Crotone (Cotrone until 1928, Cutroni in Calabrese) is an Italian
town of 60 443 inhabitants, the capital of the province of the same
name in Calabria.
The city was founded by Greek colonists
from the Achaia region in the second half of the 8th century BC. in
the place of a pre-existing indigenous settlement, and thanks to the
spread of the Italic-Pythagorean phenomenon it represented one of
the most important centers of Magna Graecia. The old city develops
in a maze of narrow alleys and squares up to the cathedral and the
central Piazza Pitagora, the point of contact between the "old" and
"new" city.
The homonymous crater on the surface of Mars and
the homonymous mine hunter of the Italian Navy have been named after
Crotone.
Crotone is a city of modern buildings. The antiquity of the settlements is reminiscent of the castle of Charles V, turned into a city museum, where, among other things, the results of the latest archaeological excavations, a small fortification of La Castella on an island in the bay and a Romanesque cathedral with a classicist facade and a "black madonna" from the sanctuary at Cape Colonna.
The cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta is the cathedral of the
archdiocese of Crotone-Santa Severina. In November 1983, Pope John
Paul II elevated it to the dignity of a minor basilica. The
cathedral of Crotone, dedicated to Santa Maria Assunta and San
Dionigi l'Areopagita, dates back to the original layout of the 9th
century. Rebuilt in the 16th century on the initiative of the then
bishop Antonio Lucifero with the help of materials from the temple
of Hera Lacinia, the structure underwent numerous restorations over
time.
The dome
On the neoclassical facade, flanked by an
imposing bell tower, there are three majestic portals. The interior,
divided into three naves supported by pillars, houses valuable works
of art: a stone baptismal font with a zoomorphic base from the
thirteenth century, a seventeenth-century wooden choir, two wooden
busts depicting San Gennaro and San Dionigi, both from the
seventeenth century , a terracotta crucifix and a marble pulpit
designed by the architect Pietro Paolo Farinelli in 1898.
At
the bottom of the right aisle opens the nineteenth-century chapel in
which the Byzantine icon of the Madonna di Capocolonna is kept
which, according to tradition, is the work of San Luca. The chapel,
on whose vault musician angels are depicted, is decorated with
gilded stuccoes, bronzes and precious paintings by Boschetto (16th
century) and De Falco (17th century).
On the left aisle there
is an eighteenth-century canvas depicting Jesus returning from the
temple made by Niccolò Lapiccola; the church also preserves an
interesting treasure consisting of vestments and silverware
including, of great interest, a gilded silver chalice with enamels
from 1626, a gift from Philip IV to the archbishop of Crotone, an
eighteenth-century chalice and basin by unknown Neapolitan artists,
and an 18th century processional cross. Inside there is also an
eighteenth-century painting on canvas, recently restored, depicting
the beheading of San Dionigi, attributable to Corrado Giaquinto.
In recent years, a bronze statue of Padre Pio has been placed at
the entrance.
The square adjacent to the entrance was
completely restored in 2003-2004.
On May 2, 2016, the Solemn
Eucharistic Concelebration took place in the Cathedral Basilica for
the Presentation of the Confraternity of the Madonna di Capocolonna
and the Blessing of the insignia of the Sodality. The ceremony was
presided over by the archbishop father, Monsignor Domenico Graziani.
The motto of the Confraternity well expresses the soul of the
deepest and most genuine popular sentiment: Mater Domini, praesidium
and cor huius vrbis - Mother of the Lord, garrison and heart of this
city.
Prehistoric and Foundation (Bronze Age to 8th Century BC)
The
promontory of Kroton was inhabited by indigenous peoples, likely
Oenotrians and Japigi, during the Bronze and early Iron Ages. Greek
colonization transformed the area. According to tradition recorded
by Herodotus and others, Achaean settlers from Rhypes (northern
Peloponnese) founded the colony around 710 BC under the leadership
of Myscellus (or Myskellos). The Delphic Oracle guided the site:
“Cross the vast sea and next to the Esaro (river) you will found
Kroton.” Archaeological evidence suggests possible earlier
expeditions (ca. 733–720 BC) tied to broader Achaean-Spartan
ventures, but stable settlement occurred ca. 708–709 BC. Myths link
the foundation to Hercules (Heracles), who reportedly killed a thief
named Lacinius near the promontory and accidentally slew his friend
Kroton, prophesying the city and dedicating a monument there. Coins
later depicted Hercules as ktistes (founder). Mixed Greek-indigenous
marriages appear in early necropolis finds, showing rapid cultural
integration.
The location offered a natural (if imperfect)
harbor—the only major port between Tarentum (Taranto) and Rhegium
(Reggio di Calabria)—plus fertile plains ideal for agriculture.
Greek Era: Rise and Golden Age of Magna Graecia (7th–5th
Centuries BC)
Kroton quickly became one of Magna Graecia’s
wealthiest and most powerful poleis, with an estimated population of
50,000–80,000 by around 500 BC. Its 12-mile (19 km) walls enclosed a
vast area, including an acropolis on the hill above the harbor.
Key achievements:
Athletics: From 588 BC, Crotonians
dominated the Olympic and Panhellenic Games. The wrestler Milo of
Croton (six-time Olympic champion) became legendary.
Medicine:
Herodotus praised Croton’s physicians as the best in the Greek
world. Democedes (son of Calliphon) served tyrants like Polycrates
of Samos and Persian King Darius. A renowned medical school
flourished here.
Philosophy and Politics: Pythagoras arrived from
Samos around 530 BC and founded his influential school. His
followers (including Alcmaeon of Croton and Philolaus) gained
political power in the aristocratic council of 1,000. They promoted
sobriety, ethics, and anti-excess ideals. The Pythagoreans
influenced governance until a revolt (led by oligarch Cylon)
massacred many and expelled them; Pythagoras fled to Metapontum, and
a democracy emerged.
Militarily, Kroton expanded influence
(possibly founding Caulonia), allied with Sybaris against Siris
(destroyed ca. 550 BC), and decisively defeated rival Sybaris in 510
BC, razing it and forming a confederation of 25 city-states
(evidenced by coins minted 480–460 BC). In 480 BC, athlete Phayllos
funded and led a ship to the Battle of Salamis—the only Italian
Greek contingent. Kroton also founded Terina on the Tyrrhenian
coast. The Sanctuary of Hera Lacinia at Capo Colonna (about 10 km
south) served as the Italiote League’s meeting place and treasury,
underscoring its regional hegemony.
Decline began after the
Pythagorean expulsion, with losses to Locri/Rhegium (Battle of the
Sagra) and internal anarchy. Dionysius I of Syracuse captured the
city in 379 BC and held it for 12 years. Bruttii, Agathocles of
Syracuse, and Pyrrhus of Epirus (invasions 280–278 and 275 BC)
further weakened it. By Pyrrhus’s time, half the walled area was
uninhabited.
Roman Era (3rd Century BC Onward)
The city
submitted to Rome around 277 BC. During the Second Punic War, it
briefly revolted after Cannae (216 BC), defecting to Hannibal (who
wintered there) and the Bruttii, but Romans recaptured it ca.
205–204 BC. In 194 BC, Rome established a colony of veterans. The
port retained importance, though the city became a quieter
provincial town. Petronius’s Satyricon (1st century AD) satirically
sets part of the action in Croton, mocking local corruption. The
Hera Lacinia sanctuary continued as a landmark.
Post-Roman,
Byzantine, and Medieval Periods (5th–15th Centuries)
After the
Western Roman Empire’s fall, the city (then Cotrone) faced
successive rulers. Around 550 AD, Ostrogoth king Totila
unsuccessfully besieged it. It became a Byzantine stronghold against
Lombards. In 841, Venice sent a fleet to aid Byzantines against
Arabs (unsuccessfully). Saracens sacked it ca. 870, killing the
bishop and refugees in the cathedral but failing to hold the city.
Norman conquest (11th century) under Roger II brought renewed
vitality. Frederick II (Holy Roman Emperor, r. 1194–1250) restored
walls and the harbor. Under the Angevins (from 1284), it became the
center of the Marquisate of Ruffo, granted by Charles I of Anjou to
Pietro Ruffo. Political struggles between popular factions and
landowners caused decline in the 17th–18th centuries.
Early
Modern to Unification (16th–19th Centuries)
Under Spanish rule
(Kingdom of Naples/Aragon), the castle was fortified against
Ottomans. In 1806, during the Napoleonic era, British and then
French forces occupied and sacked it. Crotone shared the Kingdom of
Naples/Two Sicilies’ fate until Garibaldi’s campaigns and
unification with Italy in 1860–1861.
Modern Era (20th–21st
Centuries)
Industrialization accelerated between the World Wars
due to the port, hydroelectric power, and proximity to resources.
Population doubled in the 1930s with chemical plants and
zinc-smelting. The city was known as Cotrone until 1928, when the
ancient name Crotone was restored. In 1992, it became capital of the
newly created Province of Crotone (carved from Catanzaro province).
Late 20th-century factory closures (e.g., Pertusola Sud, Montedison)
caused economic crisis and emigration, but agriculture, tourism
(linked to Magna Graecia heritage), and small industry persist.
Population is around 58,000–60,000 today.
Crotone is a historic port city in the Calabria region of
southern Italy, located in the Province of Crotone (KR). It sits
directly on the Ionian Sea (part of the Gulf of Taranto), roughly
midway along the eastern Calabrian coast between the major ports of
Taranto to the north and Messina (via the Strait) to the south. Its
precise coordinates are approximately 39°05′N 17°07′E (39.083°N,
17.117°E). The urban core lies on a low coastal promontory at an
elevation of just 8 m (26 ft) above sea level, though the broader
municipal territory of 179.8 km² (69.4 sq mi) extends inland across
gently rising hills and lowlands.
The city occupies a strategic
position on the Ionian (eastern) coast of the “toe” of Italy’s
boot-shaped peninsula. To the northwest, the province rises toward
the high Sila plateau; to the southwest lies the Province of
Catanzaro; and the Ionian Sea forms the entire southern and eastern
boundary. Nearby landmarks include Capo Colonna (Cape of Colonna), a
prominent promontory about 10 km south of the city center, famous
for the ancient Sanctuary of Hera Lacinia.
Topography and
Terrain
Crotone’s immediate landscape is characterized by a
coastal promontory that juts into the Ionian Sea, with the historic
core originally built on a hill overlooking the harbor (the ancient
acropolis). The terrain features a series of low hills—St. Lucia,
Carrara, Cimone Rapignese (reaching about 40 m / 131 ft with traces
of ancient walls), Vigna Nuova, Battery Hill, and Castle Hill—from
which the land slopes downward toward the sea and the Esaro River
valley.
The broader municipal and provincial topography shows a
clear contrast:
Coastal lowlands — flat to gently undulating
plains ideal for agriculture and settlement.
Inland transition —
low hills and marine terraces that step upward from the shoreline.
Northwestern highlands — part of the Sila plateau (a rugged highland
area within the Sila National Park), with elevations climbing
rapidly to over 1,800 m in the province as a whole.
Geologically, Crotone lies within the Crotone Basin, a tectonically
active forearc basin shaped by Quaternary uplift, sea-level
fluctuations, and salt tectonics. This has produced distinctive
marine and alluvial terraces (multiple orders from the Pleistocene),
creating a stepped coastal landscape. The region experiences ongoing
tectonic influences typical of Calabria’s position in the Calabrian
Arc subduction zone, contributing to its varied relief and
occasional seismic activity.
Coastline and Hydrography
Crotone fronts the Ionian Sea with a mix of sandy beaches, small
bays, and low cliffs. The harbor—historically modest but
strategically vital—includes a commercial port (Porto Nuovo) and a
marina. The coastline here features golden sands, crystal-clear
waters that shift from turquoise to deep blue, and headlands like
Capo Colonna and Capo Cimiti. South of the city lies the Marine
Protected Area of Capo Rizzuto, one of Italy’s largest, known for
its pristine seabed, red-sand beaches, and rich marine biodiversity.
The primary river is the Esaro (a short torrent roughly 20 km long
originating near Cutro), which flows into the sea just north of the
city and played a role in its ancient founding legend. A smaller
stream, the Papaniciaro, also crosses the area. Like most Calabrian
rivers, these are seasonal—low or dry in summer but capable of flash
flooding in autumn and winter (notably the 1996 Esaro flood that
affected the city).
Climate
Crotone has a classic
Mediterranean climate (Köppen: Csa): hot, dry summers and mild,
wetter winters. Summers (June–August) are short, hot, and sunny,
with mean daily maxima around 30–31 °C (86–88 °F) and minima around
21–22 °C (70–72 °F); rainfall is minimal (as low as 5 mm in June).
Winters (December–February) are long, milder, and rainier, with
January averages of 12.7 °C (55 °F) high and 6.8 °C (44 °F) low,
though occasional cold, windy spells can drop temperatures near
freezing (record low −6.2 °C). Annual precipitation totals about 792
mm (31 in), concentrated in October–November and December; the city
enjoys over 2,450 hours of sunshine per year. Relative humidity
averages 69 %, lowest in summer.
Surrounding Geography and
Regional Context
Inland from Crotone, the province transitions
quickly into the Sila National Park (northwest), a rugged wilderness
of pine, oak, beech, and fir forests, open heathlands, lakes, and
high plateaus where chestnuts and olives are cultivated. The
lowlands around the city support citrus orchards, vineyards, and
intensive agriculture. Short seasonal rivers and streams drain the
area, many drying up in summer.
Nearby attractions highlight the
geographic diversity: Santa Severina perched on a cliff, the
Aragonese castle at Le Castella on a rocky islet, and the Vergari
River Park with waterfalls and trekking paths. The entire Ionian
coastline offers dramatic contrasts—beaches, promontories, and
protected marine zones.