Castagna
The Municipality of Castagna
The Municipality of Castagna, located in the province of Catanzaro, was autonomous from 1832 to 1869. This city was founded many centuries ago and was an ancient hamlet of Cosenza belonging to the University of Scigliano. In the past, its mountainous territory was known as Trempa della Castagna. With the dismantling of Scigliano in 1807, Castagna was assigned to the municipality of Soveria Mannelli. However, in 1832, Castagna separated from Soveria Mannelli to form an autonomous municipality.
The Suppression and Union of Castagna
After the unification of Italy, the provincial council of Catanzaro found that the municipal revenues of Castagna were not sufficient to cover even the mandatory expenses. Consequently, in 1867 the suppression of the municipality was proposed. In 1869, the entire municipal territory of Castagna was assigned to the municipality of Carlopoli. However, the hamlet of Colla was assigned to the municipality of Soveria Mannelli. In 1871, this hamlet returned to its original municipality.
The Diocese of Martirano and the Diocese of Catanzaro-Squillace
In the past, Castagna was part of the Diocese of Martirano. However, in 1818, following the Papal Bull ''De utiliori'' and the concordat between the Holy See and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, this diocese was suppressed and aggregated to the Diocese of Nicastro. In 1986, following the revision of the Italian dioceses, the parish of Castagna passed from the Diocese of Nicastro to the Archdiocese of Catanzaro-Squillace. Later, the parish of Panettieri was also aggregated to this diocese, although the municipality of Panettieri was in the province of Cosenza.
The Textile Industry of Emilio Leo
In the second half of the nineteenth century, Emilio Leo created the first Calabrian textile industry in Castagna. He exploited the motive power of the waters of the Corace river to start the production of fabrics. Later, he moved to Soveria Mannelli, where he founded the Lanificio Leo in 1873. This factory continues to produce fabrics using ancient nineteenth-century machinery.
In summary, the Municipality of Castagna was founded many centuries ago and was an ancient hamlet of Cosenza belonging to the University of Scigliano. In 1832, Castagna separated from Soveria Mannelli to form an autonomous municipality. However, after the unification of Italy, the provincial council of Catanzaro found that the municipal revenues of Castagna were not sufficient to cover even the mandatory expenses, leading to the suppression of the municipality. In the past, Castagna was part of the Diocese of Martirano. However, in 1986, the parish of Castagna passed from the Diocese of Nicastro to the Archdiocese of Catanzaro-Squillace. Finally, Emilio Leo created the first Calabrian textile industry in Castagna, using the motive power of the waters of the Corace river and, later, founding the Lanificio Leo in Soveria Mannelli.
