SHARRYLAND
Where is
This municipality is located along the road of the two seas.
Maida, nerve center of Calabria.
Maida is an important transit center on the road that passes from the Gulf of Squillace to the Gulf of Santa Eufemia, that is, from the Ionian Sea to the Tyrrhenian Sea, traveling along the so-called Isthmus of Catanzaro, the narrow strait of only 35 kilometers between the Sila massif and the Calabrian Serre. Madia's countryside has largely retained its ancient beauty, a mosaic of olive, citrus and vines, but elsewhere progress has left its mark, suffice it to say the "Due Mari" shopping center, the most important in the region, and the large wind farm at Piano Barone.
A place steeped in history
A place frequented since prehistoric times, a Greek and then Roman center, it gained even greater importance under the Byzantines, who fortified it. Then under the Normans it was endowed with an imposing castle, which ruinous earthquakes reduced to an ancient vestige. Rather, as a reminder of its heyday, when it was frequented byEmperor Frederick II, Maida holds a medieval palio, with parades and performances, flag-wavers and falconers. Another moment of closeness to tradition is the feast of the patron sa int St. Francis of Paola, on April 2, when people gather at the ruins of the Minim convent for a collective chickpea pasta, the 'ciciarata,' in memory of the one the friars used to dispense to the poor.
On the parvis of the Mother Church
The most prominent feature of the center is the church of Santa Maria Cattolica, which in its attribute emphasizes the legacy of Basilian monastic presences. Added to the interest in the monument is the admiration for the view from the churchyard of the Santa Eufemia plain traversed by the Pesipe River. Other churches and numerous palaces confirm the rank maintained by the municipality over the centuries. A singular testimony is the Arch of St. Anthony: at the entrance to the town, it is the most relevant remnant of an aqueduct that served the castle and the village, and then fed a mill at the exit of the town.
When Maida welcomed a thousand red shirts
The municipal coat of arms is also interesting, with a "woman dressed in white, black-haired, holding a silver sword in her right hand and a loaf of bread in her left." Motto: "Maida che lo suo pan difende" to emphasize as much the wealth as the determination of the municipality. It was no coincidence, then, that on August 29, 1860, the people of Maida witnessed the passage of Giuseppe Garibaldi, who from the balcony of Palazzo Farao announced "the defeat of ten thousand Bourbons."
Fun fact: The arbëreshë community of Vena
Vena is a hamlet of Maida where the arbëreshë community is concentrated, that is, descendants of Albanian migrants who strongly preserve their customs and traditions, so much so that even the road signs here are in two languages, Italian and Albanian. It is a wonderful opportunity to immerse oneself in a particular culture that is very much felt by the local population.
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