Catanzaro

Catanzaro stands on hills above the narrow waist of Calabria, between the Tyrrhenian and Ionian seas. Its elevated position made it a natural stronghold, while silk manufacture helped the city become a commercial centre. Under the Ruffo family it commanded a substantial territory, and its workshops connected the surrounding countryside with markets beyond the mountains.

During the struggle between France and Spain for southern Italy, French forces besieged Catanzaro in 1528 but failed to take it. The city's resistance earned it the title Magnifica et Fidelissima, displayed together with the imperial eagle on its arms. In 1783 a succession of earthquakes struck Calabria and badly damaged Catanzaro, bringing new hardship to a city already shaped by war and the dangers of the mountain landscape.