Pianopoli - The birth of a Town

The Birth of Pianopoli



Between June of 1625 and June of 1638 several earthquakes occurred in Calabria. The most devastating of them, an earthquake of the greatest magnitude ever recorded, occurred on 27 March 1638 at about 2100 hours. It wrecked the utmost destruction on Calabria, in particular the region of Catanzaro.

Feroleto Antico was completely destroyed and suffered 161 casualties. In the neighboring towns, numerous lives were lost. Nicastro counted 1200 dead; Sambiase, 747; S. Eufemia 142. The quake totally destroyed the Mother Church, Santa Maria Maggiore, the Church of the Holy Spirit, and the bell tower of the Church of San Nicola. The town’s Castle and homes were also demolished.

In the earthquake that occurred on 27 May 1638, seventy more persons lost their lives, and hundreds more were injured. Seeing two priests, Don Giovanni Battista Gaiella and Don Nicola Barberio, vanish under the ruins of the Church of Santa Maria, the people panicked and ran to the nearby fields, looking for solid ground and security. They came to farmland about one kilometer away called “Coltura” or “Cutura” where a small built-up community already existed. This area contained a Church, Santa Croce, and a palazzo, both of which had escaped damage from the quake. The owner of the land next to the Church, Don Giovanni Pietro Fanosa, offered to donate the land to people who chose to remain there. The first building that was authorized to be erected was “Palazzo Stella” located near the Santa Croce Church. The first people to construct homes around the Church were the families of Pietro Nanci, Tomasso Molinella, Don Cola di Arena, and Gian Carlo Cardamone. Other families settled in other areas such as Pacilita and Crecia near San Filippo where small temporary churches were also built.

Since all the churches in Feroleto had been totally destroyed, the Church of Santa Croce became the temporary main diocese where all records were to be kept. All religious functions, including processions, were to be conducted from this church.

In 1638, on the feast of Corpus Domini (the feast traditionally celebrated on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday when the Church relives the mystery of Holy Thursday in light of the Resurrections), people were processing from Santa Croce Church to the Pacilita Church via Feroleto, as they were obliged to do. As they arrived at the creek near the entrance to Feroleto, a huge ground tremor occurred, throwing the people into total panic and again causing destruction in Feroleto. Soon after, more and more families from Feroleto decided to settle in the Cultura area, near the Santa Croce Church. Gian Domenico Spatafora (mayor of the nobles), Don Giovanni Battista, Giulio Cesare Faga’ (high priest), Gian Tommaso Cimino, Don Quinzio Donato, Gerolamo Andreaggi, Giuseppe Servidone, and Giovan Tommaso Barberio, decided after long discussions, to give a name to this new town and called it “Feroleto Piano” meaning Feroleto on a plain or level land. This name remained for approximately 250 years until town hall members sent a formal request directly to S.M. Vittorio Emmanele II asking that the name of the town be officially changed from Feroleto Piano to Pianopoli. The request was approved on 11 April 1872, and the name remains Pianopoli, meaning “Citta’ Piana” or “city on a plain” to this day.

Even though the Earthquake of 1638 ruined much of the terrain, today it is nearly restored. In a short span of time, about 56 years, many noble families and wealthy people of the cities of Catanzaro and Cosenza appeared with much splendor. To the eyes of visitors, it appeared as though the area was the same. In fact, the ruins of churches, walls and buildings were mute testimony to the damage inflicted long ago by the earthquake. Reduced to ruins were the old castle, the monastery of San Filippo and Giacomo and other religious buildings.

During the 17th century, the center of the county was located between the Abbey and Garella Rivers. However, Feroleto Piano had grown outside the cerchia feudale (the feudal circle), the boundaries which were formed by the above-cited rivers. Because of its uneven terrain, it was quite difficult to regulate building development in city of Feroleto Antico. However, there was a spontaneous rising of other centers, authentic rural hamlets that were developed along roads, which facilitated access to arable lands. Accaria, Vaiola, Polverini, Luciani were examples. Galli and Ievoli, in particular. were positioned to achieve more functional urbanization.

Feroleto and other antique cities in d’Aquino began to decay and in the second half of the century a crisis was imminent. The Famine of 1664, a plague that harshly struck the Catanzarese people, the failed cultivation of the lands, and feudal pressure contributed to the development of brigands. Not even Feroleto was immune.

Many notorious briganti, Il Benincasa, Lo Zungro also called Quadararu, il Mazza and others more terrible such as Parafanti and Giuseppe Rotella, nicknamed Il Boia, were mentioned. The latter merits particular attention for the cruelty and maiming he and his followers inflicted by cutting off the ears or noses of those unfortunate enough to encounter them, or setting trained attack dogs to maul.

According to the literary work of Filippo Bruni, many Feroletani perished under the cruelty of these brigands. One person who is recalled is Stefano Mascaro di Tommaso from Feroleto who was shot and killed on 31 August 1810. At that time the head of the civic guard of Feroleto Piano was Tommaso Barberio, a daring and courageous man.

On September 11, 1810, the Civic Guard, while searching the territory of Feroleto, came upon Il Boia and his followers in the woods and shot at them. Boia fled to Dipodi with the survivors of his group. Killed were were Luigi from Cerrisi, Giuseppe Lamanna from Tirico and two dogs, Leonessa and Malcuore. (Continue.......more to follow)