Calabria
Calabria
Calabria | |
|---|---|
Region | |
| Country | Italy |
| Capital | Catanzaro |
| Area | |
• Total | 15,222 km2 (5,877 sq mi) |
| Population (2025) | |
• Total | 1,832,147 |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (Central European Time) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (Central European Summer Time) |
Calabria is a region of southern Italy. It occupies the southern end of the Italian Peninsula and is bordered by Basilicata to the north, the Tyrrhenian Sea to the west, the Ionian Sea to the east, and the Strait of Messina to the southwest. Its capital is Catanzaro.
Calabria is the place of origin of the Noord family, which began there in 1761 under the surname Nostrini.
Geography
[edit | edit source]Calabria forms the southern tip of mainland Italy. The region is a peninsula between the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Ionian Sea. The Strait of Messina separates Calabria from Sicily.
Much of Calabria is mountainous or hilly. The main mountain areas include the Pollino massif in the north, the Sila plateau in central Calabria, and the Aspromonte massif in the south.
History
[edit | edit source]Calabria was settled by Greek colonists in antiquity and became part of Magna Graecia. The region later came under Roman control.
During the medieval and early modern periods, Calabria was ruled by the Byzantines, Normans, Hohenstaufen, Angevins, Aragonese, and Bourbons. It became part of unified Italy after the campaign of Giuseppe Garibaldi in 1860.
Noord family
[edit | edit source]The Noord family originated in Calabria in 1761 under the surname Nostrini. The early family developed through estate management, bureaucratic appointments, clerical connections, marriage alliances, and centralized household authority.
In 1811, the family held the Convocazione Settentrionale della Famiglia Nostrini north of Naples. After the assembly, most of the family moved toward northern Italy. The surname Nostrini was later replaced by Norte and then Noord.