Grimaldi is a town and ''

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 ...

'' in the

province of Cosenza The province of Cosenza () is a province in the Calabria region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Cosenza. It contains 150 ''comuni'' (: ''comune''), listed at list of ''comuni'' of the province of Cosenza. The province of Cosenza contains ...

in the

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 ...

region of southern

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 ...

. Grimaldi is referred to as ''Grimaldo'' in historic documents. In the local

Calabrian dialect The primary languages of Calabria are the Italian language as well as regional varieties of Extreme Southern Italian and Neapolitan languages, all collectively known as Calabrian (). In addition, there are speakers of the Arbëresh variety of Alb ...

(a variation of Cosentino), the town is called ''Grimàudu'' or ''Grimàuru'', and the residents ''Grimaudisi'', although the Italian versions (Grimaldi and Grimaldesi) are today prevalent.

Geography

Grimaldi is located 29 km (18 mi) from

Cosenza Cosenza (; Languages of Calabria#Northern Calabrian (Cosentian), Cosentian: ''Cusenza'', ) is a city located in Calabria, Italy. The city centre has a population of approximately 70,000, while the urban area counts more than 200,000 inhabitants. ...

and rises to 650m above sea level. The territory of the municipality lies between 150 and 1,256 metres (492 and 4,120 ft.) above sea level. The comune extends from the Santa Lucerna mountains to the

Savuto river The Savuto is a river and valley in Calabria, Southern Italy, that lies at the intersection of the provinces of Province of Cosenza, Cosenza and Province of Catanzaro, Catanzaro. It is also the name of a Denominazione di Origine Controllata, DOC ...

valley to the south.

History

It is likely that Grimaldi owes its origins to the devastation experienced by the ancient territory of Pandosia, after the year 475 CE. The first settlement in the area may have been a small casale (hamlet) named Santa Caterina, around the year 872, when much of Calabria was experiencing the battles between the

Lombards The Lombards () or Longobards () were a Germanic peoples, Germanic people who conquered most of the Italian Peninsula between 568 and 774. The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the ''History of the Lombards'' (written betwee ...

, the

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

s and the

Saracens file:Erhard Reuwich Sarazenen 1486.png, upright 1.5, Late 15th-century History of Germany, German woodcut depicting Saracens ''Saracen'' ( ) was a term used both in Greek language, Greek and Latin writings between the 5th and 15th centuries to ...

. Other ''casali'' appeared, such as those at San Pietro and San Stefano. According to some scholars, the name Grimaldi evolved from

Grimoald I Grimoald I (616–657), called the Elder (in French, ''Grimaud l'Ainé''), was the mayor of the palace of Austrasia from 643 to his death. He was the son of Pepin of Landen and Itta. Biography With the death of Pepin in 640, Grimoald became th ...

(c. 610-671), duke of

Benevento Benevento ( ; , ; ) is a city and (municipality) of Campania, Italy, capital of the province of Benevento, northeast of Naples. It is situated on a hill above sea level at the confluence of the Calore Irpino (or Beneventano) and the Sabato (r ...

and king of the

, whose domains included

Apulia Apulia ( ), also known by its Italian language, Italian name Puglia (), is a Regions of Italy, region of Italy, located in the Southern Italy, southern peninsular section of the country, bordering the Adriatic Sea to the east, the Strait of Ot ...

, and

Ancona Ancona (, also ; ) is a city and a seaport in the Marche region of central Italy, with a population of around 101,997 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona, homonymous province and of the region. The city is located northeast of Ro ...

. The name was originally applied to the entire territory. Saccomanno, Storia di Grimaldi Thus, while there is no certainty that the Lombards founded the city, there is no doubt that they were present and had integrated into the population, well before their defeat at the start of the 11th century. The present-day town may have been founded between 1027 and 1034, in the aftermath of the

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 9th and 10th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norma ...

invasion, when due to natural calamities and pestilence all of the Grimaldesi moved to the slopes of the Santa Lucerna mountains. During the period of Angevin, Aragonese and

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

rule of the

Kingdom of Naples The Kingdom of Naples (; ; ), officially the Kingdom of Sicily, was a state that ruled the part of the Italian Peninsula south of the Papal States between 1282 and 1816. It was established by the War of the Sicilian Vespers (1282–1302). Until ...

, Grimaldi found itself in isolation, the main routes from Cosenza to Aiello being along the

to the south (then navigable). In 1369,

Joan I of Naples Joanna I, also known as Johanna I (; December 1325 – 27 July 1382), was Queen of Naples, and Countess of Provence and Forcalquier from 1343 to 1381; she was also Princess of Achaea from 1373 to 1381. Joanna was the eldest daughter of C ...

sent a royal delegation to nearby Tinisi to divide the territories of ''Grimaldo'' and Mendicino from the territory of Aiello. From this time, until 1510, there were a series of disputes and battles between the ''casale di Grimaldo'' and the count of Ajello, Francesco Siscar, who had intentions of occupying Grimaldi. In 1481, Paolo Siscar, count of Cirella, became the lord of ''Grimaldo'', but the ''Grimaudisi'' avoided feudal obligations by paying 1000

ducat The ducat ( ) coin was used as a trade coin in Europe from the later Middle Ages to the 19th century. Its most familiar version, the gold ducat or sequin containing around of 98.6% fine gold, originated in Venice in 1284 and gained wide inter ...

i. In 1638, the original ''Grimaldo'' was destroyed by an earthquake, and the town was rebuilt in an area known as "Chiata" (from where the district mpedichiati'' developed, meaning literally "at Chiata's feet"). In 1639 the rebuilding of the original Grimaldi began (''vecchio Grimaldo''). As with most towns in

Southern Italy Southern Italy (, , or , ; ; ), also known as () or (; ; ; ), is a macroregion of Italy consisting of its southern Regions of Italy, regions. The term "" today mostly refers to the regions that are associated with the people, lands or cultu ...

, Grimaldi contributed significantly to the

Italian diaspora The Italian diaspora (, ) is the large-scale emigration of Italians from Italy. There were two major Italian diasporas in Italian history. The first diaspora began around 1880, two decades after the Risorgimento, Unification of Italy, and ended ...

of the late 19th and early to mid- 20th centuries. The most recent wave of migrants, from the post-war years to the early 1970s, saw residents migrate to northern and central Italy, and many immigrated abroad, primarily to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

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Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

and

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

. In Canada, there is a large population of descendants from Grimaldi in

London, Ontario London is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River (Ontario), Thames River and N ...

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Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

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Trail A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or a small paved road (though it can also be a route along a navigable waterways) generally not intended for usage by motorized vehicles, usually passing through a natural area. Ho ...

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and

Thunder Bay Thunder Bay is a city in and the seat of Thunder Bay District, Ontario, Canada. It is the most populous municipality in Northwestern Ontario and the second most populous (after Greater Sudbury) municipality in Northern Ontario. Its population i ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

Demographics

In 1991 Grimaldi's population was 2,055 residents; however, in 2001 this figure dropped to 1,870, showing a decline in the decade 1991 - 2001 of -9.00%. At its peak census figure, in 1951, Grimaldi had a population of 3,786.

ISTAT The Italian National Institute of Statistics (; Istat) is the primary source of official statistics in Italy. The institute conducts a variety of activities, including the census of population, economic censuses, and numerous social, economic, a ...

The residents are distributed amongst 714 households, with an average of 2.62 persons per household.

Sights

*''Chiesa Madre'' (dei SS apostoli Pietro e Paolo), central church *Sant'Antonio Church and Convent *''La Foce'' church and viewpoint

Adjacent communities

Aiello Calabro Aiello Calabro is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy. See also * Savuto river The Savuto is a river and valley in Calabria, Southern Italy, that lies at the intersection of the provinces ...

Altilia Altilia ( Calabrian: ) is a town and comune in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy. The comune includes the frazione of ''Maione''. See also * Savuto river The Savuto is a river and valley in Calabria, Southern Ita ...

(including the ''frazione'' Maione, which is very near), Domanico, Lago,

Malito Malito () is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy. See also * Savuto river The Savuto is a river and valley in Calabria, Southern Italy, that lies at the intersection of the provinces of P ...

Martirano Martirano is a village and ''comune'' of the province of Catanzaro in the Calabria region of Italy. History Local historians believe that Martirano was built on the ruins of Mamertum, a city of the Roman Empire. Martirano, also known as Marturan ...

(

Province of Catanzaro The province of Catanzaro (; Catanzarese: ) is a province of the Calabria region of Italy. The city Catanzaro is both capital of the province and capital of the region of Calabria. The province contains 80 '' comuni'' (: ''comune''). Catanza ...

)

External links

Official website

Unofficial site

References

{{Authority control Cities and towns in Calabria hu:Grimaldi