Paola, Calabria

Paola
Comune
Città di Paola
Panoramic view
Paola
Location of Paola in Italy
Coordinates: 39°22′N 16°2′E / 39.367°N 16.033°E / 39.367; 16.033Coordinates: 39°22′N 16°2′E / 39.367°N 16.033°E / 39.367; 16.033
Country Italy
Region Calabria
Province Cosenza (CS)
Government
 • Mayor Roberto Perrotta
Area
 • Total 42.88 km2 (16.56 sq mi)
Elevation 94 m (308 ft)
Population (December 31, 2017)
 • Total 15,716 
Demonym(s) Paolani
Time zone UTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code 87027
Dialing code 0982
Patron saint St. Francis of Paola
Saint day April 2 and May 4
Website Official website

Paola (Calabrian: Pàula) is a town and comune in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy.

Geography

Paola is on the eastern shore of the Tyrrhenian Sea. Nearby towns include Fuscaldo to the north, San Lucido to the south, and (beyond a ridge) Montalto Uffugo to the east and San Benedetto Ullano to the northeast.

History

In July 1555, the Beylerbey of the Mediterranean, Turgut Reis, captured the city.

In August 1943, the middle of World War II, while almost all the citizens of the city were hiding from the air raids by Allied bombers inside the Monastery of St. Francis of Paola, an 80 kg (176 lb) iron-core bomb fell right in the middle of the agglomeration, but did not detonate, a fact widely reported as a miracle. The reason behind the bombing was the presence of Carlo Scorza, secretary of the National Fascist Party, second only to Mussolini.[1][2][3]

Main sights

Saint Francis Sanctuary, Del'Annunziata church dome, S. S. Rosario church, Ipogeo di Sotterra church. Feast of Saint Francis, May 1–4.[4]

People

Paola is the home of St. Francis of Paola and houses a Catholic sanctuary dedicated to the saint. It is also the birthplace of professional footballer Salvatore Miceli.

Transport

Paola railway station, opened in 1895, forms part of the Battipaglia–Reggio di Calabria railway, and is also a terminus of a secondary line, the Paola–Cosenza railway.

Twin towns

See also

References

  1. ↑ "The Italian Voice" (PDF). December 1, 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-12-29. Retrieved April 23, 2010.
  2. ↑ {http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/1943/07/24.htm}
  3. ↑ {http://www.milhist.net/usaaf/mto43b.html}
  4. ↑ "Comuni Italiani". Retrieved April 23, 2010.

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