Maida, Calabria

Maida
Comune
Comune di Maida
Arco di San Antonio, leading into the town of Maida.
Coat of arms
Location of Maida
Maida Location of Maida in Italy Show map of Italy Maida Maida (Calabria) Show map of Calabria
Coordinates: 38°51′N16°22′E / 38.850°N 16.367°E / 38.850; 16.367
Country	Italy
Region	Calabria
Province	Catanzaro (CZ)
Frazioni	Vena di Maida
Government
• Mayor	Salvatore Paone
Area [1]
• Total	58.2 km2 (22.5 sq mi)
Elevation	299 m (981 ft)
Population  (31 December 2013) [2]
• Total	4,534
• Density	78/km2 (200/sq mi)
Demonym	Maidesi
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	88025
Dialing code	0968
Patron saint	St. Francis of Paola
Saint day	2 April
Website	Official website

Maida is an Italian town and comune in the province of Catanzaro, in the Calabria region of southern Italy. The British routed the French in the Battle of Maida in 1806, as part of the War of the Third Coalition.

Maida is 16 kilometres (10 mi) south of Lamezia Terme and 31 kilometres (19 mi) west of the provincial capital Catanzaro.

History

On 4 July 1806 the British under General John Stuart defeated the French under Jean Reynier outside the town at the Battle of Maida. A London pub on the Edgware Road was named The Hero of Maida, which in turn gave its name to the adjoining London districts, Maida Hill and, later, Maida Vale. King Ferdinand IV of Naples and Sicily awarded Stuart the title of Count of Maida.

The Norman castle of Maida was built in the 11th century under the direction of Duke Robert Guiscard.

Famous citizens

• Mgr Giovanni Cervadoro, the Carbonaro and teacher, was born in Maida in 1783 and died in 1836, and wrote School Stabilimenti for his students in 1829.
• Baldassarre Squitti, the teacher and politician, was born in Maida in 1855.
• American writer Gay Talese wrote about his ancestors from Maida in his 1992 book Unto the Sons .
• Giuseppe Donato, sculptor and protégé of Auguste Rodin, was born in Maida in 1881 and died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1965.

Economy

The main economic activity in the area is agriculture, especially the cultivation of olive trees, citrus, and kiwifruit. In recent years, tourism has become a significant source of income.

Sister cities

Maida is a sister city with:

• Ambler, Pennsylvania, United States ^[3]

References

1. "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
2. "Popolazione Residente al 1° Gennaio 2018". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
3. "Ambler forms twinship with Maida, Italy" . Retrieved 2012-12-30.

External links

• Photos of Maida Archived 2008-11-19 at the Wayback Machine at Saint Francis Society of Ambler, Pennsylvania, United States
• "Maida"  . Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). 1911.