Nicotera

Nicotera (Calabrian: Nicòtra; Ancient Greek: Νικόπτερα, romanized: Nikóptera) is a comune (municipality) in the province of Vibo Valentia, Calabria, southern Italy.

For the Italian politician, see Giovanni Nicotera.
Nicotera

Griko: Nikòptera
Comune
Comune di Nicotera
Coat of arms
Location of Nicotera
Nicotera
Location of Nicotera in Italy
Nicotera
Nicotera (Calabria)
Coordinates: 38°33′N 15°56′E
CountryItaly
RegionCalabria
ProvinceVibo Valentia (VV)
FrazioniComèrconi, Marina, Preìtoni, Badia di Nicotera
Government
 • MayorFrancesco Pagano
Area
 • Total32 km2 (12 sq mi)
Elevation
220 m (720 ft)
Population
 (2007)[2]
 • Total6,487
 • Density200/km2 (530/sq mi)
Demonym(s)Nicoteresi
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
89844
Dialing code0963
Patron saintSaint Joseph; Assumption of Mary
Saint day19 March; 15 August
WebsiteOfficial website

History

The origins of Nicòtera lie with the ancient Greek city of Medma, which was founded by the Locresis of Locri Epizephyris.

During the period of Roman domination it survived only in the form of the emporium (port), near today's Nicotera Marina. A Christian bishopric see is attested in Nicotera during the Middle Ages.[3]

View of the upper town with the castle on the left

In 1065 Robert Guiscard – enlarging his Principate of Salerno – seized it from the Byzantine Empire, and the town grew around the castle and the cathedral built under the Normans. In 1122, Nicotera was attacked by an Almoravid fleet: some of the populace were killed while the rest were taken and sold into slavery.[4]

Under Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II Nicotera attained economic wealth. To encourage commerce and industry, Frederick promoted Jewish settlement in the area called "Giudecca", a ghetto area near the castle, in which Jews lived under the protection of the Bishop of Nicotera, and enjoyed protection from Christian persecution.

In the 15th century, under the rule of Alfonso of Aragon, the town came under the yoke of feudalism and fell into decay. In 1806 the French Revolution swept away the feudal system in Nicotera. After the restoration of Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies, Nicotera continued to be chief town of the district, with what are now the modern communes of Joppolo and Limbadi as its dependencies.

Notes
  1. "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011". Istat. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  2. "Popolazione Residente al 1° Gennaio 2018". Istat. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  3. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11072a.htm
  4. Hubert Houben, Roger II of Sicily: A Ruler Between East and West (Cambridge University Press, 2002), 38.

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