Maida (CZ)
Encyclopedia
Maida is a 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 km south of Lamezia Terme
and 31 km west of the provincial capital Catanzaro.
defeated the French under Jean Reynier
outside the town. A London pub was named The Hero of Maida, which in turn gave its name to adjoining districts of London, Maida Vale
and Maida Hill. King Ferdinand IV of Naples and Sicily
awarded Stuart the title of Count of Maida.
, citrus
, and kiwifruit
. In recent years, tourism has become a significant source of income for the town.
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
in the province of Catanzaro
Province of Catanzaro
The Province of Catanzaro is a province of the Calabria region, in Italy. The city of Catanzaro is capital both of the province and of the region.- Demographics :The following is a list of the province of Catanzaro comunes with population over 5,000:...
, in the Calabria
Calabria
Calabria , in antiquity known as Bruttium, is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of the Italian Peninsula. The capital city of Calabria is Catanzaro....
region of southern Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. The British routed the French in the Battle of Maida
Battle of Maida
The Battle of Maida on 4 July 1806 saw a British expeditionary force fight a First French Empire division outside the town of Maida in Calabria, Italy during the Napoleonic Wars. John Stuart led 5,200 British troops to victory over about 6,000 French soldiers under Jean Reynier, inflicting...
in 1806, as part of the War of the Third Coalition.
Maida is 16 km south of Lamezia Terme
Lamezia Terme
Lamezia Terme, commonly named Lamezia, is an Italian city of 71,287 inhabitants in the province of Catanzaro in the Calabria region.-Geography:...
and 31 km west of the provincial capital Catanzaro.
History
On 4 July 1806 the British under John StuartJohn Stuart, Count of Maida
Sir John Stuart, Count of Maida GCB , was a British Lieutenant-General during the Napoleonic Wars.Stuart was born in Georgia, the son of Colonel John Stuart, superintendent of Indian affairs in the southern district, and a prominent loyalist in the War of Independence...
defeated the French under Jean Reynier
Jean Reynier
Jean Louis Ebénézer Reynier rose in rank to become a French army general officer during the French Revolutionary Wars. He led a division under Napoleon Bonaparte in the French Campaign in Egypt and Syria...
outside the town. A London pub was named The Hero of Maida, which in turn gave its name to adjoining districts of London, Maida Vale
Maida Vale
Maida Vale is a residential district in West London between St John's Wood and Kilburn. It is part of the City of Westminster. The area is mostly residential, and mainly affluent, consisting of many large late Victorian and Edwardian blocks of mansion flats...
and Maida Hill. King Ferdinand IV of Naples and Sicily
Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies
Ferdinand I reigned variously over Naples, Sicily, and the Two Sicilies from 1759 until his death. He was the third son of King Charles III of Spain by his wife Maria Amalia of Saxony. On 10 August 1759, Charles succeeded his elder brother, Ferdinand VI, as King Charles III of Spain...
awarded Stuart the title of Count of Maida.
Famous citizens
- Mgr Giovanni Cervadoro, the Carbonaro and teacher, was born in Maida in 1783 and died in 1836,wote School Stabilimenti for his students in 1829.
- Baldassarre SquittiBaldassarre SquittiBaron Baldassarre Squitti born in Maida, Calabria, Catanzaro, Italy in 1855, the son of Baron Tommaso Squitti and Rosina Astanti.Baldassarre was the brother of Senator Nicola Squitti, and Eleanora Maria Squitti, children of Baron Tommaso Squitti, Baron of Palermiti and Guarna, Calabria, Italy...
, the teacher and politician, was born in Maida in 1855. - The American writer Gay TaleseGay TaleseGay Talese is an American author. He wrote for The New York Times in the early 1960s and helped to define literary journalism...
wrote about his ancestors from Maida in 1992's Unto the Sons.
Economy
The main economic activity in the area is agriculture, especially the cultivation of olive treesOlive
The olive , Olea europaea), is a species of a small tree in the family Oleaceae, native to the coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean Basin as well as northern Iran at the south end of the Caspian Sea.Its fruit, also called the olive, is of major agricultural importance in the...
, citrus
Citrus
Citrus is a common term and genus of flowering plants in the rue family, Rutaceae. Citrus is believed to have originated in the part of Southeast Asia bordered by Northeastern India, Myanmar and the Yunnan province of China...
, and kiwifruit
Kiwifruit
The kiwifruit, often shortened to kiwi in many parts of the world, is the edible berry of a cultivar group of the woody vine Actinidia deliciosa and hybrids between this and other species in the genus Actinidia....
. In recent years, tourism has become a significant source of income for the town.
External links
- Photos of Maida at Saint Francis Society of Ambler (Pennsylvania, USA)