Platì
Encyclopedia
Platì is a town and comune
(municipality) in the province of Reggio Calabria
, in Calabria
, southern Italy
. It rises 300 metres above the sea level on the slope of the Aspromonte
mountains and is located next to the Aspromonte National Park
. The town is well known for its bread
.
granted the fief Platì and Santa Barbara to Carlo Spinelli, prince of Cariati
. The small hamlet that was set up was named Platì in 1704. The area was apparently populated by ex-convicts from the prison of Reggio Calabria
as a kind of penal colony
. The population was mainly employed in sheep husbandry
.
An earthquake
on February 5, 1783, partially destroyed the town, killing 25 people. The area is prone to floods and landslides and was hit in 1848, 1861, 1870, 1908, 1951, 1953, 1958, 1972 and 1973.
On October 16–18, 1951, the town was hit by a floods from the Careri river and landslides, partially destroying the town and leaving 18 people dead. Many people decided to leave and headed north to Turin and Milan or emigrated, in particular to Australia. In 1953 an 1958 the town was hit again by floods. Many of the migrants to Australia ended up in Griffith, New South Wales
and made the area into an important wine producing region.
organization. The town has been called the "cradle of kidnapping" and it is suspected that kidnap victims were held within underground hide-outs. The wealth of the crime families is well hidden, and the municipality is officially the one with the lowest per capita income in Italy. In a large scale operation in the night of 13 November 2003, thousands of carabinieri
stormed the town, discovering hidden underground rooms and hallways and arresting 131 people.
The tunnels are sophisticated and in some places large enough to drive a lorry through. Most of the passages run parallel to the town's sewer system. Remote-controlled trap doors lead into houses, some of them uninhabited, enabling the 'ndranghetisti to escape from the police at a moment's notice. Some of the tunnels emerge outside the town close to woodland, while others open into animal pens and barns on local farms.
Platì is home to the Barbaro
, Marando, Papalia and Sergi 'ndrine. Seven of Plati's mayors have failed to finish their terms: two were killed while still serving, while another five were removed from office on suspicion of corruption.
In July 2006, the town council was dissolved on orders from the central government and replaced by a prefectoral commissioner because it had been infiltrated by the 'Ndrangheta.
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
(municipality) in the province of Reggio Calabria
Province of Reggio Calabria
The Province of Reggio Calabria is a province in the Calabria region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Reggio., it has an area of 3,183 km², and a total population of 565,866. There are 97 comuni in the province, see Comuni of the Province of Reggio Calabria.- Economy :The region is...
, in Calabria
Calabria
Calabria , in antiquity known as Bruttium, is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of the Italian Peninsula. The capital city of Calabria is Catanzaro....
, southern Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. It rises 300 metres above the sea level on the slope of the Aspromonte
Aspromonte
Aspromonte is a mountain massif in the province of Reggio Calabria . The name means "rough mountains", so named by the farmers who found its steep terrain and rocky soil difficult to cultivate. It overlooks the Strait of Messina, being limited by the Ionian and Tyrrhenian Seas and by the Pietrace...
mountains and is located next to the Aspromonte National Park
Aspromonte National Park
Aspromonte National Park is situated in the southern section of the Apennines, in Calabria, Italy.The park lies near the sea and includes mountain summits nearly reaching the 2,000 meters of height ....
. The town is well known for its bread
Bread
Bread is a staple food prepared by cooking a dough of flour and water and often additional ingredients. Doughs are usually baked, but in some cuisines breads are steamed , fried , or baked on an unoiled frying pan . It may be leavened or unleavened...
.
History
Platì was founded in 1505 when Ferdinand II of AragonFerdinand II of Aragon
Ferdinand the Catholic was King of Aragon , Sicily , Naples , Valencia, Sardinia, and Navarre, Count of Barcelona, jure uxoris King of Castile and then regent of that country also from 1508 to his death, in the name of...
granted the fief Platì and Santa Barbara to Carlo Spinelli, prince of Cariati
Cariati
Cariati is a town and comune in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy.-Notes and references:...
. The small hamlet that was set up was named Platì in 1704. The area was apparently populated by ex-convicts from the prison of Reggio Calabria
Reggio Calabria
Reggio di Calabria , commonly known as Reggio Calabria or Reggio, is the biggest city and the most populated comune of Calabria, southern Italy, and is the capital of the Province of Reggio Calabria and seat of the Council of Calabrian government.Reggio is located on the "toe" of the Italian...
as a kind of penal colony
Penal colony
A penal colony is a settlement used to exile prisoners and separate them from the general populace by placing them in a remote location, often an island or distant colonial territory...
. The population was mainly employed in sheep husbandry
Sheep husbandry
Sheep husbandry is a subcategory of animal husbandry specifically dealing with the raising and breeding of domestic sheep. Sheep farming is primarily based on raising lambs for meat, or raising sheep for wool. Sheep may also be raised for milk or to sell to other farmers.-Shelter and...
.
An earthquake
1783 Calabrian earthquakes
The 1783 Calabrian earthquakes were a sequence of five strong earthquakes that hit the region of Calabria in southern Italy , the first two of which produced significant tsunamis. The epicenters form a clear alignment extending nearly 100 km from the Straits of Messina to about 18 km SSW...
on February 5, 1783, partially destroyed the town, killing 25 people. The area is prone to floods and landslides and was hit in 1848, 1861, 1870, 1908, 1951, 1953, 1958, 1972 and 1973.
On October 16–18, 1951, the town was hit by a floods from the Careri river and landslides, partially destroying the town and leaving 18 people dead. Many people decided to leave and headed north to Turin and Milan or emigrated, in particular to Australia. In 1953 an 1958 the town was hit again by floods. Many of the migrants to Australia ended up in Griffith, New South Wales
Griffith, New South Wales
Griffith is a city in south-western New South Wales, Australia. It is also the seat of the City of Griffith local government area. Like the Australian capital, Canberra and the nearby town of Leeton, Griffith was designed by Walter Burley Griffin. Griffith was named after Sir Arthur Griffith the...
and made the area into an important wine producing region.
'Ndrangheta stronghold
Plati is notorious for being a center of the powerful 'Ndrangheta, the Calabrian organized crimeOrganized crime
Organized crime or criminal organizations are transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals for the purpose of engaging in illegal activity, most commonly for monetary profit. Some criminal organizations, such as terrorist organizations, are...
organization. The town has been called the "cradle of kidnapping" and it is suspected that kidnap victims were held within underground hide-outs. The wealth of the crime families is well hidden, and the municipality is officially the one with the lowest per capita income in Italy. In a large scale operation in the night of 13 November 2003, thousands of carabinieri
Carabinieri
The Carabinieri is the national gendarmerie of Italy, policing both military and civilian populations, and is a branch of the armed forces.-Early history:...
stormed the town, discovering hidden underground rooms and hallways and arresting 131 people.
The tunnels are sophisticated and in some places large enough to drive a lorry through. Most of the passages run parallel to the town's sewer system. Remote-controlled trap doors lead into houses, some of them uninhabited, enabling the 'ndranghetisti to escape from the police at a moment's notice. Some of the tunnels emerge outside the town close to woodland, while others open into animal pens and barns on local farms.
Platì is home to the Barbaro
Barbaro 'ndrina
The Barbaro 'ndrina is a clan of the 'Ndrangheta, a criminal and mafia-type organisation in Calabria, Italy. The 'ndrina is currently based in Platì...
, Marando, Papalia and Sergi 'ndrine. Seven of Plati's mayors have failed to finish their terms: two were killed while still serving, while another five were removed from office on suspicion of corruption.
In July 2006, the town council was dissolved on orders from the central government and replaced by a prefectoral commissioner because it had been infiltrated by the 'Ndrangheta.
Notable people
- Francesco BarbaroFrancesco Barbaro (Castanu)Francesco Barbaro ), also known as U'Castanu, is a boss of the 'Ndrangheta, a Mafia-type criminal organisation based in Calabria, Italy. Born in Platì, he is the head of the Barbaro 'ndrina. He was known as the king of kidnapping in the 1980s...
(born 1927), notorious 'Ndrangheta boss known as the king of kidnapping - Tony CatanzaritiTony CatanzaritiAntonio Catanzariti is an Australian politician and citrus farmer. Catanzariti represented the Australian Labor Party in the New South Wales Legislative Council from the 2003 election until his retirement...
(born 1949), AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n politician representing the Australian Labor PartyAustralian Labor PartyThe Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia... - Francesco Delfino (born 1936), general with the CarabinieriCarabinieriThe Carabinieri is the national gendarmerie of Italy, policing both military and civilian populations, and is a branch of the armed forces.-Early history:...
- Rocco PerriRocco PerriRocco Perri was an organized crime figure in Ontario, Canada in the early 20th century...
(1887 - unknown), an infamous bootleggerRum-runningRum-running, also known as bootlegging, is the illegal business of transporting alcoholic beverages where such transportation is forbidden by law...
in OntarioOntarioOntario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...