Reggio di Calabria (rĕd`jō dē kälä`brēä), city (1991 pop. 177,580), capital of Reggio di Calabria prov., Calabria, extreme S Italy, on the Strait of Messina opposite Sicily. An impoverished area, it is a beach resort and an important agricultural market for fruits and tobacco. Bergamot essence (used in perfume) is produced there. Known as Rhegium Rhegium (rē`jēəm), ancient city, S Italy, on the Strait of Messina. It is the modern Reggio di Calabria . Founded (c.720 B.C.
..... Click the link for more information. in ancient times, the city became (12th cent.) part of the kingdom of Sicily and later (13th cent.) of Naples. Its strategic position has resulted in numerous foreign invasions and incursions. The city has also suffered many earthquakes—the worst came in 1783 and 1908. In 1970–71 there was considerable unrest in the city when the capital of Calabria was shifted from Reggio to Catanzaro. The National Museum in Reggio has rich collections of ancient art.

Reggio di Calabria

ancient Rhegium

City (pop., 2001 prelim.: 179,384), capital of Reggio di Calabria province and former capital (until 1971) of Calabria region, southern Italy. A Greek colony founded on the Strait of Messina at the end of the 8th century BC, it was allied with Athens in the 5th century BC and with Rome c. 280 BC. From the 5th century AD it was ruled successively by the Visigoths, Ostrogoths, Byzantines, and Arabs. It was conquered by the Normans under Robert Guiscard c. 1060 and became part of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. Destroyed many times by Muslim invaders and by earthquakes, it has repeatedly been rebuilt. It is a tourist resort and seaport that exports dried herbs and essential oils for the perfume and pharmaceutical industries.