Kalos-bruo [aka] Calabria
- kalosbruo
- Apr 1, 2016
- 2 min read
Calabrian history is ancient. Like 10,000 BCE ancient, where cave markings and paintings in the grotta del Romitonear in Papasidero were discovered all the way to the unification of Italy in 1860 (that’s a really long time). Some of the earliest villages started popping up around 3500 BCE. Around 1500 BCE, Italic-Oscan speaking tribes started trickling in including the Oenotrians (meaning “vine cultivators”) and the Itali. Itali, the same tribe the Greeks took the name from and then named the region “Italy.” The first territory on the boot to actually be called “Italia” was Calabria (e.g., the southern part of the region). (Like I said, ancient.) So, without getting too complicated, let me sum up the rest of this region’s complicated run in with invaders without getting too involved and too technical. I’m just a travel blogger, history geek, entrepreneur and son of Calabrian immigrants after all, not an academic.
Ok...ready? Here we go.
Kalos-bruo, named by the Byzantine Greeks (and also the name of my blog), means "fertile earth" for its, well, strong agricultural promise. This same agriculture has enticed many expansionist explorers and conquerors to invade the region over and over again throughout its long and complicated history. It’s also wedged between Campania and Sicily, strategically serving as an on land bridge between the two regions. A place where Bruttian, Greek and Roman blood mingled before the Byzantines and Arabs took advantage leaving the Normans to invade and try to tame Calabria with its feudal system, in turn helping make way for more control, this time, from the Swabian's which then gave way to the Angevins and then the Aragons to then much later on Napoleon, Austrians and Bourbons which led to the House of Savoy, ruled by King Vittorio Emmanuelle II, and led in battle (by a guy you may have heard of) Giuseppe Garibaldi, whose mission was to unify all of Italy as Italians once and for all. No more outsiders!
But, history as we know, is never that black and white. Calabria, the first region to be called "Italia" thousands of years earlier who also produced Italy's first vibrant cities (Rhegion, Sybaris, Kroton and Locri) was now, in the late 19th century, ironically, looking towards a new unified, albeit uncertain, Italian future involving all regions. This is the same unified Italy that drove millions of southern Italians far far away towards the end of the 19th century.
That was a lot to take in, I know (and I hardly even scratched the surface). Just wanted to give you a brief historical backdrop on the region’s past because it has contributed to so much of the region’s culture today. A culture that continues to thrive well into the 21st century thanks to the Calabrians’ resilient persistence (aka testa dura). To ignore the diverse cultural contributions would be remiss. And, we will definitely be revisiting a lot of these different contributions in future blog posts.
Welcome to Kalosbruo, where Italy begins.
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