Cirò is a ''
comune
A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...
'' and
town
A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city.
The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
with a population of 3614 people in the
province of Crotone
The province of Crotone () is a province in the Calabria region of Italy. It was formed in 1992 out of a section of the province of Catanzaro. The provincial capital is the city of Crotone. It borders the provinces of Cosenza, Catanzaro, and als ...
, in
Calabria
Calabria is a Regions of Italy, region in Southern Italy. It is a peninsula bordered by the region Basilicata to the north, the Ionian Sea to the east, the Strait of Messina to the southwest, which separates it from Sicily, and the Tyrrhenian S ...
,
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
.
History
There were Bronze Age settlements in the area and fossils have been found and are preserved for eventual exhibition in a museum to be established. The ancient Greeks had a settlement on the sea coast - rudiments of a shrine to Apollo have been found. The town on the hill had its origins before 1000 AD but it was greatly expanded after the Saracens started raiding the sea coast. Cirò (known earlier as Psicro) became an important regional center with a castle most of which was constructed between the years 1300 and 1500. Today the castle is in a rather bad shape and should be restored. The administration is attempting to obtain funds and authorisation to do so. Until around 1970 the regional court had its seat in Cirò. After the coastal town split off, much of the administrative functions were transferred there.
Economy
Ciro relies on the production of
oil
An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) and lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturate ...
,
wine
Wine is an alcoholic drink made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented fruit. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made f ...
,
cereal
A cereal is a grass cultivated for its edible grain. Cereals are the world's largest crops, and are therefore staple foods. They include rice, wheat, rye, oats, barley, millet, and maize ( Corn). Edible grains from other plant families, ...
s,
citrus
''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the family Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as oranges, mandarins, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and limes.
''Citrus'' is nativ ...
es and intense breeding of
cattle
Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are calle ...
.
The town of Ciro is famous for the production of Calabria's most important wine of the same name. The ancient Greeks started producing this wine under a different name nearly 3000 years ago and it was also offered to victors of the ancient Olympics.
Notable people
*
Luigi Lilio (creator of the Gregorian Calendar)
*
Nicodemo Gentile (lawyer and TV personality)
See also
*
Cirò wine
References
Cities and towns in Calabria
{{Calabria-geo-stub