Riace

Riace (Calabrian: Riàci) is a comune (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria in the Italian region Calabria, located about 50 kilometres (31 mi) south of Catanzaro and about 80 kilometres (50 mi) northeast of Reggio Calabria. Riace borders the municipalities of Camini and Stignano.

For the statues, see Riace bronzes.

Riace
Comune
Comune di Riace
Coat of arms
Location of Riace
Riace Location of Riace in Calabria Show map of Italy Riace Riace (Calabria) Show map of Calabria
Coordinates: 38°25′N 16°29′E
Country	Italy
Region	Calabria
Metropolitan city	Reggio Calabria (RC)
Government
• Mayor	Antonio Trifoli
Area [1]
• Total	16.24 km^2 (6.27 sq mi)
Elevation	300 m (1,000 ft)
Population  (30 November 2016)[2]
• Total	2,343
• Density	140/km^2 (370/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Riacesi
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	89040
Dialing code	0964
Patron saint	Saints Cosmas and Damian
Website	Official website

It is notable as the place where the Bronzi di Riace (Riace bronzes), bronze statues of warriors, were found in the sea in 1972. These Ancient Greek sculptures can be seen in the Museo Nazionale della Magna Grecia (National Museum of Magna Graecia, i.e. the colonies of Greater Greece) in Reggio Calabria.

Feast of Saints Cosmas and Damian (2010).

Riace has also reached worldwide attention through its innovative approach to dealing with refugees, as led by Mayor Domenico Lucano, in the context of European migrant crisis.[3] As of January 2011, about 450 refugees from 20 countries had settled there among the 1,800 inhabitants, revitalising the village and preventing the closure of the village school.[4][5] The mayor, Domenico Lucano, came second runner-up in the 2010 World Mayor competition. (The winner was the Mayor of Mexico City, which has about nine million inhabitants.)[6] He was also listed by Fortune as one of the world's greatest leaders in 2016[5][7] featuring at number 40 in the magazine's listing.[8]

References

1. "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011". Istat. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
2. All demographics and other statistics from the Italian statistical institute (Istat)
3. Sreenivasan, Hari (April 3, 2016). PBS NewsHour Weekend. |access-date= requires |url= (help)
4. Ash, Lucy (10 January 2011). "Italian mayor saves his village by welcoming refugees". BBC News. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
5. Poggioli, Sylvia (April 12, 2016). NPR Morning Edition (radio). National Public Radio. Retrieved 2016-04-13.
6. World Mayor 2010 results
7. "Riace: The Italian village abandoned by locals, adopted by migrants". BBC News. 25 September 2016. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
8. "World's Greatest Leaders". Retrieved 2016-04-13.

See also

• Vallata dello Stilaro Allaro