Riace (Calabrian: Riàci) is a comune (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria in the Italian region of Calabria, located about 50 kilometres (31 mi) south of Catanzaro and about 80 kilometres (50 mi) northeast of Reggio Calabria. Riace borders the municipalities of Camini and Stignano.
Riace
Greek: Riaci | |
|---|---|
| Comune di Riace | |
 | |
 Coat of arms | |
Location of Riace  | |
  Riace Location of Riace in Calabria  Riace Riace (Calabria) | |
| Coordinates: 38°25′05″N 16°28′52″E / 38.41806°N 16.48111°E | |
| Country | Italy |
| Region | Calabria |
| Metropolitan city | Reggio Calabria (RC) |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Antonio Trifoli |
| Area | |
• Total | 16.24 km2 (6.27 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 300 m (1,000 ft) |
| Population (30 November 2016)[2] | |
• Total | 2,343 |
| • Density | 140/km2 (370/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Riacesi |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 89040 |
| Dialing code | 0964 |
| Patron saint | Saints Cosmas and Damian |
| Website | Official website |
Art
edit
Riace is notable as the place where the Bronzi di Riace (Riace bronzes), bronze statues of warriors, were found in the sea in 1972. These Ancient Greek sculptures can be seen in the Museo Nazionale della Magna Grecia (National Museum of Magna Graecia, i.e. the colonies of Greater Greece) in Reggio Calabria.
Migration policy
editRiace attracted international attention through its policies on migrants under mayor Domenico Lucano during the European migrant crisis.[3] As of January 2011, about 450 refugees from 20 countries had settled there among the 1,800 inhabitants, revitalising the village and preventing the closure of the village school.[4][5] Lucano was ranked third in the 2010 World Mayor competition;[6] the winner was the mayor of Mexico City, which at the time had about nine million inhabitants.[7][8] He was also listed at number 40 by Fortune as one of the world's greatest leaders in 2016.[5][9]
In the first-instance trial in September 2021, Lucano was sentenced to 13 years in prison for abetting illegal immigration.[10] On appeal in October 2023, the judges dropped charges against him,[11] ruling that his migration management model was not criminal.[12] Lucano said a never-ending nightmare was finally over.[13] With all charges dropped from the Locri investigation that began in 2018,[14][15]
Lucano was chosen as an independent candidate for the Greens and Left Alliance in the 2024 European Parliament election in Italy;[16] he was elected a member of the European Parliament and was also again elected mayor of Riace.[17] In Riace, "most of [the migrants] have moved on and mostly only elderly villagers remain."[18]
References
edit- ^ "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
- ^ All demographics and other statistics from the Italian statistical institute (Istat)
- ^ Sreenivasan, Hari (3 April 2016). PBS NewsHour Weekend.
- ^ Ash, Lucy (10 January 2011). "Italian mayor saves his village by welcoming refugees". BBC News. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
- ^ a b Poggioli, Sylvia (12 April 2016). NPR Morning Edition (radio). NPR. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
- ^ Marrazzo, Donata (11 October 2023). "Ecco chi è Mimmo Lucano, per tutti Mimì Capatosta". Il Sole 24 Ore (in Italian). Retrieved 22 May 2024.
- ^ Vom Hove, Tann (7 December 2010). "World Mayor: The 2010 results". World Mayor. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
- ^ "Domenico Lucano". Fortune. 2016. Archived from the original on 10 January 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
- ^ "Riace: The Italian village abandoned by locals, adopted by migrants". BBC News. 25 September 2016. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
- ^ Tondo, Lorenzo (30 September 2021). "Pro-refugee Italian mayor sentenced to 13 years for abetting illegal migration". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
- ^ Munster, Ben (21 May 2024). "Divided by migration, this tiny Italian community turned into a ghost town". Politico. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
- ^ Ripolo, Mariateresa (12 April 2024). "La 'mission' di Mimmo Lucano era 'alimentare una economia della speranza' e 'aiutare gli ultimi'". Corriere della Calabria (in Italian). Retrieved 12 June 2024.
- ^ "Charges dropped against Riace ex-mayor 'Mimmo'". InfoMigrants. 13 October 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
- ^ Ripolo, Mariateresa (10 June 2024). "La doppia sfida di Mimmo Lucano: valanga di voti alle Europee, ora fari puntati sulle comunali a Riace". Corriere della Calabria (in Italian). Retrieved 12 June 2024.
- ^ "Il ritorno di Mimmo Lucano: eletto sindaco di Riace e all'Europarlamento". Quotidiano Nazionale (in Italian). 10 June 2024. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
- ^ Munster, Ben (21 May 2024). "Divided by migration, this tiny Italian community turned into a ghost town". Politico. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
- ^ Candito, Alessia (11 June 2024). "La doppia vittoria di Mimmo Lucano, trionfa alle Europee e torna sindaco a Riace: 'Salvini pensava fosse tutto finito? Si sbagliava'". La Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 12 June 2024.
- ^ Burgen, Stephen (20 June 2024). "'I was shot in the leg back home': the refugees reviving rural Spain". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
See also
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