. References External links Media related to Villa San Giovanni at Wikimedia Commons (Italian) Villa San Giovanni official website