Riace
Riace (Calabrian: Riàci) is a comune (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria in the Italian region Calabria, located about 50 kilometres (31 mi) south of Catanzaro and about 80 kilometres (50 mi) northeast of Reggio Calabria. Riace borders the municipalities of Camini and Stignano.
Riace
Greek: Riaci | |
|---|---|
| Comune di Riace | |
 | |
 Coat of arms | |
Location of Riace | |
  Riace Location of Riace in Calabria  Riace Riace (Calabria) | |
| Coordinates: 38°25′05″N 16°28′52″E | |
| Country | Italy |
| Region | Calabria |
| Metropolitan city | Reggio Calabria (RC) |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Antonio Trifoli |
| Area | |
| • Total | 16.24 km2 (6.27 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 300 m (1,000 ft) |
| Population (30 November 2016)[2] | |
| • Total | 2,343 |
| • Density | 140/km2 (370/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Riacesi |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 89040 |
| Dialing code | 0964 |
| Patron saint | Saints Cosmas and Damian |
| Website | Official website |
Art
It is notable as the place where the Bronzi di Riace (Riace bronzes), bronze statues of warriors, were found in the sea in 1972. These Ancient Greek sculptures can be seen in the Museo Nazionale della Magna Grecia (National Museum of Magna Graecia, i.e. the colonies of Greater Greece) in Reggio Calabria.
Migration policy
Riace attracted international attention through its policies on migrants under mayor Domenico Lucano during the European migrant crisis.[3] As of January 2011, about 450 refugees from 20 countries had settled there among the 1,800 inhabitants, revitalising the village and preventing the closure of the village school.[4][5] Lucano, came second runner-up in the 2010 World Mayor competition; the winner was the Mayor of Mexico City, which has about nine million inhabitants.[6] He was also listed by Fortune as one of the world's greatest leaders in 2016[5][7] featuring at number 40 in the magazine's listing.[8]
Lucano was later sentenced to 13 years in prison for abetting illegal immigration.[9]
References
- "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
- All demographics and other statistics from the Italian statistical institute (Istat)
- Sreenivasan, Hari (April 3, 2016). PBS NewsHour Weekend.
- Ash, Lucy (10 January 2011). "Italian mayor saves his village by welcoming refugees". BBC News. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
- Poggioli, Sylvia (April 12, 2016). NPR Morning Edition (radio). National Public Radio. Retrieved 2016-04-13.
- World Mayor 2010 results
- "Riace: The Italian village abandoned by locals, adopted by migrants". BBC News. 25 September 2016. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
- "World's Greatest Leaders". Retrieved 2016-04-13.
- "Pro-refugee Italian mayor sentenced to 13 years for abetting illegal migration". the Guardian. 2021-09-30. Retrieved 2021-09-30.
