Reggio di Calabria, commonly known as Reggio Calabria or simply Reggiois the biggest city and the most populated comune of Calabria in Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Reggio Calabria and the seat of the Regional Council of Calabria. As a major functional pole in the region, it has strong historical, cultural and economic ties with the city of Messina, which lies across the strait in Sicily, forming a metro city of less than 1 million people. The beaches of the city have become a popular tourist destination. Tourism is distributed between the Ionian coast (Costa Jonica), the Tyrrhenian coast (the Costa Viola, Purple Coast) and the Aspromonte mountain behind the city, containing the natural reserve of the Aspromonte National Park where, at 1,300–1,950 metres above sea level, there is a panoramic view of the Strait of Messina from the snowy mount Etna to the Aeolian Islands. Reggio is the oldest city in the region, and despite its ancient foundation. It was an important and flourishing colony of Magna Graecia – it boasts a modern urban system, set up after the catastrophic earthquake on 28 December 1908, which destroyed most of the city.
Reggio is located on the “toe” of the Italian Peninsula. It is situated on the slopes of the Aspromonte, a long, craggy mountain range that runs up through the center of the region. The third economic center of mainland Southern Italy, the city proper has a population of more than 185,000 inhabitants spread over 236 square kilometres (91 sq mi), while the fast-growing urban area numbers 260,000 inhabitants. About 560,000 people live in the metropolitan area, recognised in 2009 by Italian Republic as a metropolitan city.
It is a major economic center for regional services and transport on the southern shores of the Mediterranean. Reggio, with Naples and Taranto, is home to one of the most important archaeological museums, the prestigious National Archaeological Museum of Magna Græcia, dedicated to Ancient Greece (which houses the famous Bronzes of Riace, rare example of Greek bronze sculpture, which became one of the symbols of the city). Reggio is the seat, since 1907, of the Archeological Superintendence of Bruttium and Lucania. The city has two recently founded universities: the “Mediterranea” University, and the “Università per Stranieri” (University for Foreigners). There are also an Academy of Fine Arts (opened in 1967) and a Conservatory of Music (founded 1927).
The city center, consisting primarily of Liberty buildings, has a linear development along the coast with parallel streets, and the promenade is dotted with rare magnolias and exotic palms. Reggio has commonly used popular nicknames: The “city of Bronzes”, for the Riace bronzes which are testimonials of its Greek origins; the “city of bergamot“, which is exclusively cultivated in the region; and the “city of Fata Morgana“, an optical phenomenon visible in Italy only from the Reggio seaside. The city was an Italian candidate to become the European Capital of Culture in 2019.
